A baby boy in Ankeny, Iowa, is celebrating a milestone with his family after achieving a Guinness World Record.
Nash Keen recently turned one and his parents, Randall and Mollie, are over the moon with joy as they have watched their son grow, the Record website reported on Wednesday.
Nash is a very special baby because of his story of survival that began last summer. He was delivered on July 5, 2024 at a gestational age of 21 weeks. That meant he entered the world 133 days early. The Record article said for his birthday, he has been named the most premature baby.
His mother said, “It feels surreal, honestly. A year ago, we weren’t sure what the future would look like, and now we’ve celebrated his first birthday,” adding, “it’s emotional in so many ways: pride, gratitude, even some grief for how different his journey has been. But above all, it feels like a victory.”
According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, a typical pregnancy for a woman lasts about 40 weeks.
In a social media post on Wednesday, the University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital shared photos of Nash and his parents, saying the family was grateful to its medical team for helping to preserve their son’s life.
“They kept his heart going. They really gave him a fighting chance,” said his father, Randall:
“World’s most premature baby” is a title Nash earned when he was born right at 21 weeks, coming 133 days ahead of…
Posted by University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital on Wednesday, July 23, 2025
Nash weighed 10 ounces when he was born and was immediately placed in the neonatal intensive care unit. But medical staff said he showed resilience and pulled through like a champ. He was cleared to go home in January.
His mother said, “Nash isn’t just a record breaker — he’s a heart-stealer. From the very beginning, our family and friends rallied behind him, and as his story spread, so did the love.”
Social media users were quick to offer their warm wishes to the little boy, one person calling him a “miracle baby!” while another user said, “May the Lord bless this child all the days of his life.”
