A Nebraska hospital and its staff were overjoyed to discharge the tiniest baby to ever survive a premature birth within its walls in December 2023. John McClinton, or “Buddy” as his parents call him, was born in September 2023 at 24 weeks and two days.
He weighed less than a pound when he was born at the Methodist Women’s Hospital in Omaha. “Buddy weighed 14.1 ounces and measured 9.65 inches when he was born on Labor Day, and he is the smallest baby born at the hospital to survive,” Methodist Women’s Hospital staff announced in a press release on Jan. 16.
To put into perspective, an average baby should weigh somewhere between 5 pounds, 8 ounces (2,500 grams) and 8 pounds, 13 ounces (4,000 grams). At 14.1 ounces, Buddy’s weight was equivalent to that of two adult hamsters or a can of soup.
Without a doubt, a tiny baby like Buddy will have complications or conditions that doctors have to treat. He was born with a hole in his heart, but the doctors were able to see it up. The prognosis for his life is so really good, as they expect him to live a healthy life.
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His mom, Ashley McClinton, spoke to FOX TV Stations, explaining how difficult the situation was for her and her family. She had some difficulties conceiving a child and suffered a miscarriage before she became pregnant again with Buddy.
At around 20 weeks, Buddy stopped growing in her womb, and her blood pressure spiked considerably. “What went through my mind was, ‘Lord, I cannot lose another child. I cannot bury another baby,’” she said. In an attempt to save both mother and child, their doctors decided to induce his birth at 24 weeks.
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Since his birth, the staff at the hospital worked tirelessly to make sure the tiny baby lived. Thankfully, he responded well to treatment and began to grow well again. “By the grace of God and the wonderful medical team, he really just needed to grow,” Ashley told the news station.
After his birth, Buddy stayed in the hospital for 116 days under complete medical care and observation. When the doctors told the parents that they would discharge him soon, they were beyond happy and grateful.
When the day finally came, Ashley described it as “bittersweet.” She said to FOX TV Stations, “We have formed such close relationships with all of the people that took care of him for [these] 116 days.”
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“So it was a joyful day. But also, you know, a lot of tears, too, because those people that cared for him so well have become like a second family to us.” Buddy is now home with his family but on oxygen for a while.
His mum hopes that her story will bring hope to those who are struggling. “I think our story hits people who are struggling, who have either really struggled with infertility or struggled with having lost a child or struggled with a baby [being] born really early,” she said.
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