By Lauren Bernard
The world’s youngest preemie, born at just 21 weeks gestation, is going home.
Jemarius Jachin Harbor Jr was born on December 20th, 2019 and due to his extremely premature birth, the doctors at Emory Decatur Hospital in Georgia USA worked hard to fight for his survival.
At birth, he weighed only 13 ounces (less than 400g) and was smaller than a hand.
His mother and father, Jessica McPherson and Jemarius Harbor Sr., pleaded with doctors to do everything they could to save their child.
“We looked at each other in the eye and I told him just give it a try,” McPherson explained.
“I just want you to try. As long as you try, that’s all that matters to me. Don’t just up and say that you can’t do it. Just ‘cause you haven’t done it doesn’t mean it can’t be done.”
Jemarius Jachin Harbor Jr has beaten the record by four days to take the title of being the youngest surviving preemie.
His survival “would be [nothing] short of a miracle,” according to Gina Phillips, Director of Medical Services at Pregnancy Aid Clinics.
As the concept of a set age of “viablility” becomes an outdated notion, babies like Jemarius prove that life is precious at every stage. Whilst it was once common practice to only provide these tiny babies with palliative care, leaps in medical progress now make it possible for these children to not only survive, but thrive.
Thank God, what a fantastic story! Life is precious from the moment of conception and modern medicine should do everything in it’s power to ensure that the baby can be brought to the world.