Baby born at 22 weeks defies the odds, now a healthy five-year-old

Survival rate of those born this early, well before full term of 37 weeks, close to zero

- Theresa Tan

Five-year-old Chelsea Kiew likes to play with Lego, loves to eat cheese sticks, and one of her favourite places to visit is the zoo.

She is just like any typical kindergarten child, said her father, 35-year-old business analyst Raymond Kiew.

But Chelsea’s birth in 2018 was anything but normal.

She was born extremely premature at 22 weeks – or over five months – of pregnancy, and is the only baby born in Singapore at 22 weeks in the past decade to have survived.

A baby is considered full term from the 37th week onwards.

Dr Tan Pih Lin, a senior consultant at the department of neonatology at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), said that globally, less than 1 per cent to 2 per cent of babies are born at 22 weeks.

Dr Tan said of her patient: “Chelsea is the only survivor at 22 weeks gestation in Singapore, which makes it an extremely rare and unique case.”

Chelsea’s mother, Madam Lin Hsiao Chi, a housewife in her 30s, said her daughter was as small as a 100Plus bottle, referring to the isotonic drink bottle, when she was born.

To be exact, she weighed 510g and measured 28cm in length at birth. Newborns usually weigh between 2.5kg and 3.5kg.

Dr Tan said that Chelsea’s chances of survival were close to zero at birth.

She went through a slew of life-sustaining treatments and spent 166 days, or more than five months, in hospital before she was discharged.

Mr Kiew said that Chelsea, who turns six in May 2024, is very fortunate as she has no major complications from her premature birth.

She has a small hole in her heart, which requires regular check-ups.