Short and sweet! Baby boy born the size of a can of Coca Cola defies odds as he celebrates first birthday

A little boy in Texas, born the size of a Coca Cola can, has celebrated his first birthday.

Leovani Vera was born at just 27 weeks and weighed just 14.5 grams, less than a pound.

He was so small that his father’s wedding ring fit like a bracelet on his wrist, and he spent three months in the hospital gaining strength and learning to breathe on his own.

As the rate of premature births increases in the U.S., babies as small as Leovani may be subject to lasting physical and mental health problems, including asthma, autism and cerebral palsy.

Now weighing 14 pounds and eight ounces, Leovani just learned to crawl and celebrated his birthday with cupcakes and a trip to Chuck E Cheese.

Leovani Vera from Texas was born at just 27 weeks and weighed as much as a can of Coca Cola (left). Since then, he has defied all odds and celebrated his first birthday (right)

Leovani’s growth began to slow during pregnancy, said his mother, Isabel Vera. At his twenty-week ultrasound he measured five weeks behind.

In December 2022, almost three months before Leovani’s due date, doctors realized that Ms. Vera had high blood pressure, which could be a sign of the pregnancy complication preeclampsia.

The only cure for preeclampsia is childbirth, so Leovani was born at just 27 weeks.

“I begged and pleaded for the doctors to do what they could,” Ms. Vers said.

Due to his small size, he spent the next 127 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where doctors made sure his health and weight improved.

According to the nonprofit March of Dimes, one in 10 babies in the U.S. are born prematurely, before the 37th week.

“I barely left his side when he was born, and even at home I checked the camera to make sure he was okay in the hospital,” said Leovani’s mother, Isabel. She now calls Leovani her miracle baby

Leovani is now reaching his milestones, including recently learning to crawl

Being born prematurely means that premature babies do not have enough time to fully develop their organs, namely their lungs and brain.

This could leave them vulnerable to lasting complications such as asthma, infections, developmental disorders such as autism and ADHD, and neurological conditions such as cerebral palsy.

Premature babies also often have trouble breathing and eating on their own, so they need to stay in the hospital until they can do so again.

Ms Vera, 32, said she went into survival mode when Leovani was born.

“I barely left his side when he was born, and even at home I checked the camera to make sure he was okay in the hospital,” she said.

“I just kept crying and barely stopped to even process what we were going through. When he was in the NICU, I commuted there every day to visit him.”

“There were nights I was there so late that I slept in my car or in the waiting room, I just didn’t want to leave him.”

Ms Vera was initially afraid to reveal Leovani’s weight to people because she worried they would not be supportive, but has since been able to meet other families in the same situation on social media.

This gave her confidence that he would pull through.

“When the time finally came, we wanted to make it as special as possible, but obviously we didn’t want to overwhelm him,” she said.

‘We kept it very small and only with immediate family because of the cold season. We had a delicious meal and cake at our home.’

Leovani also got to enjoy a family day out at Chuck E Cheese, complete with cupcakes.

“His favorite part was the cupcake,” Ms. Vera said. ‘I had to take some away from him because he wouldn’t stop eating.

“To see him celebrate his first birthday was a full circle for me.”

“Leovani is my miracle, and I am over the moon to say he is a happy and healthy one-year-old.”