He did not need 40 weeks

Curtis Means spent only 21 weeks and a day inside his mother.  A full-term pregnancy is usually 40 weeks, making Curtis nearly 19 weeks premature. His brother, C'Asya accompanied him. Curtis survived leaving his mother,  C'Asya did not.

Curtis weighed only 14.8 ounces at birth, but, 16 months later, he is doing well. He has been certified as the world's most premature baby to survive.

He was taken off a ventilator after three months and discharged this April following 275 days in hospital. Therapists had to help him learn how to breathe and use his mouth to eat. He still needs supplemental oxygen and a feeding tube.