Baby boy born at less than a pound thriving, family says

OMAHA, NE (KTRK) -- Baby Nathan Ray Teply weighed less than a pound at his birth three months ago -- 14.99 ounces to be exact.

He was one of the smallest babies ever born in Nebraska, KMTV reports.

But that didn't last long -- he's thriving now, according to his family. The once 10-inch baby is still a small bundle, but he's now five pounds in weight, and overcoming many of the challenges premature babies face, his doctors say.

Baby Nathan's mom, Mary Teply delivered him at 24 weeks pregnant after doctors diagnosed her with preeclampsia.

She and her husband Eric decided to have a C-section to save her life and Nathan's.

Mary Teply said, "We did what we had to do, and he is still here, he is still fighting."

Dr. Dan Connealy, of Methodist Perinatal Center, said, "He is definitely the exception and not the rule for babies born that are that size when it just comes to survival."

Doctors say Nathan will have to overcome some obstacles before he can go home, including eating without a feeding tube and breathing without an oxygen machine.