An Inside look at the Baby of the Worlds Smallest Mom. She just gave birth to a 4 pound baby.
A north Kentucky mom may have set a world record by giving birth to a baby only 10.5 inches smaller than she is.
Stacy Herald is all of 28.5 inches tall from head to heel. The 33-year-old mother of two was born with osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disorder that makes bones brittle and fragile. She defied the odds and the predictions of doctors who told her she would never carry a pregnancy to term.
"My whole life I've been told that I wasn't able to have children," she says. "[They said] I would not live through the pregnancy, that with the size of my torso, the baby would grow up underneath my lungs and smother out my lungs and my heart and we would both die. And something inside me just didn't believe that.
But Stacy became pregnant and doctors encouraged her to have an abortion. She refused. "And my doctor, I love her to death, she's so sweet, she said, 'Okay', she said, you know, 'We'll do it.' We'll provide the best medical care we provide. You provide the faith and we'll see what happens."
"I had the biggest belly you've ever seen in your life. If I laid down, I looked like a snail. That's how big my belly was. I looked like an Idaho potato with arms and legs. And you couldn't see my feet. You know, my legs are there, you know. But my belly came out so long, that all you could see was a belly with toes," Stacy quips.
Stacy gave birth to Katira, now 16 months old. Katira was born with the same genetic disorder as her mom. Five weeks ago, she delivered her second daughter, Makaia, who does not have the disorder. Makaia is expected to grow to a normal height.
"The only thing that I cannot do for my children is like if they want to get from the swing set to the bed or the bed to the swing. Or like picking them up. Now Makaia, I can, for now. I'm sure she'll be carrying me one day."
Stacy's husband, Wil Herald, who is studying to be a minister, says his wife and kids are a gift from God. "I'm proud to have her as my wife. It's just a blessing that we have two wonderful children. She's a great mom. She's a terrific mom. I mean, I couldn't ask for anyone else to be the mother of my children."
Stacey and Wil are planning to try for a son.