Roy and Eloysa Vasquez hold their newborn son.
PALO ALTO, California (AP) -- A woman who is 3 feet tall and weighed 37 pounds before she got pregnant has given birth to her first child -- a healthy boy.
Eloysa Vasquez, who uses a wheelchair and had two miscarriages, suffers from Type 3 osteogenesis imperfecta, a disorder that makes bones soft and brittle.
Vasquez gained 20 pounds during pregnancy and delivered the 3 pound, 7 ounce baby on January 24 at Stanford University's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. (
Watch tiny Timothy cooing with his parents -- 1:49)
"We just took one day at a time. We had a lot of people praying for us. We just believed ... and here we have our son," Vasquez, 38, of Tulare, told The Fresno Bee for a story Thursday.
Doctors said they delivered Baby Timothy by Caesarean section eight weeks before due date in order to protect the mother's fragile health -- her tiny, distorted body left little room for a fetus to grow.
They said Timothy did not inherit his mother's genetic condition.
Judging from her son's long fingers and toes, Vasquez said, "I think he's going to be a tall boy."
Her husband, Roy, said his wife's small stature can be deceiving: "She's a strong lady."
According to the university, one in only 25,000 to 50,000 births are to a mother with osteogenesis imperfecta, and even fewer involve moms with the severe Type 3 form.
Damn.....she must have really wanted a baby! Being healthy and giving birth is hard enough. Very lucky to not have passed on that genetic condition. That's pretty risky.
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