Tiny woman gives birth

PALO ALTO, Calif. – 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 Jan. 24 at Stanford University’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

“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 Cesarean section eight weeks before due date in order to protect the mother’s health, since her tiny, distorted body left little room for the 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.

Associated Press

Eloysa Vasquez holds her newborn son, Timothy, Thursday at Stanford University’s children’s hospital in Palo Alto, Calif.