Teeny, Tiny Woman Gives Birth

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 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.