PHOTOS – Newborn Who Survived 16 Minutes Without Oxygen, Heartbeat Becomes ‘Smiling, Happy Boy!’

A baby in North Branch, Minnesota, is thriving after a medical scare that nearly took his life.

When Owen Hubert was born in February, the first few minutes of his life were spent without oxygen and without a heartbeat, WCCO reported Monday.

Prior to his birth, his mother, Stephanie Silva, showed up at the hospital concerned that something was not right with her baby and eventually went into labor while suffering from chest pains.

Once doctors examined the young mother, they learned Owen’s blood supply had been cut off. The medical team knew time was of the essence and prepared to save him with an emergency delivery.

“I remember going to sleep praying please please keep my baby alive, my poor fiancé was left alone as we were taken to surgery not knowing if he would ever see us alive again,” Silva, who was dealing with high blood pressure at the time, recalled of the tense situation, according to Project NICU.

Things seemed to grow worse when Owen was born not breathing and without a pulse. Doctors tried for 16 minutes to revive the tiny boy.

Thankfully, the medical team finally got a pulse and the baby started breathing, although according to his mother, he later experienced a small seizure and was placed on a ventilator.

Now, the determined baby is thriving and shows zero signs of brain damage.

“I’ve taken Owen to a primary care pediatrician and a neurologist. Both say he’s perfectly normal to them, neurologist even calling him a ‘miracle’ to been threw such a rough start and resuscitated for 16 minutes with absolutely no injury is truly amazing and a miracle,” Silva noted.

An image WCCO shared shows a joyful Owen in the arms of a loved one:

The family was overjoyed when Owen was sent home 11 days after making his debut. Now, the doctors and nurses who helped Owen are getting credit along with a transport isolette that transferred him to Children’s Minnesota.

“We actually slow down their body to let time for recovery and keep the body cool,” Dr. Heidi Kamrath told WCCO.

In a social media post Monday, Owen’s grandmother shared a photo of him, and he appears to be having the time of his life:

“This is him now, a smiling happy boy!” she wrote.