The mom from Victoria, Australia, wasn't entirely surprised since her first child was also a big baby.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on May 18, 2020. It has since been updated.
All babies are a miracle of life but there are some who just take our breath away, literally. They may be born in difficult circumstances or even save their mom's life in some way. But, one baby in Australia is redefining what it means to be a miracle baby by breaking records. That's because when this baby was weighed, her mother gasped at what the scale said.
This baby has broken records probably in the whole island nation. The average weight of a newborn in Australia is around 3.5 kgs (7.7 lbs), which is why her weight shocked doctors at the Melbourne hospital where she was born. For parents, Melis and Ben Amey, their record-holding newborn was a pleasant surprise but nothing entirely unexpected as their first child was also a "big" child. Their first kid weighed 5.6 kg (12.3 lbs) at birth.
Now, their second child is stealing the limelight and has become famous internationally. Willow Amey was born 6.6 kgs (14.5 lbs). Melis spoke to 7News and said that her reaction when she found out her newborn's weight was, "I was like (gasps) oh no!" Glenda Amey, the child's grandmother, was also equally surprised at her new granddaughter's size. "She's huge. Absolutely huge," Glenda said.
The "startled" parents were positive about their child and Melis also joked to reporters that her second daughter might soon be able to share diapers with her older sister, as per CafeMom. She also won't fit into the clothes meant for newborns and is going to wear clothes made for 3-month-olds. She could also wear hand-me-downs from her sister soon. Willow could be the biggest baby in Victoria and even Australia. Willow was born via C-section just like her the baby boy who held the title before she was born.
The previous record-holder in this category was a baby boy born in February 2018. Maoama Ala was born through an elective cesarean when it was found after the 35th-week scan that he would be a big boy. However, the staff never realized that he would go on to hold a record for the biggest newborn in Victoria. "Double zero, triple zero doesn’t fit him, so he’s wearing three to six months clothes," Mum Teu Ala said, as per Perth Now.
Maoama Ala entered the world weighing 6.3 kilograms - becoming the heaviest bub ever born at the Sunshine Hospital. #9Newshttps://t.co/CKxlXFXkA9
— Nine News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) February 16, 2018
"Everyone was asking me, ‘Are you having twins?’ and I was like ‘I wish,’" Teu, shared at the time. "The main thing was not his size, but he was coming out healthy and happy."
In New York, United States, the biggest baby born was also a girl in 2019. Harper Buckley weighed in at 15 lbs, 15 oz, and measured about 23 inches long, according to USA Today. "I knew she was going to be big but I didn’t anticipate no 15-pound baby," mom Joy Buckley said. Joy called Harper a miracle baby since she was told by doctors that she only has a 15% chance of conceiving after being diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome. She gave birth via a planned C-section, which left her covered with bruises and a feeling of being "hit by two tractor-trailers simultaneously."
Harper Buckley could be the heaviest baby ever born in New York state. https://t.co/uqAWfX6oaj
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) March 20, 2019
Her weight was that of an average 5-month-old. In the US, average birth weights are between 5.5 and 8.8 pound. The heaviest baby ever born in the U.S. was 22 pounds, according to Guinness World Records. He lived for only 11 hours. Bigger babies can lead to multiple complications like bleeding and delivery complications. Those newborns are also likely to be at risk of low blood sugar or an elevated blood count.
"Bigger is not always better when it comes to babies' birth weight," said Dr. Kristin Atkins, a specialist in maternal and fetal medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, to Live Science. A baby that is 10 lbs or more is considered a big baby. Their shoulders can get trapped under the mom's pelvic bones and this can damage the nerves in his neck, or break his collarbones or arms, Atkins said. These newborns are also likely to need help breathing as well as they could have abnormally thick heart muscles, Atkins said.
References:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=211559223543366
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/australia/big-arrival-aussie-baby-tips-scales-at-63kg-ng-b88747953z
https://www.livescience.com/35771-big-baby-health-risks.html
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Image source
