Despite all their losses in the past, Cary and Tim just can't stop staring at their beautiful bundle of joy. “Our family is finally complete,” Cary said. “He’s absolutely perfect.”
Trigger Warning: This story mentions miscarriage which may be disturbing to readers.
Cary and Tim Patonai knew the baby that they were about to welcome into their lives was a little larger than usual. But, the couple from Arizona was in for a surprise when their son, Finnley, was born two weeks early, weighing 14 pounds, 1 ounce: about double the size of an average newborn. The baby was also tall, measuring 23.75 inches, according to TODAY.
The Patonais also share sons Devlen, 10, and Everett, 2, who was born weighing 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and 11 pounds, 11 ounces, respectively. So it's safe to say that Cary has experience with giving birth to big babies, but Finnley is definitely the biggest.
According to the American Pregnancy Association, most full-term babies (39 to 40 weeks gestation) weigh between 6 and 9 pounds.
Soon enough, he became popular in the hospital! “Finnley was a little celebrity at the hospital. Everyone wanted a selfie with him,” Cary, 36, said. “The OB/GYN who performed the C-section said that in 27 years he had never seen a newborn that size. There was so much excitement in the delivery."
“I’m used to carrying big babies, but this was on another level,” Cary said. “It got to the point where I could hardly move. It would take me 30 minutes to recover from taking a shower.” The thing is if Finley would have actually been delivered on his due date, he would have been at least two pounds heavier.
Now, Finnley —who is around two months old—is wearing size 2 diapers and clothes that are made for babies between the age of 6 to 9 months. Apart from being a tad bigger than normal, Cary describes her third child as “snuggly and healthy.” She noted that he's a "great sleeper" and has a hearty appetite.
“Typically, newborns are taking in about one to two ounces of milk,” she said. “Finnley is eating around four-and-a-half ounces.”
The moment Finnley was born was a rather emotional one for the parents because Cary endured 19 heartbreaking miscarriages in the course of growing her family, which includes two between the birth of her second son and Finnley. "Two of the miscarriages were sets of twins," Cary revealed. "It was was traumatic for the whole family — especially our oldest child. Each loss would break his little heart."
Despite all their losses in the past, Cary and Tim just can't stop staring at their beautiful bundle of joy. “Our family is finally complete,” Cary said. “He’s absolutely perfect.”
References:
https://www.today.com/parents/arizona-woman-gives-birth-baby-weighing-over-14-pounds-t234820
https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/first-year-of-life/newborn-weight-gain/
Cover Image Source (Representative): Getty Images | Image taken by Mayte Torres
