In some non-coronavirus news, we have a crazy story for you today! One Australian mom gave birth to a 14.5 lb baby! On top of that, she gave birth to the baby completely naturally. According to Australian news outlets, the baby is very happy and healthy, which is great news! Willow Amey was born to parents Melis and Ben, and the new parents say they were “startled,” but not surprised.
This seems to be a thing that runs in their family. Their first child, also a girl, weighed 12.3 lbs at birth. They even joked that their newborn second daughter may be able to share diapers pretty soon!
Meet the 14.5 lb baby, Willow
“I was like [gasps] oh no!” Melis tells news outlets when she saw how big her baby was. Glenda Amey, her mother-in-law, also couldn’t believe how big she was. “She’s huge, absolutely huge,” the grandmother tells news stations.
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The average newborn in Australia is 7.6 lbs based on a full, 40-week pregnancy. Willow’s weight is actually so impressive that she knocked out the leading baby for the top spot for the title of “Australia’s Biggest Baby.” Previously, a baby boy was born in 2018 weighing in at 13.8 lbs. However, he was born via C-section when doctors realized he was on the bigger side. “Everyone was asking me, ‘Are you having twins?’ and I was like ‘I wish’,” his mother shares at the time. “The main thing was not his size, but he was coming out healthy and happy.”
Potential dangers of a baby being this size at birth
Dr. Kristin Atkins is a specialist in maternal and fetal medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She weighs in on babies being born bigger than average. “Bigger is not always better when it comes to babies’ birth weight,” she says. One thing is that it could provide obstacles for mothers that plan to give birth vaginally.
Additionally, babies 10 lbs or larger can have trouble moving down the birth canal and get stuck under the mother’s pelvic bones. This can cause damage to the baby’s neck or break their collarbones or arms. Thankfully, for this couple, Willow is doing very well and did not encounter any of those issues during birth! Congratulations to the new parents on their bundle of joy.