Baby Born 15 Pounds, 7 Ounces: Giant Newborn George King Had 10% Chance of Survival
A baby born at 15 pounds, 7 ounces, in England was delivered six weeks ago after his mother spent an arduous 16 hours in natural labor. The average baby's birth weight, by contrast, is about 7.5 pounds.
The BBC reports that giant baby George King was born at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital on February 11, 15 days past his due date. George's shoulders got stuck during delivery, leaving him deprived of oxygen for five minutes. Doctors did not expect the baby to be quite as large as 15 pounds, 7 ounces, and struggled to deliver him. They estimated that the baby had only a 10 percent chance of survival.
After he was successfully delivered, George was transferred to St. Michael's Hospital in nearby Bristol for intensive care. Four-and-a-half weeks later, he was healthy enough to go home with his parents.
George's parents, Jade Packer, 21, and Ryan King, 21, had no idea what they were in for during Packer's pregnancy.
"Everyone was shocked that he was so big," said Packer to the BBC. "He is a little miracle - a big miracle actually!"
"During the pregnancy I was just getting bigger and bigger. It makes it even more special to have him home now after all he has been through."
According to the Daily Mail, baby George's weight at 15 pounds, 7 ounces, makes him the largest newborn ever delivered in Gloucestershire - and the second largest baby ever delivered in the United Kingdom. The largest baby ever delivered was only one ounce heavier.
The BBC says that it's unclear how baby George got to be so big. Newborn baby weight is thought to be at least partly hereditary, but neither of his parents was particularly heavy at birth. His mother was about six pounds at birth, and his father weighed nine.
George's parents told the BBC that MRI brain scans show nothing developmentally abnormal. Doctors told them that George may grow up to have minor learning disabilities, but otherwise seems to be totally healthy.
King said that the family is getting used to life with the baby: "Everyone has said his size will level out and he will grow at a normal rate.'
If his parents are any precedent, baby George will grow up to be an average height. His father stands at 6 feet, 2 inches tall, and his mother is 5 feet, 7 inches.
Baby George is already 2 feet and 2 inches tall, and has gained only one pound six weeks since birth. Before he was born, his parents bought clothes for a much smaller baby - at six weeks, he fits into clothes meant for a typical six-month old.
Hopefully baby George's growth will level off more quickly than average babies - Mayo Clinic suggests that most babies double their birth weight by five months, and triple by one year.
Packer told the BBC that the ordeal of giving birth to baby George has made her think twice about having any more children, though she's happy to have him:
"He's a little mouthful-- well, a big mouthful really."