That's one BIG baby

Did you see that a woman in Russia gave birth to a 17.1 lb. baby? NO, that is not a typo. The first of her 11 children was over 11 pounds, and all the others, "broke the records set by their brothers and sisters," which I take to mean each one got larger than the last. This baby was delivered by c-section (You THINK???-I am all for natural childbirth, but even I would refuse to push out a 17 lb baby. Ouch! Makes you hurt just to think about it.)
My second child was almost 2 before she was 17 pounds.
We are blessed to live in a nation where we get good prenatal care. I TOTALLY believe God generally does not give us babies larger than a woman's body can naturally deliver, and that if 1/3 of all babies born in the U.S. REALLY required a c-section to make it safely into this world, women would have zippers across their abdomens. BUT, having a 17 pound baby just seems medically irresponsible. The baby is suffering from severe heath problems now, which is linked to its large size. I'm thankful that there is a flip side to our intervention-happy birth culture, and that is that you don't hear about 17 pound babies being born in this country. A 17 pound baby was also born in Brazil in 2005.
Want to know the record? No, you really don't. A baby was born in 1879 that was 23 pound 12 ounces. The parents were both "giants" at just under 8 feet each. The poor baby died 11 hours later due to the stress of a 3 day birthing process. For reference, my 2 1/2 year old weighs 25 pounds. I am blessed that God did not give me a 23 lb baby, or even a 17 lb baby, but I know He would have met my needs if He did.
until tomorrow,
obm

Comments

Leisa said…
Ouch! And I thought my 9 12oz baby was big. It is so true about the poor outcomes with large babies. Liv had to stay in the hospital a week with complications from a prolonged delivery. We thank God that none of the complications were long term.
Lisa said…
EWWWWW....that ain't no baby...that's a toddler.
Steph C. said…
R was a 10 llb 4 oz-er!!! S a 9 llb 15 oz...L and K? Cannot remember!
Amy said…
Mine were 8 1/2 and 10 lbs. C-sections. Slept through the night at two months and two and a half months. Yup. Eight hours straight through. Such good babies. It was their mother that had all the problems. Gestational diabetes, insulin shots (4 per day) and blood testing 4 times a day. I'm okay with not having another, though I wouldn't mind it either! But not one THAT big! Saw a 13 lb newborn once. He looked like a quarterback!

Popular Posts