I’m sure you’ve heard about the 19.2 lb baby that was born in Indonesia this past Monday. As I looked through the photos of this giant newborn, I realized he is not only much bigger than the average newborn, he is a couple pounds heavier than my 26 week old son! The average newborn weighs between 6 and 9 pounds approximately. That puts young Akbar at about triple the average size. Can you imagine cradling a 19 pound newborn in your arms? Infant carriers usually have a weight limit of about 22 pounds. This baby will quickly exceed that and I can’t imagine being forced to put him in a convertible seat at such a young age. The blankets created for swaddling will likely be too small for him. Pretty much everything created for newborns will be too small!
Boy babies weighing more than 9 lbs, 3 oz at full term are considered large for gestational age. Large babies are associated with difficult births, often resulting in cesarean. Unfortunately, the number of overweight babies has increased dramatically. It’s not without its risks either. Overweight newborns are at risk for respiratory distress, hypoglycemia, and jaundice. They also are at an increased risk for insulin resistance, adult obesity and high blood pressure later in life.
Birth weight is closely tied to maternal nutrition. Akbar’s mother was diabetic, which explains why he was receiving so much glucose in the womb, leading to his extreme birth weight. Diabetes is the most common cause of overweight babies. Women who are not diabetic can develop gestational diabetes if they are not careful. Both gestational diabetes and regular diabetes can lead to “chunky” newborns.
My son weighed 8 lbs 5 oz. How much did your baby weigh? Leave your children(s)’ birth weight in the comments section just for comparison!