Australian mum gives birth to mega-baby

[darksithbunny]

Could somebody convert it to pounds for me please?

[Kittylady]

Originally Posted by Honey

Tucker means food, not sure what stockman's is....but something to avoid if you don't want a giant baby

I read about this elsewhere as well - I think she lives out on a cattle station, and was eating the same stuff as the guys who work out there (stockman's tucker) which would have been pretty hearty meat and veg meals.

Originally Posted by darksithbunny

Could somebody convert it to pounds for me please?

I *think* it's about 13 pounds and a few ounces.

[A*O]

Stockman's tucker would be kinda like a cowboy diet - steak and potato, etc. Icy poles are those fruity ice things on a stick.

Looking at that kid I'd say the mother is aboriginal and almost certainly obese and/or diabetic. It's a huge health problem in that community.

[qwerty]

Originally Posted by WhateverLolaWants

It is true that bnirth weight isn't always an indication. Both my babies were on the big side (9 lbers) but are smaller than their peers as older children. Hubby and I are both under 5'6.

Still, that particular baby has a face that reminds me of those I have seen/met with giantism. The wide set apart eyes, the long nose...the square jaw.

My sister was 12 lbs at birth (and came out of a 5'3" 98 lb woman) and is only 5 feet flat in adulthood.

[Penny Lane]

6.28kg baby is one big surprise for mum

IN 'crawler' nappies and clothes usually seen on a six-month-old, 6.28kg newborn Chelsea Rose Mackay is believed to be the biggest baby ever born at the Townsville Hospital and one of the largest in the country.

Weighing in at a hefty 13 pounds eight ounces, 55cm in length and as beautiful as her angelic name suggests, there is certainly plenty of Chelsea for first time mum Danielle to cuddle.

Born on Thursday, Chelsea measures up at twice the size of an average baby and almost five-and-a-half times the size of her little friend, Melinda Burns, who was born prematurely at 818g, or just under two pounds, but is now a month old and weighs just 1216g.

Ms Mackay said along with her hard working partner Paul Mifsud she ate a diet of stockman's tucker and also snacked on icy poles while pregnant with Chelsea but never imagined her bundle of joy would be this big.

"I knew she was going to be a bit bigger because my stomach was massive," Ms Mackay said.

"The doctors said she would be ten to twelve pounds which is more than big enough but when she came out at 13 pounds eight ounces it was a huge shock.

"I lived up on a cattle station near Charters Towers right up until about six weeks before she was born.

"I was working on the station but once I found out I was pregnant I became a governess but we all still ate the same food as the others who were working - really hearty meat and vege.

"When I came to town closer to her birth I found I was eating handfuls of ice and lots of flavoured icy poles."


Ms Mackay was referred to Townsville by her Charters Towers doctor after it became clear Chelsea was no ordinary baby.

"I had to have a caesarean because the doctors were afraid she wouldn't fit through my pelvic bones.

"She's in three to six-month-old children's clothes sized about double zero and she has to wear crawlers nappies because the others won't fit."

Neonatal specialist Dr Yoga Kandasamy said while most babies of Chelsea's size were sick or had mothers with gestational diabetes, both mum and bub were a picture of good health.

"She would have to be one of the biggest newborns I have ever seen," Dr Kandasamy said.

"We're hoping Chelsea can go home later this week while little Melinda will have to wait another five to six weeks.

"Chelsea is being monitored for her blood sugar and feeding but she is doing very well in all departments."

New mum Megan and grandma Milfred said they could hardly believe how much bigger Chelsea was compared to their little Melinda.

Baby Melinda was born two months premature on May 29, after Megan had to be flown in from Normanton when she developed pre-eclampsia.

"We saw a 13 pound baby once before out at Mount Isa hospital and he had to be delivered by C-section as well," Milfred said.

"Everyone is just waiting for little Melinda to come home, she's even got a favourite Aunty Patti who calls every day on the phone asking about her."

6.28kg baby is one big surprise for mum | Townsville Bulletin News

[DeadDwarf]

I don't think what a mother eats has a lot to do with how much her baby will weigh (in most cases).

I know women who gained 50+ and ate shitty food for 9 months, but had normal sized babies. I know one girl who gained 90 lbs and her kid came out a little over 6 lbs. Shit, my friend's sister was overweight and gained only 15 lbs during her pregnancy. Her son was 9.5 lbs and she left the hospital weighing less than when she got pregnant.

I gained 30 lbs max, ate healthy and my daughter was almost 9 lbs and 20.5 inches long. She now super tall (98 percentile), but average in weight. Sometimes kids are just big regardless of what you eat/gain.

[qwerty]

I'm going to assume that the gestation of this 14 lb baby was accompanied by a nasty case of gestational diabetes for the mum.

[pinkbutterfly]

Whoa! Amazing!! How did she bear this much burden in her belly, that's more interesting..

[DeadDwarf]

Originally Posted by qwerty

I'm going to assume that the gestation of this 14 lb baby was accompanied by a nasty case of gestational diabetes for the mum.

That was my first thought (and post) as well, but in the recent article the doctor says they didn't have it. *shrugs* Just a big kid, I guess!

[tictac]

I'm a nurse in a neonatal ICU and am used to feeding cute little 3-4 lb babies all the time. Even 7-8 lb babies seem huge to me when I hold them. One time I got a 12 pounder who was there for blood sugar issues and I swear it was like feeding a toddler in my lap. Sorry - not cute at all! Poor thing was such a spectacle amongst his fellow patients. What's frustrating is, these babies are usually the worst feeders and can't suck a bottle for anything! So you sit there struggling with this mini monster in your lap for 30 minutes. I love my itty bitty munchkins.

[WhateverLolaWants]

Ah, but those itty bitty munchkins are far more likely to have health problems, now and down the line. They are no less deserving of love or affection, but putting them forth as more desirable is on par with being pro-ano.

They under a healthy birth weight because they were born prematurely. That is not the natural state of things nor is it to be desired, no matter how 'cute' it seems.

[greysfang]

Damn, its going to take a few days to unclench my hooey after seeing that baby.

[DeadDwarf]

Originally Posted by WhateverLolaWants

Ah, but those itty bitty munchkins are far more likely to have health problems, now and down the line. They are no less deserving of love or affection, but putting them forth as more desirable is on par with being pro-ano.

They under a healthy birth weight because they were born prematurely. That is not the natural state of things nor is it to be desired, no matter how 'cute' it seems.

Yeah, that was an insensitive post, not someone I would want caring for my newborn. I think 12 lb newborns are just as cute as a 7 lb baby or a 3 lb baby. And if anything, I have seen premature babies and they are actually alien looking- don't see how they are so much cuter, if anything they are scary looking. My husband was a 3 lb baby and he even admits he was ugly as sin because he wasn't developed. I think the goal should be to have a healthy baby, not to have one that is tiny because they are so much cuter and easier to love.

[blissfullyunaware]

I have a friend who has 4 kids & all were between 10-12 pounds. She is a thin woman & did not gain very much weight or have gestational diabetes. All the kids are of normal height & weight for their ages. Some women just have large babies.

[WhateverLolaWants]

Originally Posted by DeadDwarf

Yeah, that was an insensitive post, not someone I would want caring for my newborn. I think 12 lb newborns are just as cute as a 7 lb baby or a 3 lb baby. And if anything, I have seen premature babies and they are actually alien looking- don't see how they are so much cuter, if anything they are scary looking. My husband was a 3 lb baby and he even admits he was ugly as sin because he wasn't developed. I think the goal should be to have a healthy baby, not to have one that is tiny because they are so much cuter and easier to love.

My sister in law has had severe health problems all her life because she was born at 25 weeks gestation. As someone who has had to care for her in the past, I do not love her any less for her afflictions, but I get genuinely concerned at people cooing over the supposed superior cuteness of premies