Viral: 5.9 kg (13 pounds) newborn baby sets new record, stuns family and doctors
PTC Web Desk: A maternity ward in upstate New York witnessed an extraordinary moment when a newborn boy tipped the scales at nearly twice the weight of an average baby, leaving both his family and medical staff astonished.
The baby, named Shawn Jr, was delivered on January 31 at Cayuga Medical Center. Weighing an impressive 5.9 kg (13 pounds), he has officially become the heaviest baby ever born at the hospital.
His parents, Terrica and Shawn, admitted they had expected a healthy-sized child but were unprepared for just how big their son would be. Terrica, already a mother of four, shared that the newborn has skipped standard newborn clothing altogether and is comfortably fitting into outfits designed for babies aged three to six months. She described the experience as feeling like she had “fast-forwarded” to parenting a three-month-old.
Hospital officials confirmed that while such births are rare, the delivery was handled smoothly by their experienced maternity team. Adding to the uniqueness of the day, another baby, a girl named Margot, was born at the same hospital weighing just 1.8 kg (3.96 pounds). A photo shared by the hospital on social media showed the striking size difference between the two newborns, quickly drawing attention online.
Margot’s mother said seeing the babies side by side made her realise how every child arrives with a story of their own.
While Shawn Jr’s birth has set a local record, history has seen even more remarkable cases. According to Guinness World Records, the heaviest baby ever recorded was born on January 19, 1879, in Seville, Ohio. The infant weighed 9.98 kg (22 pounds) and measured 28 inches in length. Sadly, the child survived for only 11 hours.
Medical experts note that advances in maternal care have significantly improved outcomes for both mothers and babies, even in cases involving unusually high birth weights.
- With inputs from agencies
