A family recently celebrated the arrival of a 14-pound, eight-ounce baby, nearly twice the size of the average baby and the largest born in the U.S. since 2010.
Britteney and Chase Ayres, originally from Ontario, Canada, welcomed their fifth child, Sonny, via C-section on October 23 at Cambridge Memorial Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.
Sonny was born at 24 inches tall and weighed 34 pounds and eight ounces, while the average weight and length of a newborn at full term is 17 pounds and 7.5 inches, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Oh, it was mind-blowing,” Father Chance said Fox News digital. ‘It was a mind-blowing experience.’
“The way the doctors and nurses were cheering, it was like the (Toronto) Maple Leafs had won the Stanley Cup. It was insane. Everyone was jumping and screaming. It was fun,” he added.
Britteney Ayres, from Cambridge, Ontario, gave birth to Sonny, who weighed 14 pounds and eight ounces – almost twice the size of the average baby
Sonny, the family’s fifth child, was born on October 23 at Cambridge Memorial Hospital near Boston, Massachusetts
The baby was born at 24 inches long and weighed 40 pounds, eight ounces, while the average weight and length of a newborn baby at full term is 17 pounds, 7.5 inches.
Sonny has the right mix of genetics that can lead to his size – two of his siblings were born weighing over 13 pounds and his father Chance weighed nine pounds, nine ounces when he was born.
“Chance is very tall and he has tall relatives. My father is tall. My brother is tall. So yeah, I think it just runs in the family,” Britteney said.
Sonny’s birth undoubtedly surprised and cheered hospital staff, including Dr. Asa Ahimbisibwe, an obstetrician who delivered Britteney’s last three children.
“She previously had a big baby weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces. “We knew this baby was going to be big too, but we didn’t expect it to be this big,” he said.
“When the baby passed the balance, it became real that he was indeed a big baby.” He said the operating room cheered when Sonny was born.
“I have never delivered such a big baby before and have never seen one delivered even during my training,” Ahimbisibwe said.
The surprise emerged when Britteney’s ultrasound, performed just a week before the birth, estimated the baby’s weight at 6,000 grams.
“So even though we knew it was going to be a big baby,” Ahimbisibwe said, “the surprise was more that it was bigger than all her previous babies.”
The doctor said factors that can contribute to a big baby include “genetics, post-dating and poorly controlled diabetes” in general.
“But it is fair to say that Britteney did not have diabetes during this pregnancy,” the doctor said. “I think she just makes big babies.”
Sonny has the genetics that led to his size: two of his siblings were born weighing more than 13 pounds
The surprise emerged when Britteney’s ultrasound, performed just a week before the birth, estimated the baby’s weight at 6,000 grams.
The older children in the family are happy to have Sonny home, even if they are unaware of their new brother’s exceptional size.
The Ayres family is now settled in their home in good health.
“He’s a dream,” Chance said. ‘He is very eager to learn. He opens his eyes and he looks around and you see him staring around and seeing faces and calling names or putting the voices to faces.
“But he’s so young that most of the time he just eats and sleeps,” the proud dad added.
The older children in the family are happy to have Sonny home, even if they are unaware of their new brother’s exceptional size.
“When Britteney was pregnant, we kept saying, ‘Oh, Sonny’s coming, Sonny’s coming.’ So when he finally came, they were all over the moon and going crazy.”
However, the eldest child, Little Chance, had clearly noticed the unusual size of their younger brother.
“At the hospital, we got on FaceTime and Chancy said, ‘That’s a fat baby,’” Britteney said. “But, oh my God, he’s right.”
The heaviest baby, according to the Guinness World Recordwas born weighing 22 pounds and measuring 28 inches tall in Seville, Ohio, in 1879.
This baby, who was not officially named but was referred to only as ‘Babe’, sadly died just 11 hours after birth.