Isaac Michael Hall came into the world Thursday morning at West Penn Hospital, tipping the scales at 13 pounds, 10 ounces. He was delivered via Cesarean section just a few days prior to Mother's Day.
Michelle Hall, a 29-year-old native of western Pennsylvania, gave birth a week ahead of schedule to blue-eyed Isaac, who measures over 25 inches or two feet, which is nearly the size of two normal newborn babies.
Friends and family of Michelle and Brad Hall of Ellwood City, a municipality about 40 miles northern Pittsburgh, thought the couple's first bundle of joy would be bundles — twins because of Michelle's size. The couple was amazed as neither of their families have a record of having big babies.
Genetics plays a role in giving birth to a large baby, so taller, heavier parents tend to have larger babies. Michael's big 6-foot-5-inch frame could be one of the factors to the baby boy's size.
The couple's firstborn child could be the largest baby ever born at the Pittsburgh hospital.
"We have never seen a baby of this size. And when I polled all the pediatricians from this hospital, some of whom date back to the early 1980s, there's never been a baby on record who's this size," Dr. Andrew Sword told CBS Local.
However, Brad Hall understood that they most likely would have to discard many of their purchased newborn garments since Isaac is now fitting into outfits for six-month-old infants.
As for some of those baby shower presents, Michelle chuckles, "We got a frame where you can put the hand print and the foot. And I don't think they're going to fit."
Based on the Guinness World Records, Ann Bates from Canada delivered the largest newborn in 1879, when her baby measured in at an enormous 23 pounds and 12 ounces.
Experts state that a woman's uterus can carry as much as 16 pounds of baby (think twins), but the baby's big size does not occur without risks.
An uncommon genetic disorder could be a reason of abnormally big babies, but usually, a heavy baby occurs because of diabetes in the mother.
Dangers to the baby could definitely occur, including birth trauma. This strain could cause nerve damage to the abdomen or arms, the shoulders temporarily getting the stuck or physical injury to the head as the doctor yanks the baby out if delivered vaginally.
When babies are born this big, there can be an underlying health issue, but according to WTAE-TV, the family declared Isaac is perfectly healthy and happy.
Photo: Jan Fidler | Flickr
