Giant Bundle of Joy: Biggest Baby Ever Born in Texas

Everything's bigger in Texas - even the babies.

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The average newborn birth weight in the nation is about 7.5 pounds, and babies over 8 pounds, 13 ounces are considered large. Just under 10 percent of babies fall into the larger range, according to parenting website momlovesbest.com.

Heaviest Baby on Record

According to the Guinness World Records, Ann Bates of Canada gave birth to the biggest newborn ever recorded in 1879, when her baby weighed in at a whopping 23 pounds, 12 ounces.

Can you imagine the size of those diapers? Add in the fact that this was before Pampers, and you've got one huge nightmare trying to find something to fit this poor kid!

Heaviest Baby Born in Texas

In July 2011, Janet Johnson gave birth to a baby boy who was more than double the average weight of a newborn.

ABC News reported that Baby JaMichael was the heaviest baby to be born at Good Shepherd Hospital in Longview, Texas and reportedly is the largest newborn on record in the Lone Star State.

Johnson and her fiance, Michael Brown, knew that a big baby was coming soon, but JaMichael even surprised the doctor. Two weeks before her delivery via c-section, Johnson's obstetrician Dr. John Kirk said he expected the baby to weigh 12 or 13 pounds.

The most recent runner-up would be Baby Ali, born in December 2018 at Arlington Medical Hospital in Arlington, Texas. Baby Ali weighed 14 pounds, 13 ounces and was the largest baby ever born at the hospital.

What Causes Big Babies?

Some factors that can cause a large child are obviously genetic, however, the size of a baby doesn’t just depend on weight. It also depends on the position of a baby during labor and the age of the mother when she gives birth. Approximately 10 percent of mothers over 40 have a large baby, compared to 3 percent of younger moms.