14-Pound Utah Baby Likely Biggest Born In US For 2013: Mom’s Type 1 Diabetes May Have Acted As ‘Baby Fertilizer’ [VIDEO]
A 14-pound baby born in Utah this past May will likely be the biggest baby born this year, according to reports.
“We’ve kind of been watching and waiting to see if there is a baby who is bigger, because he might be the biggest of the year," said Sarah Brandon, the baby’s mother.
Joel Brandon, Jr. , affectionately called “J.J.” by his family, was born at Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, Utah on May 9. An ultrasound prior to his birth estimated that he’d be a big newborn at about 11 pounds, but both his parents and his doctors were surprised when baby J.J. came out weighing 14 pounds.
“When they stuck him on the scale he was 14 pounds even,” Sarah told ABC News. “The doctor said it was the biggest baby he had ever delivered.”
Sarah has type 1 diabetes, a condition that Dr. Robert Barbieri suggests may have contributed to baby J.J.’s size at birth.
“An interesting effect of insulin, if it’s not taken in a sufficient amount, the glucose remains high, and the baby’s glucose starts to rise,” said Barbieri. “It’s like giving the baby fertilizer and it grows very large.”
Only about one in every 1,000 babies weigh 11 pounds. The chances of having a 14-pound baby are extremely rare, at about one in 100,000, because doctors usually induce labor when babies reach a certain size.
Baby J.J. spent a little over a week in the neonatal intensive care unit after being born. He initially suffered respiratory problems, but is now happy and healthy, spending time with his three-year-old twin sisters at home.
"This big bubba melts my heart," the happy mom said of her baby. "I love him more than I ever imagined I could love a sweet baby boy. He is my squishy cuddle bug."