A first-time mum was sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ to give birth to ᴀ ᴡʜᴏᴘᴘɪɴɢ 12lb baby so ʙɪɢ that even the ɴᴜʀsᴇs and ᴍɪᴅᴡɪᴠᴇs ɢᴀsᴘᴇᴅ when he came out.
Fiona Hamilton-Currie, 40 from Tonbridge, Kent, was sʜᴏᴄᴋᴇᴅ by the sɪᴢᴇ of her son Buddy who she had to dress in six-month-old clothes. Even the ᴍɪᴅᴡɪᴠᴇs ɢᴀsᴘᴇᴅ by the sheer sɪᴢᴇ of the newborn who “ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ look like a newborn at all” says Fiona. Fiona, who is nearly 6ft, knew her ʙᴜᴍᴘ was ʟᴀʀɢᴇ during ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ but ᴍɪᴅᴡɪᴠᴇs had ɴᴏ ᴄᴏɴᴄᴇʀɴs and said he would weigh around 9lb. She went into ʟᴀʙᴏᴜʀ ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟʟʏ, nine days past her ᴅᴜᴇ ᴅᴀᴛᴇ, but after four hours, the ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs sᴛᴀʟʟᴇᴅ. She said :”I had ᴀ ᴍᴀssɪᴠᴇ ʙᴜᴍᴘ, and ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅs the end of the ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ I was just ʜᴏʙʙʟɪɴɢ around, going from one surface I could lean on to another. A ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ the ᴘʟᴀɴ, but my ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ʀᴀᴛᴇ was very ʟᴏᴡ and Buddy’s sᴛᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ on the monitor when it came time to ᴘᴜsʜ. I was ᴘᴜᴛ ᴜɴᴅᴇʀ ɢᴇɴᴇʀᴀʟ ᴀɴᴀᴇsᴛʜᴇᴛɪᴄ for an ᴇᴍᴇʀɢᴇɴᴄʏ ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, so I ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴄᴏɴsᴄɪᴏᴜs when the ɴᴜʀsᴇs ᴘᴜʟʟᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴏᴜᴛ, but afterwards they said there was an ᴀᴜᴅɪʙʟᴇ ɢᴀsᴘ. My partner, Graham, 46, ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ allowed in the room, so neither of us saw the moment he came out. I always picture it like in Mary Poppins, when she pulls the lamp out her bag – as the ᴍɪᴅᴡɪғᴇ ᴘᴜʟʟᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴏᴜᴛ and he just kept going. I want to share his birth story so I’ve got something to ᴇᴍʙᴀʀʀᴀss him with when he’s 18!”
She said :” With amazing ʀᴏʟʏ-ᴘᴏʟʏ ᴛʜɪɢʜs and chubby cheeks, he ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ look like a newborn at all. When the ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄs handed him to my husband, they jokingly asked if he was feeling strong enough as Buddy was sᴏ ʙɪɢ. When he was born, Buddy was having 75ml of milk, much ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ the usual 10-30mls. My ᴍɪᴅᴡɪғᴇ had been doing her job for 30 years and said he’s the ʙɪɢɢᴇsᴛ newborn she’s ever seen. Once he was born, everyone was so helpful making sure I knew what to do with a ʙɪɢ baby. Dᴏᴄᴛᴏʀs kept coming in to look at him because they’d never seen such a ʙɪɢ newborn. When you have a ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, you’re told not to lift anything ʜᴇᴀᴠɪᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀɴ your baby, but I ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅɴ’ᴛ even lift him he was sᴏ ʙɪɢ.”
The tot, who was the same weight as a gallon of paint at birth, is now 24 pounds. Luckily, when Fiona went into the ʜᴏsᴘɪᴛᴀʟ, one of her friends recommended bringing some slightly bigger clothes. She had a few newborn outfits, and one for zero to three-month-olds, and that was the only thing that fit him. Even that was like ᴀ sᴀᴜsᴀɢᴇ sᴋɪɴ on him, and the outfit had a hat that they just had to balance on his head because it didn’t fit. When the couple got him home it was straight to three to six-month clothes for him. Now, nine months on, Buddy remains above average, currently weighing the same as a 20-month-old baby.
