On September 3, a Florida mother delivered a baby weighing nearly double the size of an average newborn, instantly turning him into a maternity ward sensation.
Daniella Hines, 40, gave birth via C-section at BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview. Her son, Annan, tipped the scales at 13 pounds, 15 ounces (approximately 6.3 kg), making him the heaviest baby ever born at the hospital, according to staff records.
A record-breaking delivery at the hospital
A typical newborn in the United States weighs about 7 pounds. By contrast, Annan’s birth weight was closer to that of a healthy 3-month-old.
Hines recalled the unusual sensation during surgery. “I remember thinking, ‘What are they pulling out of me? What is going on here?’ I felt so much pressure,” she told TODAY.com. But her shock quickly turned to amazement. “He was so big. I was like, ‘Whose baby is this? He came out of me?’”
Within hours, Annan became the talk of the hospital. “It’s not every day you see an almost 14-pound baby pop out,” Hines said, laughing that her new arrival was “like a little celebrity.”
Genetics may explain the size
Doctors say genetics likely played a role. Both Hines and her husband, Andre Sr., are over six feet tall. Their first child, Andre Jr., was also born unusually large at 12 pounds, 11 ounces.
Annan, however, still managed to surpass expectations—even for a tall family. Despite his size, doctors confirmed both mother and baby are healthy. Hines describes him as a “chill baby” who fusses only when hungry.
How rare are babies this big?
While Annan is exceptional, he is not alone in breaking weight records.
- In Brazil (2023), a baby weighing 16 pounds and measuring 2 feet in length stunned doctors.
- The Guinness World Record for the heaviest baby to survive infancy goes to a child born in Italy in 1955, who weighed an astonishing 22 pounds (10 kg).
Cases of babies born weighing more than 13 pounds are extremely rare. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only about 1 in 1,000 newborns in the U.S. weigh more than 11 pounds at birth.
A family milestone and a story to tell
For Hines, the experience is more than just a medical anomaly—it’s a family story she looks forward to sharing with her son when he grows up. “We didn’t expect such a big blessing,” she said. “I can’t wait to tell him that he was in the news the day he was born.”
TL;DR
A Florida woman delivered a 6.3 kg (13 lb, 15 oz) baby boy, nearly double the weight of a typical newborn. Annan became the heaviest baby ever born at his hospital and a local sensation. While rare, other giant newborns have made headlines worldwide, including a 22-pound baby in Italy in 1955.