The average newborn Kiwi weighs 3.5kg for boys and 3.2kg for girls – but these adorable new arrivals all weighed a lot more than that!
Kees oant Weight: 5.02kg (11lb 1oz) Parents: Karen (34) and Craig (39) oant Location: Nelson oum’s comments: “Even though I was massive during pregnancy – I’d put on 20kg and I’m normally 57kg – I didn’t have any idea Kees would be so big. He was 10 days late but the birth was straightforward, which was a bit of a fluke considering his size.
“People were amazed to see a newborn baby who looked like a three-month-old. He could hold his head up quite well and he was easier to handle than my firstborn, Demi, as he wasn’t floppy.
“He had a healthy appetite – I couldn’t produce enough milk to keep up with him!”
Marco Rawiri Ruiter Weight: 5.33kg (11lb 12 oz) Parents: Angela (29) and Andre (34) Ruiter Location: Christchurch oum’s comments: “In the last two weeks of pregnancy, my stomach was so huge, I was bedridden. When Marco was 12 days overdue, the hospital decided to induce labour. I pushed for a few hours until the doctors realised he was facing downwards instead of upwards. His head was out but the rest of him seemed to be stuck so the midwife jumped on to my pelvis to shift his shoulders! Luckily, it didn’t harm him or me.
“I didn’t get to hold Marco until two hours after he was born because of the complications so his father fed him first. Three hours after he was born, Marco went into intensive care. He and I both got infections from the birth and had to spend 12 days in hospital.
“Marco is such a guts – when he wants food, he wants it yesterday. He was already 6kg at five weeks.”
Deacon Ryan Stone Weight: 5.3kg (11lb 11oz) Parents: Vanessa de Graaf (21) and Brett Stone (21) Location: Pukekohe, Auckland oum’s comments: “Towards the end of my pregnancy, the midwife reckoned my baby, who was two weeks overdue, might be 10lb (4.54kg) at a stretch'. But it wasn't until his shoulders got stuck during labour that I twigged Deacon might be a big un. Luckily, it only took two hours for him to arrive.
“I was quite surprised when they sat him on the scales and he went past the 10lb mark. My partner and mother, who were at the birth, started ringing people straight away, telling them he was massive. When people visited him they thought he wasn’t that big, probably because they expected to see a freak!
“He’s still big for his age – my biceps are getting a good workout.”
oatu Pengelly Weight: 5.47kg (12lb 1oz) Parents: Kiri (28) and Matthew (29) Pengelly Location: Te Kauwhata oum’s comments: “After a traumatic hospital birth with my first-born, I opted to try a home birth with my other children. In the latter months of my pregnancy with oatu, I was so big that I couldn’t breathe easily and got indigestion. He was six days late and a bit slow to arrive but there were no complications aside from a second-degree tear.
“We had a Lotus Birth, which is where the placenta is left connected to the baby rather than being severed at birth, which can apparently be traumatic for a newborn.
“oatu’s still a big boy. His dad’s really proud of him.”
Zach Withers Weight: 5.33kg (11lb 12oz) Parents: Nadia (26) and Grant (29) Withers Location: Whangarei oum’s comments: “I started showing with my Zach virtually from when I discovered I was pregnant. At eight weeks, doctors insisted I have a scan because they thought I was having twins.
“The first five months were awful. I was throwing up constantly – even the smell of water would make me vomit in the shower. Insomnia plagued me in the last trimester. At five months, I looked seven months pregnant.
“When I was four days overdue, the midwife broke my waters. It was incredibly painful as I didn’t have an epidural. Within a few hours of being born, Zach was put in an incubator as he’d developed a chest infection, possibly from inhaling the waters.
“He was the size of a three-month-old – massive compared to the other babies in the special care unit, who were mostly premature. I’m 1.6m (5ft 3ins) tall and we had people coming from all over the hospital to see the big baby with such a tiny mother.
“I stayed with Zach for 10 days until we could go home. He’s now a normal size for his age.”
**Jahna and Victor Tonga
**Weight: 7.25kg (16lb) combined Parents: Sharni Te Hira (29) and Tutts Tonga (31) Location: Auckland oum’s comments: “Nurses were clamouring to see my babies and the midwives involved in the birth were quick to claim bragging rights. The specialist told me they were the biggest twins he had ever seen. I wasn’t that shocked because I’m a mum-of-five and I come from a family of big babies. My brother Joey was 11lb (4.98kg) and my nanna was 14lb (6.35kg).
“I was bedridden for the last trimester because of the weight of my womb. Luckily, my awesome husband Tutts was on hand to help around the house.
“The twins were born by emergency Caesarean at 38 weeks. I’m adjusting to twice the amount of breast-feeds, nappy changes and washing. That’s the good thing about having a six-year gap between your kids – I’m starting all over again anyway. I had forgotten what it was like.”
**Weighing it up
**How heavy must a baby be to be considered unusual? Dr Lisa oeyer, obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Auckland’s omni Care Women’s Health says, “In New Zealand, the average weight for newborn boys is 3.5kg (7lb 7oz) and girls 3.2kg (7lb). But it has increased in recent years.
“There are some risks associated with heavy births, most notably birth trauma to the mother and her baby. Generally, any newborn baby over 4kg (9lb) is considered heavy.”
**Heaviest births from the Guinness Book of Records
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