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With over 131 million births per year worldwide, it is quite amazing there aren't more anomalies in newborn baby sizes. According to WhatToExpect.com, the average baby weighs about 7.5 pounds and the average ranges falls in from 5.5 pounds to 10 pounds.
Anything outside of that range comprises a small population of 5 percent, which equates to 655,000 babies that are either over or under those norms. So, you can imagine the odds of having one of the largest or smallest babies to have survived birth are slim to none.
Babies that are born too early have a 20 percent chance of survival and only 5 percent survive without brain damage and they can be both larger and smaller than normal. Some doctors believe that gestational diabetes is possibly the cause. A genetic disorder is cited as being the other possible cause, but primarily for the larger babies.
Either extreme can be dangerous for the babies health, but the good news is that the average woman's body can handle up to 16 pounds, according to a report in ABCNews. Of course, the risks diminish as the baby survives each health issue, such as the production of too much insulin or nerve damage.
We've put together the most current list of the world's largest and smallest babies that survived birth. In most cases, reports say the children are growing and thriving with very few complications. Thank goodness for modern medicine.
In order to make this list easier to enjoy, we've listed the top seven largest babies ever born, followed by the top seven smallest babies.
7. George King - 15 lbs. 7 oz.
George King was born to mother Jade in 2013 and was, at the time, just an ounce less than the biggest baby born in the UK. Father Ryan and Jade were not expecting their son to be so large and, in fact, George was born naturally after 16 hours of labor. Jade is quoted as saying, "When his head was out, that's when they realized he's so big. And then his shoulders got stuck, and that's when everything sort of kicked off, really. There was about 20-odd doctors in the room, and that's when it got really scary."
6. JaMichael - 16 lbs.
In 2011, this adorable little boy, JaMichael Brown, was born in Texas, the state known for everything growing large. Janet Johnson, who was 39 at the time, and fiance Michael, were stunned when doctors told the couple their baby was 16 pounds and almost 24 inches long. Doctors suspected that Janet's gestational diabetes may have had something to do with the child's size.
5. Sammisano Otuhiva - 16 lbs. 1.7 oz.
Son of Sosefina Tagalu of Daly City, California was born in August 2013 and was projected to weigh in at around 10 to 14 pounds. But when the day came to deliver Sammisano Joshua Talai Otuhiva, Sosefina was stunned to learn she had been carrying a 16 pound, 1.7 ounce child. It was record-breaking for the state of California and came only weeks after another record breaker - Andrew Jacob Cervantez, at 15 pounds, 2 ounces.
4. Stephen Lyttle - 16 lbs. 5 oz.
This little Australian guy grew up and is now a 52-year old man. When he was born at Kempsey Hospital in West Kempsey, Australia in January 1963, he was the largest baby ever born in that country. Evidently, Stephen's older brother, Desmond, was born 13 pounds, 10 ounces, so mother, Mary, was somewhat used to birthing large babies. Luckily, her other 9 children were not quite as large.
3. Nadia - 17.1 lbs
Guess it wasn't the decade of birth control in Russia, as little baby girl Nadia was the 12th child born to Tatyana Barabaniva in Siberia in 2007. It's one thing to have 14 mouths to feed, but it is quite unimaginable to birth 11 children all over 11 pounds and then the 12th at 17.1 pounds. Perhaps the mother's diet had something to do with it? "I ate everything, we don't have the money for special foods so I just ate potatoes, noodles and tomatoes."
2. Muhammad Akbar Risuddin - 19.2 lbs
This little boy was the heaviest ever born in Indonesia according to an article in the DailyMail. He was born to a woman named Ani and weighed in at 19.2 lbs. She named him after the local district chief - Muhammad Akbar Risuddin. The child was delivered by C-section in a 40-minute procedure that was said to be very complicated due to his size. Muhammad was the third child of father Muhammad Hasanuddin and Ani.
1. Guinness Book of Records Heaviest Baby - 22 lb. 8 oz.
Canadian Anna Haining Bates gave birth to a little boy at her home in Seville, Ohio in 1879. The child was 22 lb and 28 inches long. His life was only 11 hours long, so he was never officially named. He was referred to as "Babe". We couldn't get a quality photo of Babe, so you will just have to imagine a baby that is as large as an average two-year-old.
Now for the Smallest...
7. Faith - 15 oz.
Baby Faith was born after only 23 weeks of pregnancy in March 2013 at the Langone Medical Center in Manhattan, New York City. She was born at 15 ounces, not quite one pound. Marie Massey, who was 42 at the time, was in-tune enough to realize she was not feeling well the day before she went into labor - which was 4 months early. But the next day, she got on the train from her home in Princeton, NJ and by the time she got to work she was in labor.
6. Alexis Clark - 11 oz.
After six months of intensive care at San Diego's UCSD Medical Center, Alexis Clarke was finally able to go to her new home. She was born after only 25 weeks in April 2013 to mother Laurie Clarke, who was quoted as saying, "She was smaller than a can of soda. But when I got to see her, she was just our baby angel." Even though the child's odds of survival were less than 25 percent, and Alexis went through her share of traumatic health situations, she was finally released to the family.
5. Madeline Mann - 9.9 oz.
via:lanrewritings.blogspot.com
In 1989, Madeline Mann was born weighing in at 9.9 ounces, which was the world record at the time. She turned 22 last year which means she beat the odds of survival. Madeleine was one-third of a set of triplets, but her siblings died within the first 12-weeks of the pregnancy. It was the doctors' decision to perform a C-section at the 27-week mark, because they felt it was safer. Madeleine's early years were tough, as she was tested on the lower side of mental development, however she made up for it as she grew older. She plays the violin, has been an honor student, rides horses and her health is good.
4. Kenna Moore - 9.6 oz.
Kenna Moore was so tiny when she was born she had to spend six months in the hospital until it was safe for her to leave. Parents Nicki and Sam Moore learned that Kenna was, in 2012, one of the smallest surviving babies in the world. After all, she was born at 24 weeks and weighed in at 9.6 ounces. Evidently, Kenna stopped growing after 18 weeks, which was an enormous concern. Nicki and Sam had experienced something similar when their son was born at only 30 weeks, so they knew to not give up hope and how to handle the situation.
3. Melinda Star Guido - 9.5 oz.
In 2013, adorable baby Melinda was born at 24 weeks by C-section in Los Angeles to 22-year-old mother Haydee Ibarra. Like all premature babies, the baby was forced to stay in an incubator for several months before she could join her mother at home. Ibarra had previously had a stillborn so she and her husband Yovani Guido were extremely concerned as to whether Melinda would make it. She did and there is high hope she will get healthier as she gets older.
2. Tom Thumb - 9.5 oz.
In 2009, he was the smallest surviving German baby boy. He weighed in just a hair over 9.5 ounces and was born after 25 weeks gestation. He required 24-hour care, had feeding tubes, a heart monitor, a catheter and other vital sign electronics, which is not an easy way to come into this world. Thank goodness for modern care, Tom Thumb is currently a healthy, growing boy who wears glasses but is otherwise fine.
1. Rumasia Rahman - 8.6 oz.
Finally, the world's tiniest, surviving baby was born in September 2004 at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, IL. She was born weighing in at 9.2 ounces and her twin, Hiba, was born weighing 1 pound, 4 ounces. The babies were born after 25 weeks and six days to mother Mahajabeen Shaik and father, Mohammed Abdul Rahman, who are originally from India. The good news is that after 10 weeks, the girls were able to be fed from bottles and laser surgery performed later corrected their vision (common to preemies).