Texas woman breaks record giving birth to nearly 15-lb. baby

Elena Sheppard
·Wellness Editor
Babies in a hospital nursery (Getty Images)
Babies in a hospital nursery (Getty Images)

Ali Medlock was born on Dec. 12 at Arlington Medical Hospital in Arlington, Texas. At birth, Ali weighed 14 pounds, 13 ounces. A spokeswoman told CNN that this was a record for the largest baby ever born at that hospital, and the doctor who delivered him said Ali was the largest baby he had delivered in his 30-year career.

Baby Ali — born to Jennifer and Eric Medlock — weighed nearly 5 pounds more than his mother anticipated. Ali’s sister Annabelle, now 2 years old, weighed roughly 10 pounds at birth, and the Medlocks expected Ali to be about the same size.

“We did not expect 14 pounds,” Jennifer Medlock, who delivered Ali via C-section, told USA Today. “Nobody did.”

Jennifer Medlock, who suffers from polycystic ovary syndrome, had previously been told by doctors that it would be extremely difficult for her to have a family. “It doesn’t matter how big he is,” Ali’s mom told local news affiliate KTVT. “I’m so blessed to have him.”

Ali spent a week in the neonatal intensive unit, due to low blood sugar and platelet counts, but he was able to go home before Christmas. Jennifer, who was sent home the same day as Ali, was readmitted to the hospital due to an infection in her C-section incision. The family has set up a GoFundMe to help with medical costs.

“He’s sleeping and eating and he’s just a healthy boy,” Eric Medlock told KTVT. “Just a little bit bigger than you would expect.” He also mentioned that at less than a month old Ali is already wearing clothing sized for 3-to-6-month-olds.

According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, the average weight for a full-term baby is roughly 7 pounds, which means that Ali came in at more than twice the average size.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the heaviest healthy baby ever born was in September 1955, when an Italian woman, Carmelina Fedele, gave birth to a baby weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces. So, while Ali is well under record-breaking weight, he still broke records for Arlington Medical Hospital.

The Medlocks say that because of baby Ali’s size, many are already planning out his future. “He is meant for something big,” Ali’s mom told Dallas Fort Worth’s CBS affiliate. “Maybe not football, [even though] everyone keeps saying that.” Ali’s dad agrees, “He’s loved,” Eric Medlock said, adding that Ali should “do whatever makes him happy.”

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