Both of my children were born via caesarean section, so I have exactly zero experience producing babies from my own personal vagina. Does that mean I can't imagine the true pain of childbirth because I don't know what it feels like, or that I tend to mentally exaggerate how intense it is? I have no idea, but I'm guessing c-section and vaginal-delivery moms alike can agree that the idea of pushing out a newborn who weighs over 13 pounds sounds REALLY REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE.
That's exactly what happened to a mother in Germany last week, when she gave birth to an infant who weighed a jaw-dropping 13.47 pounds. At 22.6 inches long, baby girl Jasleen is Germany's largest-ever newborn — and get this: she was born naturally.
Babies Jasleen's size are usually born via c-section, but it's not unheard of for women to defy the odds with vaginal births that are what you might describe as above and beyond the call of duty. Back in May, a British mom successfully birthed a 15-pound, 7-ounce baby boy — although her experience sounded terrifying as hell, since baby George got stuck during delivery and went without oxygen for five minutes.
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Jasleen was born on July 26 at University Hospital in Leipzig, Germany. She remains in the neonatal care unit, but baby and mother are thankfully said to be doing well after the birth. According to reports, the mother was suffering from an undiagnosed case of gestational diabetes, which can cause excessive birth weight. The condition usually develops around the 24th week of pregnancy, so it's too bad this woman wasn't getting the prenatal care that would have provided her with treatment strategies for avoiding complications.
Still, all seems well for this family at the moment, except for the fact that they won't be able to use any of those eentsy adorable newborn outfits. Jasleen may, however, earn a place in Guinness for being Germany's largest-ever baby born so far. She out-chubs a 13-pound boy named Jihad, who was born in Berlin in 2011.
Here's hoping Jasleen comes home from the NICU very soon — and that her parents have been working on their bicep curls.
Are you surprised this baby was born vaginally?
Image via YouTube/AP Photo Waltraud Grubitzsch