Source:
cnn.com/asia
September 25, 2009 -- Updated 0929 GMT (1729 HKT)
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN)
-- A baby made his way into the
world this week in Indonesia at 19.2 pounds (8.7 kg) -- about three
times the weight of an average newborn.
The giant baby lies next to a more typically-sized newborn.
Muhammad Akbar Risuddin, born Monday, is thought to be the heaviest baby born to date in Indonesia.
"I was very surprised. I thought it was twins," said Binsar Sitanggang,
the lead doctor in the cesarean-section delivery at Abdul Manan
Hospital in North Sumatra.
"It needed a longer time than normal
to deliver this baby," Sitanggang said. "He was hardly breathing when
we took him out. But, thank God, he is healthy."
His parents,
Hananuddin and Ani, who like many Indonesians use only one name, have
two other children. Both were big at birth but were not abnormally
large. Their new addition is 24.4 inches (62 cm) long.
"We can
compare this giant baby with a 9- to 10-month-old baby," Sitanggang
said. "Both his parents are tall and big, so there might be a genetic
cause for this."
Sitanggang said the baby has already developed a robust appetite, requiring instant milk as well as breast milk.
The boy has become somewhat of a celebrity. Curious people streamed
into the hospital Friday for a glimpse. Even the mayor came by and had
the honor of naming the infant after himself.
The world's heaviest baby was born in 1879 in Ohio and weighed 23.8
pounds (10.8 kg), but the baby died 11 hours later, according to
Guinness World Records. The heaviest baby to survive was a boy born in
1955 in Aversa, Italy. He weighed 22.6 pounds (10.2 kg).
