What is macrosomia? Woman gives birth to 16-pound baby boy

On January 18, 2023, a Brazilian mother named Cleidiane Santos dos Santos gave birth to her sixth baby at Hospital Padre Colombo in Parintins, Amazonas. However, it was the child's weight and size that left everyone shocked. The 27-year-old mother named her newborn son Angerson.

The infant was nearly 2 feet tall and weighed 16 pounds. Angerson was delivered through a cesarean section (C-section). Being named the heaviest infant to be born, the child holds the record of the same in Amazonas, the state where he lives.

When asked what she thought of his massive size, she said:

"I thought it would be four kilos, but he came to seven kilos."

Large babies are usually the result of macrosomia, a deadly complication that forces mothers to give birth to oversized babies.

---

Macrosomia is often seen who are overweight before pregnancy and gain a lot of weight during it

Macrosomia is a fatal condition that some mothers develop during pregnancy. It usually occurs among women who are overweight before pregnancy and gain a large amount of weight during it.

Older moms, around the age of 35, paired with high blood sugar are more likely to develop macrosomia. Moreover, delivering a big baby before the subsequent birth can also cause macrosomia, which is likely what happened in Santos' case.

High birth weight, which is more than 8 pounds and 13 ounces, can cause breathing issues and high blood sugar in the child, making their survival difficult at times. Roughly 3 to 15 percent of babies around the world are macrosomic, who weigh above the average size.

A study showed that Latinas are more prone to develop macrosomia during their pregnancy compared to others. Moreover, a fetus leaning towards a boy also increases the odds of macrosomia.

---

Santos and her newborn baby are currently doing fine

Delivering a baby of that size can be fatal to both the mother and the child. However, Santos and Angerson, who is currently placed in the neonatal intensive care unit, are doing alright.

Dr Artemisia Pessoa, an OBGYN at Hospital Padre Colombo, mentioned that the birth around large babies is a "rare" and "risky" situation. Recalling Angerson's birth, he added:

“We are just feeling joy, satisfaction and gratitude for everything having worked out in this case.”

Santos was elated to find out that her baby was doing fine and they both didn't suffer from any fatal issues. She expressed her gratitude towards the hospital staff and said:

“I want to thank the team at Hospital Padre Colombo, who have been giving me strength and treating me very well, since I arrived here. If it weren’t for them, I don’t know what would have become of me. So, I thank each one.”

According to the hospital's Instagram post, Angerson is currently breastfeeding.