Times of India
07 February 2011
New Delhi, India

The 30–year–old pregnant wife of a daily–wage labourer, who arrived at the Noida District Hospital in an advanced state of labour with her baby’s head jutting out, has delivered a boy weighing 5.6 kg. Baby Shaheen Iqbal, who is 60 cm tall, is possibly the second heaviest newborn ever in India. Incredibly, it was a normal birth.

A team of three doctors, including an anaesthetist, took three hours to pull the baby out. The mother, Sanjeeda, was admitted at 11.30 am on Friday and delivered at 2.30 pm. It was her fourth child.

Shaheen missed the title of being India’s heaviest newborn by just 100 grams. India’s heaviest baby, a girl, was born in Surat in 2010. She weighed 5.7 kg. An Indian newborn normally weighs 2.5–3.5 kg.

"We had to be extremely careful in pulling out a baby with such big shoulders. When Sanjeeda was brought to our hospital, the baby’s head was visible. We had no time to arrange an operation," said Dr Shweta Mohanty, senior gynecologist, Noida District Hospital.

Doctors said the baby developed hypoglycemia–lower than normal blood sugar level–soon after birth. "Due to his size, his mother’s milk was not sufficient," said Dr chief medical superintendent Meena Mishra. The baby has been referred to Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, Delhi.