15 Pound Baby in California: America's Biggest Newborn Breaks Record (VIDEO)
A 15 pound baby in California broke records when he was born to his petite mother, Vanessa Cervantez, on Thursday. Andrew Jacob Cervantez weighed in at a stunning 15 lbs., 2 oz, was 24 inches long and is officially the heaviest baby in the U.S., according to records.
The 15 pound baby of California was born in Desert Valley Hospital in Victorville. Andrew Jacob Cervantez broke the last record by nearly a full pound, as the previous official recordholder was a 14-pound child born in Ohio last year.
The infant's parents couldn't believe their ears when doctors first told them how big their son was.
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"I couldn't even believe it," Cervantez, who is 28 years old and only 5'1" told Victor Valley Daily Press. "They had to double check because I didn't believe them; I thought the machine was broken."
Despite being born early- doctors detected a lack of fetal movement at 38 weeks and were forced to perform a Caeserean section immediately- Andrew Jacob broke California records.
"None of the doctors have ever delivered or heard of a baby being born that big here," Cervantez continued. "My sister's been doing research and she doesn't think a baby weighing 15 pounds has ever been born in California."
This isn't Cervantez's first big baby. She and husband Daniel Cervantez have two other children who were 10 lbs, 10 oz and 9 lbs, 14 oz at birth. Unofortunately, Andrew Jacob isn't completely healthy and is being held at Loma Linda Children's Hospital.
"He's having trouble breathing on his own," Vanessa explained. "That's what they're monitoring him for right now."
Andrew Jacob is America's biggest newborn, but he is far from the world's heaviest. Two 15-pound babies were born in 2012 and 2013 in China and England respectively. The largest child born to a healthy mother was one weighing 22 lbs, 8 oz in Italy in September 1955, while the world record belongs to Ann Bates, a Canadian giantess who had a 23-pound, 12-ounce infant in 1879.
