Baby Born at Over 12 Pounds Was 4 Weeks Premature

Having a big baby is not too big of a deal lately especially since it seems to be more and more common. Remember the 15.5-pound baby? But 26-year-old Michigan mom Crista Hebel not only had what most consider a large baby weighing 12 pounds, 3 ounces ... her baby was four weeks premature.

Hebel went into labor while being treated for dehydration and delivered her preemie via c-section at Munson Medical Center. Her due date was May 5.

Hebel's birth plan included having a midwife, but baby clearly had other plans. However it is possible that her dehydration was the reason for the premature labor. Perhaps this is a case that everything happens for a reason. This is a large baby! Maybe she needed to get out early -- four weeks early! Many little ones, if born at that time, weigh around 5 pounds. I had my twins four weeks before my due date and they were both just under 5 pounds. But an over 12-pound preemie? That's remarkable!

Crista and her husband Bob are also parents of 14-month-old twin boys, so they know a thing or two about babies who like to make an early entrance into the world. But the combined weight of their boys at birth was still a pound less than their little sister, who they named Ayara.

Ayara still needed to be in the NICU, but obviously gaining weight was not an issue. She's not fitting into any of her newborn-sized clothes and is already on size 2 diapers, but aside from that, everyone is doing well.

What do you think of this larger baby boom? And isn't it nuts this baby was that big as a preemie?