12 pound, 9 ounce baby 'not really a big deal' to mom

[MamaK88]

See, Ladies, it is possible! 

From: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1219&u_sid=10550145

Published Thursday    January 29, 2009
12 pound, 9 ounce baby 'not really a big deal' to mom
BY ELIZABETH AHLIN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

When little Alayna Cusick was ready to come into this world, she made a bigger entrance than most babies.

Much bigger.

The Cusick sisters are Anika, 1, left, Abigayle, 2, and Alayna, 5 days. At 12 pounds, 9 ounces, Alayna weighed more than half the total weight of the octuplets born Monday in California. Those eight babies weighed a combined 20 pounds, 1 ounce.

At 12 pounds, 9 ounces, Alayna outweighed the vast majority of babies born each year. Only one-tenth of 1 percent of all newborns weigh more than 11 pounds, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

Parents Trisha and Carson Cusick knew she wasn't going to be a small baby. For a while, the Sidney, Iowa, couple thought they might be expecting more than one child.

"I was the biggest I've ever been," said Trisha Cusick, 28. "We were convinced we were going to have twins until they did another ultrasound and said, 'No, big baby.'"

Their oldest daughter, Abigayle, 2, weighed almost 11 pounds when she was born; sister Anika, 1, weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces.

On Jan. 21, Alayna was born at Bergan Mercy Medical Center in Omaha after five hours of labor and 30 minutes of pushing. Trisha did not have an epidural.

"I was just happy to not be pregnant anymore," she said. "The baby was so big, it was getting pretty uncomfortable."

Women with gestational diabetes are more likely to have large babies, said Dr. Jodanne Hedrick, Trisha Cusick's obstetrician. But Trisha did not have diabetes.

Having large babies can pose some risks, Hedrick said. Because of concerns about shoulder dystocia, or the baby's shoulders getting stuck, doctors might offer patients the option of having a cesarean section instead of a vaginal delivery.

"If you ask most doctors what scares them the most, they'll tell you shoulder dystocia," Hedrick said. "That is just one of those scary situations where we have a short time and we have to be extremely careful to get that baby out."

Click to enlarge

Alayna, the largest baby that Hedrick has delivered in her 11-year career, was born without complications.

Alayna is happy and healthy, her parents said. At 1 week old, she's already wearing 3- to 6-month size clothes, and she eats much more than their first two newborns did.

"To me, it's not really a big deal," Trisha said. "Everything just went smoothly. I guess I just thought it was normal."

The biggest Iowa baby on record since 1980 was 14 pounds, 13 ounces, born in Johnson County in 1986, according to Polly Carver-Kimm of the Iowa Department of Public Health. A Nebraska baby born at Creighton University Medical Center in 2003 weighed more than 14 pounds.

Alayna didn't set any records in Iowa or Nebraska, but her father, Carson Cusick, 29, wouldn't mind another try.

"I always tell my wife, 12 (kids) would be nice," he said. "She says maybe six. So we'll see."


• Contact the writer: 444-1310, [e-mail]

[ToddlerBrain82]

Jan. 30, 2009 at 11:42 AM

WOW! What an inspiration to moms. Not even an epidural!! What a beautiful family.

[ivansmom07]

Jan. 30, 2009 at 11:43 AM

Holy moly!

[halfadozenofem]

Jan. 30, 2009 at 11:48 AM

I love big babies!!!

And for the record...Not all of us who have big ones have GD...I have never had it (my babies are not that large, but large enough!! LOL)

[SxdUpAngel]

Jan. 30, 2009 at 1:35 PM

HOLY BIG BABY, BATMAN!  My vajayjay hurts just thinking about it...

[Rachael]

Jan. 30, 2009 at 1:39 PM

ouch!... my 9lb 3oz'er tore my cervix!  wow that momma rocks!

[Daemons_mommy]

Jan. 30, 2009 at 1:42 PM

Wow! I can't even imagine! My son wasn't even close to that lol. He was only 5 lbs 4 oz.

[amethystrse]

Jan. 30, 2009 at 3:34 PM

Wow.  Orion and Kieriana were both over 9 lbs and I thought that was big.  But 12 lbs!!!  Wow.

[MaryJane849]

Jan. 30, 2009 at 3:41 PM

Wow, that is big ole girl.

When my niece was born there were two boys in the nursery, one was 12 lbs 11 ounces, and the other was 11 lbs and 12 ounces, we looked at them more than at my niece. lol That was about 29 yrs ago and I still remember them as if I saw them yesterday, they were some big boys. lol

[asaffell]

Jan. 30, 2009 at 5:54 PM

Good for her! I'm hoping my next baby will break the 8lb mark.

I just wish they hadn't put that crap about shoulder dystocia in the article. Shoulder dystocia has less to do with the size of the baby (a lot of 7 pound babies get it too) and more to do with baby's position and what position mom is in to push.

[jeremysmom04]

Jan. 30, 2009 at 5:59 PM

Good for her! I love big babies!