Florida Mother Delivers Record-Breaking 14-Pound Baby Boy

RIVERVIEW, FL – A Florida mother got the surprise of her life when she gave birth to a baby boy weighing nearly 14 pounds, setting a new record at the hospital and earning the newborn instant celebrity status in the maternity ward.

Daniella Hines, 40, welcomed her son Annan on September 3 at St. Joseph’s Hospital-South, where nurses were astonished when the scale showed 13 pounds, 15 ounces. The hefty newborn weighed roughly twice what most babies do at birth and immediately became the talk of the hospital.

“I kept thinking, what are they pulling out of me?” Hines recalled about the moment of delivery. The pressure she felt during the birth was unlike anything she’d experienced, even though this wasn’t her first time having a larger-than-average baby. Her first son, Andre Jr., had weighed in at 12 pounds, 11 ounces.

At just eight days old, little Annan has already outgrown typical newborn clothing and diapers. He’s sporting outfits designed for nine-month-old babies and has earned himself the playful nickname “Sumo” from his family. His size has made him something of a local celebrity, with hospital staff stopping by just to catch a glimpse of the record-breaking baby.

The parents’ height likely played a role in their son’s impressive size. Hines stands at six feet tall while her husband Andre Sr. reaches six foot two. Despite expecting a bigger baby based on their first child’s weight, the couple was still caught off guard by Annan’s size. “He was so big. I was like, whose baby is this?” Hines laughed, remembering her first glimpse of her son.

Hospital staff members were equally amazed, with many saying they’d never seen a baby that size delivered at their facility. St. Joseph’s Hospital-South dubbed Annan a “big miracle” on social media, noting he’s believed to be among the largest, if not the largest, babies ever born there. Nurses and doctors made special trips to the maternity ward to see the unusual arrival.

“It’s not every day you see an almost 14-pound baby,” Hines explained, describing how her son became an instant sensation. “He was like a little celebrity.” The proud mother had to undergo a cesarean section for the delivery, a decision made due to the high-risk nature of the birth and the baby’s substantial weight.

Now home and settling into a routine, Annan is doing well despite some unique challenges his size presents. His mother has had to return all the newborn-sized clothes and diapers she’d prepared, replacing them with items meant for much older infants. At just over a week old, he’s already wearing size 2 diapers and clothes meant for babies six to nine months old.

Despite requiring more supplies than anticipated, Hines describes her son as a calm baby who only gets fussy when it’s time to eat. She’s still recovering from her second C-section but is taking everything in stride. “We didn’t expect such a big blessing, but it’s just more to love,” she said.

While Annan’s birth weight is remarkable, he’s not the largest baby on record. That distinction belongs to a boy born in Italy in 1955 who weighed an astounding 22 pounds, 8 ounces. More recently, a New York woman made headlines in 2019 when she delivered a 15-pound, 5-ounce baby girl, and an Alabama mother gave birth to a 13-pound, 4-ounce daughter earlier this year.