Baby Alexander tips scale at 5.23kg

GEORGE NEWS - Adél Steenkamp from Knysna knew she was expecting a baby boy who might be on the bigger side, but nothing could have prepared her and her husband, Arrie, for the 5.23kg baby they welcomed at Mediclinic George on 26 August.

When Alexander was born at 40 weeks and five days, he weighed 1.23kg more than the doctor's estimate of 4kg during his final ultrasound examination before the birth. "I never thought he was going to be this big," says a very happy Adél.

"The last two scans indicated that he was on the bigger side, but his position made it difficult to get an accurate estimate. His head was already low down and he was slightly turned, so it couldn't be measured."

She says she had an easy pregnancy and she was still able to look after her two other little ones, Alienka (5) and Aila (2). "Sometimes I actually forgot that I was pregnant," she says, "especially when I was so busy with my daughters."

Quick delivery

The birth also went smoothly, and Adél gave birth naturally. She was already five days past her due date. The birth was scheduled to be induced at 06:00 on Wednesday morning, 26 August, but when the contractions started at around 01:00 that morning, she and Arrie immediately drove to George. Alexander was born at 03:21, shortly after she was admitted. "It was a very comforta-ble, quick birth," says a grateful Adél.

Everyone came to have a look

Alexander's size surprised the medical staff as much as it did his parents. Adél says she initially did not realise herself just how big her baby was. "When they placed him in my arms on my chest, I couldn't see that he was so big, but when I picked him up for the first time, I could feel what they were talking about. All the hospital staff came around to have a look at the big baby."

A solid little boy. Photo: Supplied

According to Judy Muller, Mediclinic George's client manager, Alexander is not the biggest baby ever born at the hospital. A 6kg baby was recorded at the old facility in Gloucester Avenue. "We cannot confirm whether that was a natural birth or Caesarean as we would have to dive deep into our records for such details," said Muller.

Alexander's size also meant that many of the baby clothes they had prepared did not quite fit. One of his first outfits was chosen by Alienka - a white and green striped rugby babygrow. Adél put it on him for a photograph, but it was a very tight fit. "I could just about get it on him and he won't be able to wear it!" she laughs.

The nappies were also a problem. When a size 0 and then a size 1 nappy proved to be ineffective and too tight-fitting, he was upped to a size 2.

According to Adél, however, her little boy is not a fat baby - he is simply very big. Because his stomach is also bigger than that of other newborn babies, they soon realised that he needed supplementary feeding, as Adél's milk was not quite enough in the first few days after the birth. "We could see that he was hungry and he was a little restless and wanted to drink all the time."

A big little hand. Photo: Supplied

She says they tested his blood sugar levels, that remained stable just like hers was during the pregnancy. "So fortunately there was no indication that gestational diabetes had contributed to his high birth weight."

Adél's youngest brother was previously the biggest baby in her family with a birth weight of about 4.5kg, so Alexander broke that record by far. For fun, she sent a photograph of Alexander to the family so that they could guess his weight. Her father, Casper le Grange, from Dana Bay, came closest with a guess of 4.9kg. "He said he could see from the photo that Alexander was a very big boy."

And the jokes about Alexander's future have already started. "My friends say they think he should become a Springbok because he's so big, but I feel he can become whatever he wants," she says happily.

And the father of the family is bursting with pride and cannot stop looking at his not-so-little bundle of joy.

Adél only just managed to squeeze Alexander into this Springbok babygrow for the sake of a photo. His sister Alienka had chosen it for him before his arrival in the world. Photo: Supplied