14 DAY TRIAL // It took two obstetricians to deliver a larger than average baby in Utah this May, and he may be declared the biggest baby born in the US this year.
Joel Brandon Jr., or J.J., was born on May 9 by cesarean section. He was delivered by mom Sara Brandon, who first thought her child would weigh 11 pounds.
J.J. was delivered at Timpanogos Regional Hospital in Orem, Utah. Dr. Robert Barbieri, chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, tells ABC News that the child has type 1 diabetes.
“An interesting effect of insulin, if it’s not taken in a sufficient amount, the glucose remains high, and the baby’s glucose starts to rise. It’s like giving the baby fertilizer and it grows very large,” Barbieri explains.
The condition affects one in 1,000 babies, but just one in 100,000 weighs 14 pounds (6.4 kg). For J.J., it has amounted to lung issues, which he has conquered.