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German Mother Births a 13-pound Daughter

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Jul 31, 2013 11:55 AM EDT

Although childbirth is one of the most amazing things that humans can do, it is also without a doubt one of the most painful experiences that women have to go through. The process of birthing an infant involves long hours of labor and pain before the bundle of joy can enter the world. Even though giving birth is relatively painful for all, some stories sound quite more painful than others. Last week, a German mother birthed a 13.46 pounds baby girl, the heaviest baby to ever be born in Germany.

Baby Jasleen measured in at 23 inches long when she was born on July 26. Weighing in at over 13 pounds gave her the title of Germany's heaviest baby. The previous holder of the record was Jihad, a baby boy born in Berlin two years ago who weighed 13 pounds. According to the hospital, Jasleen's mother was a first time patient at the facility and thus, the team of medical professionals had to do their best in preparing for the newborn.

"We anticipated that the child would be big," commented Holger Stepan the chief of obstetrics at the University Hopsital Leipzig according to CNN. "We prepared in advance by assembling a special team [of doctors and midwives] to be ready for any possible complications." Stepan admitted that he has never been involved with a birthing of a newborn that weighed this much.

Jasleen's mother was suffering from gestational diabetes, which was left untreated because she was unaware of her condition. Women suffering from gestational diabetes tend to have babies who are heavier than normal. This condition normally occurs around the 24th week of pregnancy. Women who have gestational diabetes with heavy infants usually have to undergo a cesarean section. Jasleen's mother, however, was able to give birth naturally. Despite these unexpected health conditions involved, the hospital reports that mother and child are doing well. Jasleen remains in the neonatal care unit for supervision before she can go home.

Even though Jasleen was one of the heaviest babies to be born in Germany, her weight was nowhere near the world record weight of 23 pounds according to the Guinness World Records. The baby that holds the record was born in Seville, OH in the United States on January 19, 1879. He died in the hospital 11 hours after his birth.

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