5.9-kg baby born in Vani Vilas Hospital

bundle of joy

A child weighing double the average of a "good weighing" child was born at Vani Vilas Hospital in the city, making it the heaviest child to be delivered in the hospital so far.

When the boy baby was weighed soon after birth, the scale showed 5.9 kilos. Although doctors had predicted the unusual size of the child, the birth weight left them with several questions.

"An average child weighs anywhere between 2.5 to 3.8 kilos. Anything beyond 3.5 kilos is a very good weight. This was way heavier," said Dr Geetha Shivamurthy, medical superintendent, Vani Vilas Hospital.

The child was referred from Government Hospital, Yelahanka, to Vani Vilas as doctors anticipated pregnancy-related challenges due to the weight of the child.

"The child was referred here on January 14 while the delivery took place on January 18. We had to perform a C Section," said Dr Shivamurthy, adding this was the heaviest child at Vani Vilas. "There was one case in Shivamogga where the child weighed 6.7 kilos," said Dr Shivamurthy.

Typically in such cases, the mother is either found to be diabetic, has untreated thyroid or the parents are of a very good build with broad shoulders. In this present case, none of them is true.

"Another possibility is that the child could have a heart problem. Basic investigations have found no illness. We are sending him to Jayadeva Institute of Cardio-Vascular Sciences tomorrow for examination," she said.

The child was born to Yogesh Mangoor and Saraswathi Mangoor, who hail from Darjeeling but have been working in Bengaluru. The father works in a PG accommodation while the mother is employed at a beauty parlour.

"Initially, no one told us that the child was overweight. We got to know only in the last month," said Yogesh.