A mother from Clifton has given birth to what is believed to have been the biggest baby born in Nottingham in 2021. Paisley Jade West was born on August 2 2021 at Nottingham City Hospital and weighed 13lbs 2oz.
Mother Jade Smith, 22, gave birth to her firstborn via a C-section, after she was given the opportunity to do so. When she was first told the baby might be large, Jade said she "didn't think much of it" to begin with.
Jade said: "I found out I was pregnant on December 1 2020, was told everything was going well, had a 12 week scan and I was told she was bigger in size than expected. I didn't think much of it really, but when I had another scan at 20 weeks, I was told she would weigh around 10lbs.
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"It got me a bit scared and I had to keep coming in for scans. Towards the end of the pregnancy, I was in a lot of pain carrying that size baby and the same amount of water, it was hard to walk around and I struggled being pregnant in summertime."
Jade said the birth went well, and was given the option to give birth through a C-section. She said that option made her feel a lot better.
Jade said: "If I tried a natural birth, that could have dislocated Paisley's shoulders and I could have gone into an emergency C-section anyway. But the C-section went great, and she's healthy now.
"I had some complications with my scar afterwards because of the way I had been carrying her, and Paisley found it hard to breathe at first and was taken to the neonatal ward. But everything was OK in the end."
The size of Paisley at her birth shocked friends, family and even consultants. Researching into if bigger babies had been born in Nottingham, Jade said she couldn't find any. However, readers on the Nottinghamshire Live Facebook page said that they'd heard of babies born heavier in the city in years gone by.
Jade said: "My consultant at the time said it was the biggest baby they had ever delivered. Everyone on the neonatal ward also said it's the biggest they've seen at the hospital too.
"Everyone I knew couldn't believe it, I couldn't even believe it; she was so massive and chunky, people kept saying to me they thought she was a boy! My partner Joseph [West, 23] held her first and was in shock, you should have seen the reaction on his face, he didn't know what to do with himself!" Jade said Paisley is healthy and is now a 'normal size.
Sharon Wallis, Director of Midwifery, said: “We would like to wish Jade many congratulations on the safe birth of her baby and are pleased she had such a good experience at our hospital. We wish her and her family every good wish for their future together.”
