Carey Patonai was well aware that her child would be large. Doctors reported he weighed 9 pounds, 6 ounces at 34 weeks pregnant, which is several pounds more than a newborn.
Finnley’s two older brothers were big, too. Devlen, now 10 years old, was 8 pounds, 2 ounces at birth, and Everett, now two, was 11 pounds, 11 ounces.
But carrying Finley was “on another level,” Patonai told Today. “It got to the point where I could hardly move. It would take me 30 minutes to recover from taking a shower.”
There were also big emotions. Cary experienced 19 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚐𝚎s in the course of growing her family, including two between the birth of her second son and Finnley.
“Two of the 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚐𝚎s were sets of twins,” Cary revealed. “It was was 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚌 for the whole family — especially our oldest child. Each loss would 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔 his little heart.”
Experiencing that many is rare — only about 1% of people who experience one experience another — and delivering a healthy baby after that rarer still.
Finnley was delivered a day earlier than scheduled because Patonai’s water 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚔𝚎.
Doctors scheduled Finnley’s 𝙲-𝚜𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 for October 5th, only two weeks before she reached full term. When Patonai went into labor, he was delivered the day before.
He weighed 14.1 pounds at birth and measured 23.75 inches long. Had he arrived on his due date, doctors say Finnley would have weighed about 16.5 pounds, according to Today.
The average birth weight for full-term babies is about 7.5 pounds, and the average height is 20 inches, according to Michigan Medicine.
The Guinness World record for heaviest baby to survive infancy weighed in at 22 pounds, 8 ounces in 1955. In 2019, a New York woman delivered a 15 pound, five ounce baby girl.
Finnley is one of the 9% of babies who have “fetal macrosomnia,” meaning they’re born at more than 8 pounds, 13 ounces.
He had some breathing issues at first and needed oxygen. Then, he needed an IV drip to manage his 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍 sugar levels, Patonai wrote on Facebook the day after his birth.
The average newborn weighs around half that. He’s also tall, at nearly 24 inches. 𝙽𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚕𝚎ss to say, the doctors who delivered him were impressed.
“The doctor and one of the sweetest nurses there, they were all taking selfies with us, they asked permission of course, but they were just so pumped,” Cary said.
At two weeks old, Finnley is wearing size 2 diapers and clothing made for babies ages 6 to 9 months. Cary describes her third child as “snuggly and healthy.” She noted that he’s a “great sleeper” and has a hearty appetite.
“Typically, newborns are taking in about one to two ounces of milk,” she said. “Finnley is eating around four-and-a-half ounces.”
Despite the extra care the duo needed, “I am so happy, Tim is happy, Finnley is happy & snuggly & oh so squishy!” Patanoi wrote on Facebook. “Devlen & Everett are missing us & ready for us to come home. I am so thankful & so blessed!