
'Everyone in the operating room collectively gasped'
New mum Shelby Martin has opened up about her brutal experience giving birth to her giant 13-pound baby boy.
Martin gave birth to a record-breaking baby, weighing nearly 13lbs, saying that midwives gasped in disbelief as her newborn entered the world.
Shelby quickly went viral after posting a TikTok of an image of her with a baby bump, followed by one of her baby boy, Cassian.
Social media users were left gobsmacked by the size of baby Cassian, with the TikTok now having racked up over four million likes on TikTok, with over 40 million views.
However, Shelby went on to say that not everything went to plan during the delivery, explaining that Cassian had to spend 10 days in the ICU.
Shelby admitted to thinking she wouldn't survive her pregnancy, as Cassian just kept on growing.
Speaking about her experience for the first time since Cassian's delivery in July, Shelby said her hopes of the 'typical' vaginal delivery were quickly shattered due to the baby's enormous size. Doctors quickly stressed that a C-section would by far be the safest option.
She told People: "There was a real risk he could get stuck during delivery, and that changed everything.
"I knew the safest choice was a C-section - and thankfully, I had an amazing OBGYN and care team at TriStar Centennial who I trusted completely. We had a heads up that he was going to be big, but I would have never guessed almost 13 pounds."
Speaking to Today, Shelby said: "My physical therapist later explained that he was essentially popping my hip joint out of the socket.
"As soon as they pulled him out, everyone in the operating room collectively gasped. They were absolutely shocked at his size."
As if the delivery wasn't 'special' enough, Shelby gave birth to Cassian on her own birthday, calling him her "greatest gift", per The Mirror.
Despite Cassian's large size, he is tiny compared to baby Alpha, who made headlines in the UK back in 2020. Alpha was a whopping 14lbs at birth, making him the third-largest baby ever delivered in Britain.