biggest baby
Maria Lorena Marin is the biggest baby to be born naturally in Spain (marinasalud.es)

A British woman has given birth to the biggest baby ever to be born naturally in Spain. The daughter of Maxime Marin tipped the scales at 13lbs 11oz (6.2kg) - almost one stone - at the Hospital Marina Salud in Denia, Alicante.

Marin, 40, and her Colombian partner, with whom she lives in Spain, have called the baby Maria Lorena. Both mother and child remain in the neonatal care unit and are believed to be doing well.

Hospital management said the baby was in "perfect health", despite being about twice the weight of the average newborn.

The couple said they knew the baby was going to be big but not "that big".

Doctors said the birth was "uncomplicated" despite Maria's size. Large babies are often delivered through Caesarean section.

Javier Rius, the head of the hospital's department of obstetrics and gynaecology, said: "In my 40-year professional career I have never known of any case of a birth with this weight by natural childbirth.

Maxime Marin
Maxime Marin said all of her children weighed more than 9lbs 14oz and that she did not need an epidural (marinasalud.es)

"We are all very satisfied with the work we carried out."

Hector Boix, head of the paediatrics at the hospital, said the baby was being monitored to assess for complications.

"These babies need to be monitored the first few hours because of lowered blood sugar levels," he said. "They are very passive and will not even wake up to take in food."

The labour took just under five hours and Marin said she "did not even need an epidural". Her other three children were all large at birth and each weighed at least 9lbs 14oz.

The biggest baby ever to have been born was in 1879, when Anna Bates gave birth to a 23lb 2oz baby in Canada. Both of the baby's parents had giantism and the child died just 11 hours after birth.