A woman has given birth to the world's biggest baby girl. The newborn, who was delivered by Caesarian section, weighed in at 15lbs.

The baby, who is twice the weight of the average newborn, was born in in southern India to 19-year-old first-time mum Nandini. While the young mother was shocked by the size of the new arrival, local health officer Dr Venkatesh Raju, hailed her as a "miracle."

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"In my 25 years of experience, I had never seen such a big baby. She is a miracle. I believe she is not only the heaviest baby born in India but the heaviest baby girl ever born in the world," he said. "I had personally gone to see her. She is a beautiful gift of God. I am happy that she is doing well."'

While Nandini had no complications during her pregnancy, doctors also had no indication that she was carrying such a large baby. Dr Poornima Manu, the gynaecologist who delivered the baby said: "She came as a big surprise for all of us. The surgery took place for nearly half an hour and it was free of any risk. She is really big and beautiful.

"She does not have any health issues like irregular sugar levels or thyroid and is breathing well. We were initially concerned about her sugar levels but that is normal. The mother had made regular visits for check-ups at the hospital and never showed signs of gestational diabetes or thyroid disorders.

"Both the mother and the child are doing fine and we will discharge them once we are confident of the baby's health." The baby, who has not yet been named, is being kept at the neonatal intensive care unit as doctors monitor her before discharging her, Metro reports.

The last large baby to be born in India was 14.77lbs. Setting a new world record, the new arrival has deposed the former holder of the title of the world's largest baby girl, Carisa Rusack, who was born weighing 14lb 5oz in Massachusetts in 2014. In 2015, a baby in Florida weighed in at 14lb and was declared the heaviest baby to be born in the US state.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the heaviest baby ever born weighed a staggering 23lb 12oz in Canada in 1879, but the baby died 11 hours later. The record for the heaviest, surviving baby in the world was a boy born in Italy in 1955, who weighed 22lb 8oz.

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