The Heaviest Baby Born in Michigan

WHEW!

Having a baby of somewhat ‘normal’ weight (6-8 pounds) is hard enough.....but when a newborn baby turns out to be much more than that, it turns into an event.

There have been some pretty heavy babies born over the centuries, and a good number of them in Michigan.....but what was the heaviest baby born in normal health in Michigan?

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In March 1938, a 19-pound baby boy was born to 35-year old Mary Lawler and her husband, a couple on relief living in Detroit near Wayne. The boy set the record for the heaviest baby born in normal health in the United States.

The article also notes that the baby was 24 inches long and in normal health. Not only was the baby 19 pounds, but also 24 inches – two feet – long, making him “the Marvel of Detroit” back in 1938. At the time, he was also the largest child ever born alive and in normal health in the United States.

Hospital attendants in 1938 remarked that there have been babies born that weighed up to 25 pounds in other parts of the world, but not in Michigan. When told how much her baby weighed, Mrs. Lawler exclaimed "you must be kidding me!!!"

As far as we know, the Lawler baby still holds the Michigan record.