A mother from Arlington, Texas, recently experienced an extraordinary surprise when she gave birth to a baby weighing as much as a bowling ball.

Markie Smith, a 35-year-old dog walker, anticipated that her third child would be on the larger side. However, she was taken aback when baby Canyon tipped the scales at an astonishing 13 pounds, making him one of the largest newborns ever delivered at the local hospital.

“He arrived looking like a three-month-old,” Markie remarked, expressing her amazement.

“I’ve never seen a baby this big,” she added. “It’s akin to cradling a bowling ball or a sack of bricks.”

Describing her new son as “a big, big boy,” Markie noted the unique features that made him stand out, such as the fat rolls on the back of his head and his resemblance to a tiny sumo wrestler, all of which contribute to his undeniable cuteness.

‘He’s a big, big boy. He’s got fat rolls on the back of his head. He looks like a little sumo wrestler. He’s so cute.’

Ms Smith, who admits she was ‘relieved’ to have delivered him via c-section at 8.26am on December 18, says the delivery room erupted in amazement when medical staff announced the newborn’s weight.

She said: ‘The whole room just was like “what?”.’

Markie Smith with her 13lb newborn, son Canyon 

Canyon is one of the largest babies ever born at the hospital 

Little Canyon tipped the scales at 12lbs 10.5oz and briefly required monitoring in the neonatal intensive care unit at Arlington Memorial Hospital in Arlington, Texas.

The extraordinary birth weight puts baby Canyon just shy of 13lbs, placing him among the largest newborns on record for the hospital. 

In the US, the average newborn weighs between 6lbs and 8lbs in the US – making Canyon nearly double the typical size. 

Similarly, in the UK, the average baby weight at birth is between 5.5-8.8 lbs.

Last year, one expert told the Daily Mail that babies are being born bigger than ever before—and it can spell serious long-term health risks for both mother and child.

The condition, known as foetal macrosomia—literally ‘big body’ in Greek—refers to newborns weighing 8lb 13oz or more. Around one in ten babies in the UK falls into this category, sitting above the 90th centile for weight and height.

The explanation, say experts, lies in two factors. Obesity rates are rising—a known cause of macrosomia in babies is if their parents are overweight—and rates of diabetes are skyrocketing.

Ms Smith, who is also mother to a daughter, nine, and son, four, admitted that she expected to deliver a large baby due to the size of her ‘huge belly’ but even so was shocked by his size. 

She describes Canyon as being the weight of a bag of bricks

The delivery staff were also amazed by the size of Canyon

‘He eats well. He’s really sweet – sweet and chunky,’ says his mother.

She said: ‘I was expecting a 10lbs baby, but that’s crazy.

‘I don’t even think I’ve ever seen or heard of, except for on the news or like in the Guinness Book of World Records.’

Despite his impressive size, Canyon is healthy and doing well, though he required some additional monitoring in the NICU due to his unusual birth weight.

‘He came out screaming and peeing everywhere, and he’s just such a good baby,’ she said.

‘He eats well. He’s really sweet – sweet and chunky.’

The pregnancy proved challenging for Ms Smith – who was navigating personal hardships, including the recent loss of her mother and a break-up.

She worked throughout her pregnancy, running her business until just days before Canyon’s birth.

‘I worked up until the week, a few days before I had him,’ she said.

Canyon’s mother is thrilled with her giant baby 

The giant baby is doing well after some initial time in a neonatal ward 

‘So I knew he was going to come out a strong warrior baby, but I wasn’t quite expecting him to be like that.’

Ms Smith found strength during difficult times by turning to her faith and spending time fishing, which initially influenced her choice of nature-themed names for her children.

‘I prayed to God that I needed something to help get me through my hard times,’ she said.

‘I found out I was pregnant with the baby, and it gave me the fuel I needed.’

The name Canyon was chosen from a long list of nature and Western-inspired names, with input from friends and family.

Her daughter, Meadow, has embraced her new role as big sister – giving Canyon the nickname ‘Little West’.

Visitors to the hospital have been amazed by Canyon’s size and presence.

The story of Canyon’s remarkable birth captured attention on social media, with photos and news of the giant baby spreading rapidly.

As Canyon continues to thrive in his first days of life, the new mother remains grateful for the blessing he represents during a challenging period in her life.

She said: ‘We’re just very happy to have our giant baby, and we want to share it with the world.’