Wakefield has a higher than average proportion of super-sized babies

A range of factors can influence the likelihood of having an unusually large baby, including a mother’s weight and age, genetics, gestational diabetes, and a baby being overdue.

But analysis shows widespread variation in baby weights across the country.

In some parts of England babies are up to four times more likely than others to be larger than usual, while in Scotland the worst affected areas see babies twice as likely than the national average to weigh in over the medically large baby threshold.

How big is a big baby?

Babies are considered unusually large if they weigh at least 8lb 13oz, or four kilograms – the equivalent of four bags of sugar. The medical term is foetal macrosomia.

Babies this size can lead to complications during labour, and mothers are more likely to need a caesarian section.

Analysis of data from health bodies across the UK nations shows between one in seven and one in 10 babies have macrosomia, with those in Northern Ireland most likely to be on the chunkier side.

The latest data for each nation covers different time periods so the comparison between countries is imperfect. There are also differences in what the data covers, with some countries excluding stillbirths or multi-baby births.

But within each nation there is enormous regional variation in the proportion of babies born with macrosomia.

In England, Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows one in 10 babies in England are unusually large.

Of 569,314 live births with weights recorded in 2020, 57,753 babies (10.1%) tipped the scales at four kilograms or more, with 596 of those weighing in at an incredible five kilograms, or 11lb.

In Wakefield, there were 3,285 babies born in 2021. Of those 365 weighed more than 8lb 13oz (12.9%) and 10 babies weighed more than 11lb.

NHS Digital however holds baby weight data for 283,600 births in England during 2021 (excluding May, for which data is missing) by council area.

Only babies born at 37 weeks gestation or later are counted in these figures, so premature babies with very low birth weights are excluded. Of the babies included in NHS Digital’s data, 10.9% were super-sized.

What causes macrosomia - and are there any risks?

Some mothers are more likely to have larger than average babies, including those who have diabetes or develop diabetes during pregnancy, or have a high Body Mass Index (BMI).

Professor Asma Khalil, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “While there is an increased risk of complications if a baby is [four kilograms], the majority of women do not have any complications and their baby is born safely without any problems.”

One increased risk concerns shoulder dystocia, she said, where a baby’s shoulder gets stuck behind the pelvic bone during delivery. A mother will usually need extra help to free the baby.

She continued: “There is also an increased risk of the mother having heavier bleeding than normal after birth, and vaginal tears if having a vaginal birth.

“In some cases, if a woman had diabetes, they may be offered an early induction of labour, or a planned caesarean birth.”

Are babies getting bigger?

In recent decades the average baby born in England and Wales has become heavier, according to a 2018 study published in the British Medical Journal.

Some anti-obesity campaigners have warned that unusually big babies are becoming increasingly common due to a rise in obesity among pregnant women.

Despite this, the data for each nation shows there has been no increased likelihood of newborns weighing four kilograms or more during the last decade across each UK nation.

In England, the proportion of super-sized babies has fallen from 11.4% in 2010 to 10.1% in 2020, the ONS data shows.