Hundreds of babies are being born clinically obese every year - including some weighing more than a stone.
As
many as 1,403 newborns have been classified as obese since 2011,
according to shocking figures from a series of Freedom of Information
requests.
At just one trust nearly 400 babies born in the last four years weighed 9lb 15oz or more - the marker for an obese baby.
Hundreds of babies are being born
clinically obese every year including some weighing more than a stone,
Freedom of Information requests have revealed (stock image)
Peterborough
and Stamford Hospitals Trust also recorded 280 exceptionally large
babies and another 265 arrived at George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust in
Warwickshire.
There has also been an increase in the number of babies weighing 12lb or more.
Seven clinics reported births of so-called 'sumo babies' in 2013 - including two where the babies weighed more than a stone.
Tam
Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said that although some mothers
suffer from medical conditions, which increase the size of the baby,
most just overeat.
He said: 'Quite simply, the number of pregnant women who are obese at the start is increasing.
'It is thought that 82 per cent of children who are obese will continue to be overweight.
'As they have the same kind of nutrition as their parents there is a continuous upwards spiral.
Danica Slavin (second from right) gave
birth to two babies, Eva (right) and Jack (left), who both weighed over
10lbs. They had to be delivered via caesarean at Jessop Wing maternity
unit in Sheffield but are now happy and healthy
Eva (above) was born in 2013 and weighed 12lb 6oz - 5lb more than the average baby girl
'Successive governments have not really addressed the obesity problem. It starts at conception and sometimes even before then.'
Mr Fry also suggested that the number of women having caesareans was increasing due to the increasing size of their babies.
He said: 'Some babies are so fat they cannot come out naturally.
'Women
have to understand that they have to keep themselves in shape due to
the huge responsibility they have of producing the next generation.
'If we get it wrong, it's a vicious circle and it will just go on and on and on.'
Toddlers
are also being hospitalised for being obese, with 28 two-year-olds and
33 three-year-olds admitted since 2011, Laura Connor revealed in her Sunday Mirror investigation.
Freedom of Information requests were sent to 153 hospital trusts in the country and received 110 replies.
The average weight of a baby boy is 7lb 8oz and for a girl it is 7lb 4oz.
Childhood obesity can lead to a number of medical problems including diabetes, heart disease, strokes and cancer.
A
Royal College of Midwives spokesman said: 'It starts pre-conceptually.
If a woman is trying to get pregnant then she should already be eating
healthily and not drinking or smoking.
'It
is a common myth that the woman should eat for two. Really, she should
be just taking in lots of vegetables and a balanced diet.
'Long walks and gentle jogs can also help.'
Tam Fry, of the National Obesity
Forum, said: 'It is thought that 82 per cent of children who are obese
will continue to be overweight'
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