Meet 'Moose', the 16 lb. baby

VIDEO - You might say he's a Texas-sized tot. Born weighing a whopping 16 pounds, a Longview, Texas, baby is getting worldwide attention...

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

You might say he’s a Texas-sized tot. Born weighing a whopping 16 pounds, a Longview, Texas, baby is getting worldwide attention. “You don’t see very many 16 pound babies,” said Dr. John Kirk, the doctor who delivered the baby at Good Shepherd Medical Center in Longview.

JaMichael Jamie Brown is worth his weight in buzz. From the late night comedy circuit to the national morning news shows, Baby Brown is getting some publicity. “It was nice at first,” says mom Janet Johnson.

While Johnson could use some rest, she said she understands why there’s so much interest in her baby’s weight.His dad thinks it’s only a matter of time before JaMichael tires of the jokes.

“Eventually he’ll probably get tired of people asking about his weight,” said Michael Brown. From his heavy mitts to his 17-inch chest, there’s no doubt JaMichael is big, but he doesn’t take the healthy baby heavyweight title.

That title actually goes to a baby born in Italy in 1955 at 22 pounds, 8 ounces. That doesn’t make JaMichael any smaller in his parents’ eyes. “When they put him in my hands, my arms dropped,” Brown said.

Johnson was diagnosed with diabetes and was expecting her baby to weigh between 12 and 13 pounds. But the sheer mass of JaMichael surprised even Kirk, who’s delivered some 8,000 babies.

“As JaMichael was delivered through the incision, I was telling my assistant, ‘We have grossly underestimated this baby.’” “We didn’t have nothing to fit him,” Janet said. “He’s wearing like 12 months is what he’s in now.”

Instead of newborn diapers, JaMichael came out ready for a size 4. And what about food? “He doesn’t have a really heavy appetite,” Johnson said. “You would think he would.”

She said JaMichael drinks about 2 ounces of formula every three hours. And she doesn’t think the extra weight helps him sleep any better than an average-sized 7-and-a-half pound newborn. Nurses nicknamed JaMichael “Moose” almost from day one.

Kirk said mom and baby are both in good health. He said he believes JaMichael’s size is due partly to Janet’s diabetes, but also because both his mom and dad are pretty big people.

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