Asher Stewardson was born Thursday at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, measuring 23 1/2 inches long

Asher Stewardson was born Thursday at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, measuring 23 1/2 inches long. (CNN/WHO)

  • More Offbeat and Strange News
Commercial rocket will fly to the space station
SpaceX rocket will fly to space station

For the first time, a private company will launch a rocket to …

Horse runs into sea, rescued a mile offshore
Must See Video: Horse rescued from sea

An Arabian horse named William got spooked during a California …

Seattle car vandal takes nothing, leaves tortillas
Car vandal takes nothing, leaves chips

A car prowler shattered a window of a parked Jeep, stole …

'Ring of Fire' eclipse visible from China to Texas
'Ring of Fire' eclipse to be seen by US

Sunrises and sunsets often dazzle, but they'll have a special …

$1,000 buttocks enhancement damaged lungs
Buttocks enhancement damaged lungs

A woman who calls herself the "Black Madam" has been ordered to…

Advertisement

Nearly 14-pound baby boy born in Des Moines

Six hours of labor without an epidural

Updated: Monday, 30 Jan 2012, 11:50 AM EST
Published : Monday, 30 Jan 2012, 9:29 AM EST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa woman has given birth to a boy weighing 13 pounds and 13 ounces — without the aid of surgery.

Asher Stewardson was born Thursday at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines, measuring 23 ½ inches long. Fifteen months ago, his brother, Judah, arrived weighing 12 pounds and an ounce at birth.

Mercy officials say only a tenth of 1 percent of all newborns weigh more than 11 pounds at birth.

The boy's mother, Kendall Stewardson, endured six hours of labor without an epidural injection. She says she and her husband, Joshua, wanted to avoid a cesarean section because that wouldn't have been good for her or Asher.

Advertisement
Advertisement