A mum has given birth to Scotland's heaviest twin babies, who tipped the scales at a combined 17lb 11oz. Charlotte McKenzie, 31, gave birth to boy Búrn and girl Iona at the Alongside Midwife Unit at Wishaw University Hospital on September 18. The newborns are bigger than the average newborn weight of around 7lb 8oz.
Record-breaking birth
Búrn was born weighing 9lb 3oz, while Iona weighed 8lb 8oz, making the siblings the heaviest newborn twins ever born in Scotland. Parents Charlotte and Nathan, 33, were able to take them home to their big sisters, Ishbel, four, and Morag, two, just three hours after the birth.
Charlotte, from Coatbridge in North Lanarkshire, carried the twins to full term. She told the Record: "The midwives were very surprised at their weight. I carried up until 40 weeks and four days, so the last stint of the pregnancy was tough!"
Positive labour experience
Charlotte said the labour, which lasted just three hours, was a positive experience. Both Búrn and Iona are said to be doing well and have since put on weight. She said: "I had a spontaneous labour and birthed the babies in the pool ten minutes apart and caught both of them myself. I advocated for the birth I wanted and I was supported brilliantly by a team of amazing midwives."
She added: "Both babies are doing so well, they're smashing it. They've both put on weight and are feeding really well. Their big sisters are also absolutely smitten with them and just want to hold them all the time."
Previous records
The record was previously held by twins Kaius and Troy Merrie, born at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary on November 4, 2015. Before that, the record belonged to Mya and Ollie Kennedy, also of Edinburgh, weighing 15lb 14oz in 2010. The heaviest known twins born in the UK are Maureen and Jack Batey from County Durham, who had a combined birth weight of over 20lb when born in June 1944. They continue to hold the UK-wide record 82 years on.
Leah Noble, NHS Lanarkshire Interim Director of Midwifery, said: "Congratulations to Charlotte and her family. Welcoming twins is always a special occasion and these babies certainly made an impression with their arrival weighing a combined 17lb 11oz. I would also like to pay tribute to our dedicated maternity teams at University Hospital Wishaw and across our community maternity services, who ensure families receive the highest standard of care throughout pregnancy, birth and beyond."
