EMMA WILKINSON,

38, lives with partner Mark, 38, a project manager, and children lucy, now seven, and Sam, four in Sheffield. Her last baby, Henry, now two, weighed in at 10lb 6oz.

‘It came as a shock to me, never mind anyone else’ laughs Emma of the moment she was told of Henry’s weight. ‘My previous two babies, were 8lb 5oz and 8lb 10oz respectively. I did have a huge bump with Henry though and I couldn’t go out without people asking me if I was having twins.

‘to be fair, the midwives did say they thought Henry might be bigger than my first two but they weren’t unduly worried.’

Amazingly, despite Henry’s size, the birth was trouble-free. ‘Henry’s was the easiest birth of all three of my children’ recalls Emma. ‘I had contractions for about 24 hours but once my waters broke he was born within 20 minutes with just a little gas and air. He was the easiest of all my children.’

Henry, now two, was so hefty he skipped newborn clothes entirely and Emma had put him in clothes for three to six month olds. ‘He felt so substantial and always felt much older than he was from the start.’

He’s levelled off now, however, and is an average size.

‘Henry was the biggest that one of my midwives had delivered. A very experienced midwife who helped me in the final stages of labour said if I had another it would probably be even bigger. I’m not going to test that theory!’