MUM Catherine Harvey was warned by doctors her second child would be a big one.

But no-one realised just how big.

Newly-born James Baker surprised everyone when he was born weighing a whopping 12lbs and 6ozs, the weight of a healthy three-month-old baby.

James is the heaviest baby ever to be born at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford since records started there.

And his robust weight could not have been more different to Catherine’s first baby, Jasmine, who was born two weeks early in 2014 weighing 9lbs 9ozs.

This time round, James was one week early, born at 39 weeks.

Catherine said: “I had been aware that I was having a bigger baby but they said that the top end would probably be about 11lbs.

“I wasn’t sure when I had him but a lot of the midwives and nurses said he was the biggest baby they had seen.

“They checked their records and he is the biggest baby they have had there.

“I think pretty much every midwife in the county has seen him by now.

“They all came running in.

“My friends are going to St Peter’s Hospital, in Maldon, and hearing the midwives there talking about James.”

Catherine, who lives in Burnham, was fine after the birth but it was a difficult start for James, who spent the first weeks of his life in Broomfield Hospital.

Catherine added: “He had a bit of a rough start.

“Because of his size he developed a few infections.

“He was in hospital for a couple of weeks but he is back home now and doing great thankfully.”

She added: “It was emotional at the time. We are overjoyed with him.

“After I had him, we realised all the clothes we had got for him before he was born was going to be too small for him, so we had to rush around a bit with that.”

The family are all settled at home now and are looking forward to Jasmine’s third birthday in November.