When little Atlas McHugh made his entrance into the world, he was an average size, weighing in at 7lb 14oz. However, his journey took an unexpected turn over the following two months.
Fast forward to the present, and 10-month-old baby Atlas stands tall at 80cm, weighing an impressive 13kg (just over two stone). He’s growing steadily and rapidly, even necessitating the switch to clothing designed for two-year-olds. Even his mother, Nabille McHugh, finds herself adjusting her posture when carrying him, using her leg for extra support.
Nabille, aged 30, shares, “Whenever anyone holds him, everyone has something to say about his size – whether it’s their back hurting, or their arms can’t handle it, there’s always a comment. Most non-family members comment on my ‘toddler’ and are shocked when I tell them he is still an infant.”
Atlas’s growth spurt has led to an incredible pace of outgrowing clothes. Nabille explains, “He is currently in 24-month clothes, and this is the longest stretch we have gone with this size, but he was never in newborn size. The doctors have no concern as his weight and height are proportional on the growth chart – he is just bigger overall, but no weight issues whatsoever.”
The adorable baby has become an internet sensation due to his size, going viral after Nabille posted a TikTok video of him to the tune of ‘Big and Chunky’ from Madagascar.
Nabille admits, “Honestly, I was scared, I woke up to so many notifications, friend requests, and emails all over my social media. Seeing some of the comments was very overwhelming. Every now and then there are negative and nasty comments about my son or accusing me of bad parenting because of his size. I get so many people telling me that I used a filter to make him look that big; I think that’s just hilarious.”
Hailing from Denver, Nabille discovered she was pregnant with her second child, Atlas, with her husband Tyler McHugh when she was just three weeks along. Despite Atlas measuring two weeks ahead during pregnancy, Nabille’s journey was relatively stress-free, and her bump remained a normal size. While she had initially planned for a natural birth, she ended up having a C-section due to her petite stature.
Reflecting on Atlas’s arrival, Nabille shares, “I was in love when I first saw him. His large stature definitely comes from dad’s side of the family, my side of the family is short, and my husband’s side is all six foot and up. He was average size for a newborn, but he kind of started hitting his growth spurt between two and four months and has been steadily growing since then.”
Through her TikTok videos, Nabille hopes to convey the message that babies come in all shapes and sizes. She emphasizes, “I would just like to normalize bigger babies. Big babies have always been around but social media hasn’t. Not because a baby is bigger or smaller than average means that they are automatically unhealthy or something is wrong with them. Babies come in all shapes and sizes, I would know since I have two kids – one was tiny and one big.”
