Tennessee Mom Gives Birth to Hospital’s ‘Largest Baby’ in Years After Experiencing an Unimaginable Loss

Shelby Martin had her birth plan carefully crafted — but life had other plans in mind.

The 30-year-old Tennessee mom says she had envisioned the “perfect birth” for her fourth baby: immediate skin-to-skin contact, delayed cord clamping, and, most importantly, the natural delivery she had always imagined. But at 36 weeks, when she and her partner, Joshua Thomas, 27, learned their baby was measuring unusually large, everything changed.

“There was a real risk he could get stuck during delivery. That changed everything,” Martin recalls. “I knew the safest choice was a C-section, and thankfully, I had an amazing OBGYN and care team at TriStar Centennial who I trusted completely.”

She admits, “Sure, I grieved the loss of my ‘perfect birth plan,’ but looking back, I’m just so grateful.”

Martin delivered her son Cassian at HCA Healthcare’s TriStar Centennial Women’s Hospital in Nashville on July 29. The newborn weighed an incredible 12 pounds, 14 ounces — the largest baby born there in three years, according to hospital staff.

“We had a heads-up that he was going to be big, but I never guessed almost 13 pounds,” she says. “Looking back at my bump pictures, I probably should have known.”

When Cassian arrived, the entire delivery room lit up. Although Martin had been nervous before her first C-section, the moment she saw her son, the atmosphere changed completely.

“Everyone was amazed by his size! He made such a big impression that nurses and doctors from all over the hospital came by the NICU just to meet him,” she shares. “He quickly became a little celebrity during his stay.”

“Every time we visited, someone from the care team was already snuggling him,” she adds. “They truly adored him, and as a first-time NICU mom, that meant everything. Knowing he was so loved and cared for brought me so much comfort.”

After the delivery, Martin felt a sense of relief — until her newborn had to spend several days in the NICU. “We are very grateful his stay wasn’t as long as some,” she says. “My heart is truly with all NICU parents.”

Cassian remained in the NICU for 10 days before coming home. Despite his impressive size, he had actually been born early, with slightly underdeveloped lungs and unstable glucose levels.

“He went to the NICU almost immediately after the C-section,” Martin explains. “This was my first NICU experience, so having to ask permission to hold him and seeing him attached to tubes and monitors was all so new to me. Coming home without him was the hardest part.”

Now back home, Martin calls Cassian “the brightest rainbow” the family could have hoped for — a joyful arrival that came one year after she suffered a heartbreaking pregnancy loss.

“We woke up so excited to see our baby. It was my 29th birthday. We planned to get smoothies and go to the Parthenon after. The sun was bright,” she remembers. “When we were told that there was no longer a heartbeat, my entire world lost color. We walked out to a dark, rainy parking lot and just had to carry on because, unfortunately, the world doesn’t stop around you.”

Exactly one year later, Cassian was born — on her 30th birthday — restoring the light she’d lost. “He truly is the brightest rainbow we had been dreaming of,” she says. “Of course, we still mourn our angel, but being able to get him Earthside has filled something in all of us. His brothers are over the moon.”

The couple’s new addition joins Martin’s older sons Jonah, 7, Waylon, 8, and Elijah, 9 — completing their family of six. “He truly fits right in,” Martin says. “He was our missing link.”

Her three older boys are “obsessed” with their baby brother. “They have waited a long time for him,” she says proudly.

As the family settles into life with their newest member, Martin is already looking forward to sharing the joys of the coming season. “I’m most excited for all of the fall things — his first pumpkin patch and Halloween,” she says. “He really enjoys being outside.”