A ten-month-old baby has weighed in at a whopping 2st 13lbs - making her one of the heaviest children in the world for her age.
Aliya Saleem, of Jharkhand, India, was born at a relatively large 9lbs, then began to rapidly gain weight from the age of four months - and is now as heavy as an average six-year-old girl.
Her parents are worried about her health, after another of their children died aged just one-and-a-half after gaining weight in a similar fashion.
The girl's mother Shabana Parveen, 25, said: ‘A few months after her birth, she starting gaining weight. We had to buy her a new pair of clothes every two weeks because the old ones became too tight for her.’
The enormous weight has put Aliya's life in danger, but the family lack the money to obtain good enough medical care for her.
Her father Mohammad Saleem, 28, said: ‘We have tried our best, but we could only afford to take her to the local hospital.
'The doctors in the village could not tell us clearly what she is suffering from. We took Aliya to a doctor in Ranchi. After the check up the doctor suggested that we go to another city, but we couldn't afford that so we didn't take her.’
However, Aliya's parents recently managed to get a consultation at Fortis Hospital on the outskirts of Delhi in a bid to try and get to the bottom of their daughter's massive weight gain.
Dr Krishan Chugh, head of paediatrics at Fortis, said: ‘This is the heaviest baby at ten months of age that I have seen. This could be case of morbid obesity or even a hormonal imbalance.
The average weight of a ten-month-old child in the UK is 1st 4lbs - less than half Aliya's weight.
Aliya's giant frame poses problems for Mrs Parveen, who struggles to hold her in her lap for very long. She said: ‘She has become very heavy. My husband comes home very late from work.
So all through the day, I have to do household chores and also look after Aliya. It is difficult because she cannot even sit still on her own.
‘She keeps crying throughout the day. She wakes up at night abruptly and also she cannot breathe properly.’
Mrs Parveen and her husband have another son - five-year-old Ali - who is of regular weight, but has been unable to attend school due to their financial difficulties.
Their older daughter, Simran, died aged just one-and-a-half after gaining weight in a similar fashion to Aliya.
Mr Saleem said: ‘Simran had breakfast in the morning. I left for work after that. I got a call that Simran was not well and blood was coming out of her mouth.
We rushed her to the hospital but the doctors told us that her nerves had been damaged and she has passed away.’
Mrs Parveen added: ‘We are scared. Simran kept gaining weight all the time. Just like her, Aliya is also growing. So if we leave her untreated, we fear for the worst.’
Everybody in the village loves her. Kids also come and play with her. But very few can lift her
Shabana Parveen
Aliya's increasing weight is making her parents nervous about their own financial future too.
Her daily food intake, according to Mrs Parveen, is three times than that of a normal child - putting a severe strain on the family's finances.
‘We have limited means, so there are instances when I have to borrow money from relatives or friends to feed the family and Aliya,’ said Mr Saleem, who works as a tailor - earning less than £3 a day.
But despite her ever-increasing weight, Aliya is the favourite baby in the village. Mrs Parveen said: ‘Everybody in the village loves her. Kids also come and play with her. But very few can lift her.’
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