TAMPA, Fla. -- Maxxzandra Ford said she realized during delivery that her third child was even bigger than the 9- and 10-pound babies she'd she given birth to in the past. But she was still shocked when the nurses told her how big: over 14 pounds.

"They came back and said, 'Your baby weighs 14 pounds, 1 ounce.' I was like, WHAT? My baby weighed what?" she told CBS Tampa affiliate WTSP. "They were like, 'Your baby is adorably huge!'"

The baby boy named Avery was delivered safely on Jan. 29 after 18 hours of labor. Officials at St. Joseph's Women's Hospital in Tampa say he is the heaviest baby born at the hospital, and one of the largest ever in the state.

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It came as a double surprise for the Florida mom who didn't even realize she was pregnant until her third trimester.

Ford said she first went to the doctor when she noticed she was rapidly gaining weight, and was told she was already more than 8 months along. Ford, who also has a 1-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter, initially thought she was having twins because the baby seemed so big.

Avery's father said he's a linebacker in the making.

"When I finally did get to hold him, I loved it," the new mom said. "I just melted."

Avery, who has a full head of hair, was put in neonatal intensive care but doctors said he was expected to go home soon.

"They can have some difficulties getting out of the birth canal and there can be some residual effects from that," said Dr. Jenelle Ferry, a neonatologist who is taking care of him. "They can initially have some problems with breathing, regulating their blood sugars and then problems with eating."