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New York woman gives birth to 15-pound girl

ELMIRA, N.Y. — A New York woman gave birth to a 15-pound, 5-ounce girl last week, the largest on record at an Elmira hospital, WETM reported.

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Harper Buckley was also 23¼ inches long, according to officials at Arnot Ogden Medical Center. Hospital officials said it was the largest baby born at the hospital in at least 30 years.

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"I knew she was gonna be big, but I didn't anticipate no 15-pound baby," Joy Buckley told WETM.

Joy and her husband, Norman, had tried to have children for several years. Several years ago, they adopted a child, and in May 2016 Joy Buckley became pregnant. She gave birth to an 11-pound baby boy.

Tuesday, the Buckleys added Harper to their family.

For now, the infant must remain in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit while hospital staffers monitor her oxygen and sugar levels, WETM reported.

“It’s definitely hard,” Joy Buckley told the television station. “But I know that she won’t be (in the NICU) forever, she’ll be coming home soon.”