A Grand Entrance

Asher is here! It's been a couple of weeks since I've had time to write, so I guess it's time to document the basics.

Birth Date: 5/24/11
Birth Time: 0939
Weight: 5 lbs., 5.5 oz. (2424 grams)...we thought it was very cool that this was his weight on 5/24
Length: 17.75 inches
Delivering doctor: Rachel Beck, assisted by Erica Chan
Anesthesiologist: Sergio Estrada
Nurse: Dani Robison
(I'm making a note of all these things in case somehow my memory fails me in a few years.)



Asher's delivery was a blissfully uneventful elective cesarean section. Maybe I'll explain in a later post why we decided on that delivery route. For now, suffice it to say that that was simply the best decision for us.

Asher was born screaming, which was quite a relief. Despite his tiny size, it was clear immediately that he is a very, very strong little boy. Crockett did remarkably well in the operating room too.

Our time at the hospital was relatively unremarkable. Asher's Grandma and Grandpa (Marki) and Uncle Chris and Aunt Robin were there to see him shortly after his birth. His Mama Katie and Daddy Brad (Dunn) made a very quick trip from Alabama to California to see him the following day. And of course, he got to make friends with many of the Salinas Valley Memorial community during his stay there.

The only speed bump we hit at the hospital was more than expected weight loss. By about 72 hours of life, Asher had lost about 14% of his birth weight, which was worrisome. After careful evaluation by one of the lactation consultants, we figured out that he was having trouble coordinating sucking and swallowing, which meant he wasn't getting as much nutrition as we had thought. After we developed a feeding plan with one of the pediatricians, we were able to go home that day with plans for a weight check the following day. The new plan was cumbersome, involving nursing and pumping every 2-3 hours, but it seemed to work. He gained 2 ounces in less than 24 hours!

Since then, he has continued to grow, slowly but surely. His next weight check is in 2 days, and I am eager to see how much he has put on. He is starting to have a little chub on his arms and legs, just like a baby is supposed to have, which makes us happy. Also, happily, Asher has finally figured out how to nurse effectively, so we have been able to make modifications to his feeding regimen in the last few days, which has freed up a lot of time for me, as I am not constantly engaged in a feeding-related activity. Hopefully that means more blog posts in the near future!

Aside from the feeding issues, Asher is a very easy baby, and for that, we feel very fortunate. He only cries if he is hungry, if his diaper has leaked, or if he needs to poop (in which case he cries for about a second, then poops, and is immediately done crying). I am holding my breath, waiting to see if he suddenly becomes difficult and colicky, but so far, so good. So despite chronic sleep deprivation from frequent nighttime feedings, we have had a lot of fun interacting with him and can't wait to see him grow up. I just hope that doesn't happen too fast!