Welcome Alessio!

This is a somewhat belated birth announcement, but wow - newborns really take up all your time!

Alessio was born May 25th at 3:42 in the afternoon after a very long and arduous 23 hour labour. He was rushed to the ICU ward minutes after his birth, as we knew ahead of time about his heart problem. He underwent closed heart surgery at only 46 hours old to correct a coarctation of his aorta. (a narrow portion that needed to be removed and reconnected so that the blood could flow properly). Even though we knew about his diagnosis ahead of time, it was still an overwhelming experience to have your brand new baby undergoing surgery so soon after birth!

His recovery has been remarkable. He is now 3 weeks old and a healthy and happy newborn. His insision is healing well, and he seems to have completely forgotten the trauma of spending 10 days in the hospital hooked up to more cables than my computer! I'm sure these experiences are far mor traumatizing for the parents. He received excellent care and attention from the doctors and nurses at BC Children's hospital. I have nothing but great things to say about his care there, and am so very grateful we live in a city with such an excellent Children's hospital.

The three of us are all still getting to know each other better, and the cat has finally accepted that she is no longer the baby, and just the family pet! We have had many sleepless nights, with many more to come, but I am looking forward to my new role as a mom.