Aaron Maslin: The Beginning

Aaron Maslin was born on Tuesday, April 17th at 11:46 AM. Weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces and measuring 20 inches, and sporting a full head of hair.

Aaron was born via a scheduled c-section. At 38 weeks, he hadn't dropped and we knew since week 20 that he was going to be big. We were concerned about requiring a c-section due to his size and some other factors. I've known a lot of women having their first child after 30 and ending up with a c-section after a long labor. I saw my own sister go through 24 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing to end up with a c-section with an OB she hadn't met. We were really attached to my OB and after talking it over with him, we felt that a scheduled c-section was the best option for mother and baby. This ensured that my own OB would deliver Aaron and it would be during the day when doctor and staff would be well rested. Even having him delivered at 39 weeks, he was 8 lbs and 9 oz - I can only imagine how big he would have been at full term.

Aaron began crying as soon as the doctor pulled him out. It's like he was ready to go, even without labor to prepare him. Shortly after I heard him crying, the doctor was saying something about a knot in his umbilical cord and showed it to Thom. It was a loose knot and didn't pose a problem at that point, but it made us glad that we had opted for a cesarean, not knowing what would have happened otherwise.

The surgery went remarkably well and we spent only an hour or two in recovery (where Grandma and Grandpa got to meet their 7th grandson) before going up to our post-partum room for the next 3 days. I was up out of bed within 12 hours and eating solid foods shortly after that. Aaron roomed in with me the entire time and Thom stayed over each night to help out with late night feedings and diaper changes.

The whole experience was surreal. Especially seeing Aaron for the first time. It was hard to believe he was really ours. I could see them cleaning him up and all I could think was "Wow, that's a lot of hair."

My sisters Theresa and Lia, and my sister-in-law Linnea and nephew Alex were able to visit us the first day. (Somehow we didn't get a picture of Theresa with Aaron.)

Grandma came to stay with us during the days, allowing Thom some time to go home and rest, shower and eat. The hospital staff were excellent and a big help in getting me back on my feet and getting us off to a good start with breast feeding, but there was no way I wanted to be left alone with the baby those first 3 days. It was reassuring just to have my mom in the room.

Auntie Linda also came to visit us at the hospital. Linda has been friends with Thom since grad school 20 years ago, and friends/coworkers with Liz for the last 8 1/2 years. She has become honorary family and was the one non-blood relative we invited to see Aaron at the hospital.

About his name:

Aaron is Thom's middle name. It is of Hebrew origin (Aaron was the older brother of Moses) and most likely means "shining" or "mountain".

Maslin means "little Thomas" in French. We stumbled across it in a baby name book from the library and immediately liked the sound of it and found the meaning appropriate. It is also an English word that means "a mixture; medley". And a surprising coincidence, it is remarkably similar to the name of Thom's hometown, Massillon.