Weight and Sleep

As previously mentioned, Silas was born weighing in at 3932 grams. However, on the day we were discharged from the hospital, he weighed 3770 grams. Yesterday (Wednesday), the community nurse came by to check up on him, and at the same time, to weigh him. He weighed only 3642 grams. We became a bit concerned about his lack of weight gain, because after about 2 or 3 days of birth, babies are supposed to start gaining weight again, and not continue to lose weight. The nurse suggested to supplement his breastfeeding sessions with an extra ounce of baby formula.
That seemed to have worked. This evening, we went to a drop-in clinic and had him weighed, while my wife inquired about tips for breastfeeding. Silas weighed 3724 grams, which meant that he gained almost 3oz in 24 hours ! What a trooper.

I don't think there's really any problem with his weight, it's more a matter of getting the breastfeeding administered to him properly. He is a bit of a fussy eater.

He is now eating on a strict schedule of every 3 hours, starting at 12am. I think he's been awake for only about half an hour in between each feeding, which means that he's been sleeping about 18-20hrs per day. How can you lose weight when you're sleeping that much ?

What's In a Name?

The young girl holding Silas is his older sister, Tamara (君 庭).
Silas's chinese name is (宗 庭). The literal interpretation for this name is "ancestor of this family." The intended interpretation is that Silas is the next pillar carry on the family heritage. Since he is Tamara's brother, chinese custom dictates that they share a common character in their name (庭). This character is one of the two characters used for describing "family".

The name "Silas" came from the Bible. In the Bible, Silas accompanied Paul in his missionary journeys to Antioch and Galatia. Silas was very well educated for his time, and transcribed many of Paul's teachings, the most notable of which was his transcription of Paul's 2 letters to the Thessalonians, which became a part of the Bible. Silas also acted as scribe for Peter, and his document of Peter's teaching formed the Epistle of Peter in the New Testament.

A Brand New World

Silas entered into our world at 855pm on Friday, Jan. 19, 2007. He weighed in at 8lbs 10.5 oz. He did give his mom some trouble during labour, but everything turned out fine in the end. The first night at the hospital, Silas gave his parents a bit of trouble, as he wanted to be held, and refused to sleep for too long. He seems to be very much a nocturnal person, which of course, gives his parents a bit of grief. But not to worry, his parents will come up with a plan to change this nocturnal behaviour.

This journal will document his progress and development.