U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton's new son thriving at home

Sen. Tom Cotton stopped shaving while his son was ill in December and plans to keep the beard for a while.
Sen. Tom Cotton stopped shaving while his son was ill in December and plans to keep the beard for a while.

U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton and his wife, Anna, spent much of December at a Washington, D.C., hospital, keeping watch while their newborn son was treated for respiratory distress syndrome.

But since his release, shortly before Christmas, Daniel Mark Cotton, has made steady progress, the Republican from Dardanelle said.

Respiratory distress syndrome tends to affect premature babies whose lungs are still developing. Doctors delivered the Cottons' second child a couple of weeks early for medical reasons. The infant's first two weeks were spent in a neonatal intensive care unit.

"It was really the first five days that were touch and go," Cotton said.

Now, though, the baby seems to be flourishing.

"He's gained a lot of weight, gotten a little longer, eating a lot more. We just moved up to the next-sized bottle so everything's going well," Cotton said.

During the medical crisis and the days that followed, Cotton stopped shaving.

"It was the holidays, and I didn't have any public appearances," he explained.

Since his wife likes the look, he may keep the beard for a while, he added.

Planning to visit the nation's capital? Know something happening in Washington, D.C.? Please contact Frank Lockwood at (202) 662-7690 or flockwood@arkansasonline.com. Want the latest from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Washington bureau? It's available on Twitter, @LockwoodFrank.

Metro on 01/22/2017

Upcoming Events