Congresswoman's infant son recovering

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., had extra reason to celebrate this Mother's Day.

Her 2-week-old son, Cole, is recovering after intestinal surgery and is expected home soon, her office said Monday. Cole, who was born prematurely April 29, was fed breast milk for the first time on Friday.

"Cole's recovery is on schedule. He had intestinal surgery to remove a blockage the day after he was born. There were no complications. He has started feeding and each day his appetite increases," McMorris Rodgers said in a statement.

The baby remains in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Bethesda Naval Hospital in suburban Maryland but is expected home in the next few days, said Jill Strait, a spokeswoman for McMorris Rodgers.

McMorris Rodgers, a second-term Republican from Eastern Washington's 5th District, became the first member of Congress in more than a decade to give birth when her son was born a month early.

The baby, due May 29, weighed 5 pounds, 9 ounces at birth, her office said.

The former Cathy McMorris, 37, married Brian Rodgers last year and this is her first child.

Strait said the congresswoman plans to take at least a month off.

McMorris Rodgers is the fifth woman to give birth while serving in Congress, according to research by her aides. All have been members of the House.

The last member of Congress to give birth while in office was then-Rep. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., whose twin sons were born in 1996.

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On the Net:

McMorris Rodgers: http://mcmorris.house.gov/