Source:
George Hawkins at Letters and writings of Nicholas II and his family on Facebook
Nicholas wrote this letter to Grand Duchess Militza Nikolaevna on August 2/14, 1904, two days after Alexei's birth. It was discovered soon after his birth, and to the great anxiety and despair of his parents, that Alexei had hemophilia, as he began to bleed profusely after the umbilical cord was cut.
The letter:
Dear Militsa,
I am writing Alix's words to you: Thank God, the day passed calmly. After having a dressing at 12 o'clock and up to 9:30 in the evening, there was not a drop of blood. The doctors hope this will continue. Korovin stays overnight. Fedorov leaves for the city and will return tomorrow. We both like him immensely! The little "treasure" is surprisingly calm when a bandage is applied, or he sleeps or lies and laughs. The parents now have a little relief in their hearts. Fedorov says that the loss of blood over two days is roughly ⅛ — 1/9 of the total amount of blood.
Nicholas
Above: Nicholas and Alexandra with Alexei. Photo courtesy of Ilya Chishko on Flickr.
Above: Grand Duchess Militza Nikolaevna, Princess of Montenegro.
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