The Birth Story

With the girl's second birthday coming up, I thought it was about time I put their birth story on here!  I actually kept a little journal for them while they were in the NICU, so I thought I would just copy the first few days on here.  Please excuse the fact that it isn't the best writing, but I was a little sleep deprived and scared to death at this point!  I can't believe I actually was able to write in full sentences :)  This may be a bit boring to everyone but Cesar and I (and the girls when they are older), so it may be something you want to skip, but feel free to read it you are bored :)

If you want to read what lead up to this, read HERE.

Leah Grace Paredes & Isabella Nancy Paredes.  Born October 10, 2009.  Leah at 11:29pm weighing 4 lbs and 7 oz.  Isabella at 11:31pm weighing 4 lbs and 1 oz. 
Both beautiful babies are breathing on their own and doing great.  Leah's blood pressure is a little low, so she is on dopamine to keep it stable.  Mommy's blood pressure is too high...too bad I can't just share some of mine with you sweet girl!

Grandma and aunt Deanna were both at the hospital for your birth--here is how it all started....

On Saturday, October 10th, Daddy had a jiu jitsu tournament in Landover MD.  He went to that around 11am.  He won a gold and silver medal!  He is awesome :)  He got home around 6pm and about that same time, my coworker Beth came over to bring us dinner (mommy was on very strict bedrest so she couldn't cook).  Right about that time, I started to feel a little uncomfortable.  I wasn't sure what it was...it just felt a little like cramps in my belly, so Beth stayed for about an hour.  By the time she left, I was feeling pretty horrible.  My stomach was really hurting and my back was a little too.  Then,  I went in to go to the bathroom and my water broke right there.  I wasn't sure if that was what it was (although I think i was just in denial because if felt like a water balloon popping!  Yuck, I know...TMI).  So, anyway, Daddy tried to convince me that it wasn't my water breaking and I should go lay down on the couch.  By this time, I was starting to feel a lot of pain, and water was still coming out, so I was sure it had broken and you girls were on your way!  I called the doctor and she told us to go to the hospital right away.  Daddy went up stairs to "pack a bag" and I heard the shower start.  By this point, I was in A LOT of pain and could barely move...so I yelled up to him to hurry up and PLEASE not take a shower (he is so silly!).  He finally came downstairs and we hopped in the car to get to the hospital.  He drove a little crazy, but I was pretty impressed that he wasn't a maniac on the way there. 
When we got to the hospital a little after 8, he dropped me off in the front and went to park the car.  The lady who was checking me in was NOT sympathetic to the fact that I was IN LABOR.  She sat on the phone for what felt like 3 hours (probably only 5 minutes...but with contractions coming every minute...it felt like eternity) and then took her time checking me in.  Then they wheeled me in and the nurse told me I couldn't go in the room until I got on the scale.  Ummm...hello lady!  I am DYING in pain and having contractions every 30 seconds...I can't stand up.  But, finally, I did and we got taken back to the room.  When they first measured me I was 6 cm dilated.  I told them immediately that I wanted an epidural...who knew it took AN HOUR for that whole process to come together.  I'll spare you the details on this hour...but lets just say it wasn't pretty and included a lot of throwing up, screaming, and a not-so-pleasant mommy!  Thank goodness Grandma, Deanna and Daddy were all there to support me.  Finally, I got the epidural and they checked me again and I was 10 cm dilated, so they said we could start trying to push!  They wheeled me down to the operating room (we had to go there in case Isabella decided to flip once Leah came out).  Daddy got to come with me and he got to wear a very funny gown and hat :)  Wish I had a picture to show you guys. 
Once they got everything set up in the OR, it only took 20 minutes of pushing for Leah (Baby Girl A as they call you) to come out!  And, once she came out, Isabella (Baby Girl B) must have been lonely because it only took her two minutes to come out too!  You girls did such a GREAT job.  Mommy is already proud of you!

10/11/09
Leah & Isabella are still doing great!  Leah is still on dopamine-but otherwise is doing really well. Today they put you both in little incubators to make sure your temperature stays up.  Grandma came back to see you today...you guys are going to LOVE her!  She is awesome!  Mommy's friends Jodi and Tricia came by to say Hi too!  We are so blessed to have such awesome people in our lives!
10/12/09
Today, Mommy got to leave the hospital to go home.  Daddy came to pick me up and after we visited with you, we went home so that I could take a shower and Daddy could go to work.  A little later we came back to the hospital to see you guys.  The nurses were trying to give Leah a little less medicine to see if she could keep her blood pressure up on her own.  They also put lights on you guys because you were a little jaundiced.  I hate the little eye guards you have wear...they look like the blinders that they put on cows, but I they are there to protect you, so I guess I should be grateful :)  You have both dropped in weight (Leah is 4 lbs. 4 oz. and Isabella is 3 lbs 15 oz.), but that's OK because it's normal!

I won't detail the entire NICU experience, but here were there weights for the rest of the time in the NICU...

Leah:
10/13:  4 lbs 5 oz
10/14:  4lbs 5 oz
10/15:  4lbs 4 oz
10/16:  4 lbs 4 oz
10/17:  4lbs 3 oz
10/18:  4 lbs 6 oz
10/19:  4lbs 6 oz
10/20:  4lbs 6 oz
10/21:  4lbs 8 oz

Isabella: 
10/13:  3lbs 14oz
10/14:  3lbs 15 oz
10/15:  3lbs 14 oz
10/16:  3lbs 13 oz
10/17:  3lbs 14 oz
10/18:  4 oz
10/19:  4lbs 1/2 oz
10/20:  4lbs 2 oz
10/21:  4lbs 3 oz

Overall, we had a great experience from start to finish at this hospital!  The NICU staff was just wonderful and so helpful.  We learned SO much about how to take care of these little babies while we were there...I am almost glad they had to spend those 10 days there.  I have no idea how we would have known what to do if we had had to go straight home!!  10 days after we left (on Halloween), we had to go back for two days because Isabella wasn't doing well...she was in a lot of pain and they were worried she might have a very scary disease (no recollection of what it was called).  So, she had to be on IVs for two days with absolutely no food (milk).  That was one of the hardest points of my life up until that point.  She would cry and cry all night long because she wanted a bottle.  Cesar would stay up all night with her and rock her and give her her pacifier or his finger to suck on just to try to soothe her a little bit.  It was hard, but, we were very grateful because they let all 4 of us stay together in the room which is usually not allowed (to have other kids in the room).  Anyway, I don't remember a lot more about those two days, just that it was hard but we made it through :)

From that point on, we were on our own and I have loved every second of being a Mommy to these two beautiful babies!!