~~~ Olivia Isabella Blanco ~~~

~~ BIRTH STORY ~~
**BEWARE: this is long :)**

BORN: January 12, 2002
TIME: 8:52pm
WEIGHT: 6 lbs, 4 oz
HEIGHT: 20 inches
AGPAR SCORE: 6 and 7
BORN at 34 wks

After the loss of Olivia's brother and sister,
Adrian and Karina (Sept. 6/00), we decided to
try again for a brother/sister for Danny.

In May of 2001 we conceived Olivia...8 months
after loosing the twins.

I did not think I was pregnant, I was very
preoccupied at the time preparing for a move :)

Once I had the pregnancy confirmed I was terrified.

I was petrified of history repeating itself and loosing
another baby, which would have killed me.

I found a new doctor as I did not want to go back
to the hospital where I had had the twins....

My doctor was great and told me that from 4 months
on I will be on bedrest as a precation.
Though being on bedrest was hard, it was well
worth it! :) I spent 4 months on bedrest!

I had a rather easy pregnancy untill the last month,
then my usual problems started, like premature
contractions, some bacterial infections, etc.
The last weeks were spent with me going to and from
the hospital for one false call after another.

At 33 wks (when Danny was born) I found out that
I was already starting to thin out (cervix) and
starting to dialate. The following day I lost my
mucous plug also. The contractions started to come
more and more regular as I went into my 34th week.

Mid week I found I had had some discharge that resembled
leaking urine, so I assumed that was what it was.
That is until I realized it had a little different
odour to it and I wondered if my waters were
slowly leaking.

By Saturday (January 12th) my contractions were
very much regular and painfull. So off to the
hospital Eddie and I go yet again!

After doing tests and then being told to go home,
as I was getting on my boots the doctor comes back in.
Eddie and I hear him tell the nurse he rechecked the
culture done and realized I was "ferning".....
bascially this means my waters broke!
Well Eddie and I just freaked out & I started
to cry, as I was terrified!
I went from getting ready to leave again
to suddenly being admitted!

I had arrived at the hospital at 3pm
and by 8:30pm I was being prepped for
the c-section to deliver Olivia!
I made the doctor promise me that I
would be able to see the baby at the
preemie nursery before they wheeled me
to my room after the delivery.
The doctor was very nice and said yes.
I was terrified of loosing my baby.
I thought I was doing ok until I got
to the Operating Room. Then I just
started balling my eyes out!
The doctors were understanding and just
let me cry and kept telling me to get
it all out. I was crying because
the last time I was in the OR I was
delivering a still born daughter, Karina,
and then delivered Adrian, who died later.
Finally I was put to sleep and out of
my misery, LOL.....

I woke up and the first thing I asked
was how my daughter was. I was so
releived to hear she was fine and Eddie
was there with a picture of her already :)
I reminded them that I had to see her
before they sent me to my room and they did.
I saw my daughter at the nursery,
the Premature Nursery, and she was so
perfect...crying her head off and just
perfect and alive!!! I was so beside myself!
I barely noticed that she was in a incubator
and didn't know she was on oxygen yet.

When I finally got settled in my room Eddie
told me that Olivia had a minor lung infection,
and was breathing heavy, but was doing fine.
Olivia also needed to be on oxygen to stablize
her breathing, but her oxygen level was minimal.

I later realized (the next day)
that she was being treated for pneumonia
and her breathing was very fast and irregular.
Her oxygen level was at 100% for the first two
days then gradually came down
and her breathing was improved.
By day 5 she was able to be off the oxygen
but still had to be in the incubator.
Finally by day 7 I was able to hold
her and she was out of the incubator.
She took well to the bottle at that point too.
I pumped and she had my milk by bottle.

Olivia was able to come home by day 10!!
Though her breathing and pneumonia scared me,
her fast recovery made me feel so releived!
She also had a little bit of jaundice,
but thankfully it was very minimal
and they did not even treat her for it :)
As Danny had severe jaundice,
I was very happy to know she was ok with it!

~~ LAST THOUGHTS....... ~~

Olivia is our precious angel and we thank God
each and every day for our little miracle!! :)