Touched By an Angel

There were far less surprises in Mischa’s journey, but it was no less incredible, believe me. Mischa’s life, along with the pregnancy, remained uncomplicated. Every milestone was met or surpassed along the way and when she told her couple they were having a girl, all was wonderful with the world. They were thrilled to tell their son, Etai, that he had a baby sister on the way. You must understand that Mischa is a woman with direction, you may even say she is a No-Nonsense kind of gal. Her matter-of-fact attitude often amazed the other women in the support group. So it would seem that there were few things Mischa wasn’t prepared for??but she couldn’t anticipate what was to come on May 23, 1999. Her story can be summed up in the following statement she made and with the beautiful poem her experience inspired her to write which is printed in the “Special Thoughts” column. When Mischa said, “This was the most incredible experience of my life” you knew it was true. You could see it in her face and hear it in her trembling voice. She was touched so deeply when she heard the mother sobbing softly and she saw her face streaming with tears as Yael, a sweet little angel, was born. The affect was more than she ever realized it would be. Mischa, you have inspired us all! Congratulations on bringing your couple 7lb 6oz of pure joy!

Great Gifts Come in Small Packages

Who says great gifts don’t come in small packages? I know two people who would disagree; the proud parents of GiGi Marie and Jacob. GiGi Marie was the chunkier one at 3lb 15oz and her younger brother (by half an hour!) Jacob was a little smaller at 3lb 6oz. Here’s their story: Early in the morning, Kim and I got a page, but we didn’t immediately recognize the telephone number. We first called Mischa as she was due to deliver any day, but it wasn’t her. Puzzled, Kim and I knew it couldn’t be Juliette as her due date was not until July?..but it was! You can imagine our disbelief when she told us her water had broken. Incredibly, Juliette and the babies waited until the parents arrived to the hospital and even gave them a few hours of rest before they were born early the next morning on May 21, 1999. The NICU was so pleased with their condition which was clearly a reflection of the great care Juliette had been giving them. At only two weeks old, the twins have a frequent flyer card as they were flown to a hospital nearer to their home. Congratulations!!

Baby Makes Call on Mom’s Cellphone

After an unexpected C-Section delivery, Deena was surprised again to hear that Bennett had made his first cellphone call within the first half-hour of his life! His mom called his grandparents on the East Coast and they wanted to hear their grandson, so Mom put the phone next to him. It was a like a script, he cried on cue!

And, boy, could he cry! During the surgery, Deena asked me to tell her the moment he was born so she could listen for his cry and know that he was okay, but I didn’t have to say a word. The moment Bennett was born he belted out an incredibly loud cry. We were sure everyone in that wing of the hospital knew he had arrived.

And, my oh my, was this boy big. After the doctors and nurses made their weight predictions of about 6 lbs, he made his entrance weighing 8lb 8oz!!

Where were you hiding him, Deena?? Way to go!!

Surrogate Mom wins Gold Medal

Well, not really, but Carol B. would have won a gold medal if there was a pregnancy race that had hurdles every 10 feet! On April 1, Carol B. calls Kim and announces that her water broke and off they go to the hospital. I am in Texas, her couple are in Spain and we are all frantically trying to get to Southern California. Incredibly, the doctor decides that they will stop her labor and see if she can hang on to the pregnancy for a while longer to give the twins? lungs some more time to mature. After 16 days of hospital confined bedrest, the doctor walks in and without saying a word, she hands Carol B. a note. The note read that the babies? lungs were mature and she could now deliver. So that afternoon, Alvaro and Ignacio, were born. Just outside of the delivery room, their big brother and their aunt eagerly awaited their arrival. If Carol could have seen her couple’s faces when they walked out of the Operating Room holding their babies, she would have realized at that moment that she did win the Gold Medal after all.

Hospital Waiting Room Exceeds Capacity

When I arrived to the hospital, I was amazed by the amount of people that had come to Sandy’s delivery. It was obvious that this baby girl Sandy was carrying had a large family eagerly awaiting her delivery. I saw Grandma, whom I saw regularly at Sandy’s OB appointments, and I met the aunts, cousins and family friends. Sandy looked great as she comfortably sat in her bed making conversation with all of us. Since Sandy was so comfortable, the extended family felt safe to leave so they went out to eat. Then almost suddenly everything changed. We tried to reach them on their cell phone, to no avail. This baby was coming and she was coming fast. Then our wonderful, Dr. Cantu, asked Mom if she wanted to help deliver her baby. Scrubs were ordered for Mom, but Sandy couldn’t hold on much longer. So, the nurse took off her own scrubs and gave them to her. Then only moments later, Mom was holding her baby girl as she took her first breath. Incredible!! Nicolette was born on April 3, 1999 and she weighed an even 7 pounds. I am very interested to know if Nicolette will be a shy girl as she seemed to wait until only her parents, myself and Sandy’s husband, Jeff were present before she made her entrance. Hmmm??

Rental Car Races to Hospital

After a basic text-book pregnancy, it came as a surprise that Monica’s labor and delivery resembled a book written by George Lucas or Stephen Spielberg. It was an action packed night! It began shortly after midnight with a phone call from Monica saying she thought she was in labor and ended slightly more than an hour later when she delivered!! Her husband, Lennie, remained calm and collected as he ushered Monica into their couple’s rental car. The couple jumped into the backseat and Lennie sped off into the night. He put his flying license to good use that night as he sped faster and faster as each contraction became harder and harder. No one, not even Monica, knew the birth was only minutes away. Within moments of arriving to the hospital, Gerard arrived. His mother is overwhelmed by the whole experience and a nurse helps her to a chair and gets her some water. I finally get there and first see the new mom, sitting in a chair by herself outside of the delivery room, crying. I rushed over to her to see what was wrong. “Nothing is wrong, everything is perfect”, “I have a son and he is so beautiful!” I was puzzled as to why she was out here if all was perfect. She replied, “Have you ever had a dream come true and have your prayers answered? Well, I just did. I was fine until the moment he was born. When I saw him, the most overwhelming feeling I have ever felt in my life came over me. I had to sit down and the tears started flowing. I am happier than I ever thought I could be.” What an incredible moment, that may have been missed if they weren’t all together when Monica’s labor began. Wow!!

No Time to Spare

Tracy gave her couple 2 more reasons to be thankful at Thanksgiving! Guillem weighing 4 lbs 5oz and Xavier weighing 5 lbs 11 oz born on November 11, 1998!

You can just imagine how many close calls we have. It is even more difficult, when the couple live in another country, to try and coordinate everyone arriving in time. Tracy’s delivery on November 11, 1998 was definitely one for the record books. When her labor began, a couple weeks before the parents were due to arrive, I called and they had just gone to bed for the night. They were panicked, as they couldn’t get an international flight until morning! Their flight was due in at 4:30pm in San Diego, so Kim went to meet them as things seemed calm at the hospital.

I was on my way back from Los Angeles, stuck in traffic, when all this is going on. Suddenly, I get a page from Tracy’s husband, Mark, that Dr. Blake has decided a C-Section is necessary and they will begin preparing her for surgery soon. As they are wheeling her into the operating room, Tracy’s couple arrive. They hadn’t slept in over 24 hours, but you wouldn’t know it by their excitement. Tracy arranges for Mom to be in the operating room with her and Mark so she can witness the birth of her children. Dad and Kim are in an adjoined viewing room anxiously awaiting the birth. Moments before they are born, I walk through the door. As I look through the window, the doctor is handing Mom her first son. She first shows Tracy her new son, Xavier, then brings him to the window for us to see. Dad’s eyes well up with tears. Then Guillem was born shortly after and the nurse helps Mom show him off too. It was certain that these new parents were exhausted and we wondered how they managed to function, but I guess as parents we just do. These cuties weighed in at 5lb 11oz and 4lb 5oz, respectively. We introduced Thanksgiving to Tracy’s couple as we spent this holiday together.

This holiday took on a whole new meaning for us all that year!

Almost Two Decades of Infertility Overcome by Surrogacy

Michele delivered twins for her lucky couple! A boy, Ashi and a girl, Sushi on June 24, 1998 and they weighed in at 5lbs 12oz and 6 lbs even!

After a whirlwind beginning, Michele couldn’t believe the news that she was pregnant for her couple. The IVF process couldn’t have gone any smoother, so she was sure the result would not be positive. It just couldn’t be that easy!! Well, it was and fortunately continued to be. After nearly 20 years of infertility, on June 24, 1998, she made her couple the proud parents of not one, but two kids. Their son, Ashi, weighed in at 6lb and their daughter, Sushi, weighed in at 5lb 12oz. Congratulations!!