Tenly Maria Garcia; July 23, 2006

15 Weeks

One thing I'm sure of- I'm called/skilled/gifted/blessed to be a MOM......................

Pregnancy! As hard as it was for me, I LOVED it! Now, I can say that the great part of a High Risk Pregnancy- was I had 1-2 (or more) ultrasounds a month- I loved seeing her grow. The ONLY good part of throwing up for 9 months is that I only gained 4 pounds and came out of the hospital in pre-pregnancy jeans- now THAT is HUGE! I'll never forget the first time I felt Tenly kick- that must be the most amazing feeling- I still miss that I'll never feel that again. I loved how I looked pregnant (well, before the swelling) and the joy of that little girl growing inside me.

23 Weeks

Throughout my  pregnancy, I was suppose to see my doctor every 2 weeks (high risk pregnancy)- I ended up seeing him closer to 4-5 times a month- my doctor and I became very close! Not only could I not eat, I could not drink without puking- being a Diabetic just added fuel to the fire! I was in and out of the hospital throughout the whole pregnancy. Going into my 2nd trimester- my veins were shot from all of the IVs and blood tests. Dr. Edwards made the decision to put a PICC line in so they wouldn't have to hit my veins anymore and I could get nutrition/fluids at home through an IV- all in hopes of keeping me out of the hospital. I cried so much, I felt like a walking piece of medical equipment between the insulin pump and now this 'thing' on my arm! Anyway, ultimately- it worked! Poor Lupe, he had to run back and forth from work hooking and unhooking my IV line- he was such a trooper (not to mention, he would wake up 2 times in the middle of the night to check my blood sugars). My 3rd trimester brought about Preclampsia- which equals an unplanned induction. I slept through most of my labor (Epidurals are God's gift)- until time to push.

32 Weeks

They were concerned about her lungs and the potential of her having a low blood sugar- I was so drugged up and weak from the med's- they had to use the vacuum to get her out. Tenly Maria Garcia was born at 3:32pm weighing 6'3 (and that little thing still managed to rip me something fierce, lol)- my miracle and joy.  I was able to see her for a few minutes before they ran her into the NICU. It was difficult as everyone came in to congratulate us- they all kept asking what she looked like and I couldn't remember, I'd only seen her a few moments. It was a little over 24 hours before I was able to hold her- but it was so great when I did! Lupe was the first to feed her, and was actually the first to change her diaper and dress her- that was special for him and I loved that he had those moments to cherish. Tenly looks just like her Daddy, and her personality and demeanor- is (almost frightfully) 100% her Mommy!Tenly did her 'job', she filled me with joy and purpose, and even when I didn't feel like fighting for myself- I would (always will) fight for her.
The most amazing part of this story is the doctors told my that everything I just described would never happen- my body had endured too much damage years earlier. It was a very tough and exciting time to be pregnant- every time I threw up or went into the hospital or couldn't eat/drink- I only had to see the sonogram picture of my little girl- then I remembered it was all for a miracle.