Of Little Tiny Babies

Leila’s Birth Story
As told by her mother
1/29/10
(I have little journals I keep for each of my kids, and this is an entry from Leila's.)


Well, sweet baby Leila! You are finally here, and you are so beautiful. We had quite the time getting you here, though!
We had gone in to the hospital in Idaho Falls for our/your fourth blood transfusion on Wednesday the 20th if January. I expected it would be pretty routine (if these transfusions can be called such!), and we would be home by that afternoon. They usually monitor you for a short time after the transfusions to make sure you handled everything o.k. This involves hooking up a little ultrasound device to my stomach and doing what is called a non-stress test, which basically monitors your reactivity to movement/heartrate. You were pretty non-responsive for several hours, so Dr. Belfort asked me to stay at the hospital overnight so they could continue monitoring. I must have had some premonition that would happen, because I had brought my overnight bag just in case! Anyway, this continued throughout the night with a non-responsive test strip, so I was asked to stay another day…and another..and another. Finally, on Sunday afternoon, Dr. Belfort decided it was time to go ahead and deliver you, since the test strip had been mostly non-reactive the whole time I was there. Meanwhile, the nurse had come in a short time before they gave the word to deliver and told me that it would be alright if Arden and Maile came to visit me (they normally don’t allow visitors under 18 yrs. old in winter because of the flu season). So Curtis called my mom (Grandma Hardin), who had come up on Saturday to tend Arden and Maile, and she had just left for the hospital when the doctor had said it was time to deliver you. Boy, the doctors sure didn’t waste any time! After the doctor had given the go-ahead, half an hour later you were born! Arden, Maile, and Grandma got to peek through the nursery window just after you were delivered. I thought it was kinda neat that they were at the hospital when you were born!
Anyway, they quickly whisked you off to the NICU (forgetting to hold you up so I could at least see you for a second!). You have been there about five days now. They gave you two more blood transfusions shortly after you were born, and they’ve had you on bili lights to help with the anemia and jaundice, which they actually stopped today. It is so hard to see you hooked up to the IVs and all the little wires and stuff--I just want to hold you and snuggle with you, but I also want to keep you alive! Grandma took your brother and sister down to Provo for a while so I could recover. It has been nice. My good friend Karen offered to give me rides down to the hospital every day (a 1 ½ hour round trip) until I am able to drive, so I have gotten to see you every day. Some of the nurses will even let me hold you for a short time, which I really appreciate. Dad works about five minutes from the hospital, so he is able to stop in once or twice every day as well. I get sad that I have to leave you there, but Karen had a really nice thought--she said when she had her little daughter in the NICU, she strongly felt the presence of her grandma there, and believed she was taking care of her baby. I loved that. Both of my Grandma’s have passed on, but I surely do hope and believe they are by your side when I can’t be. They were both wonderful ladies! In fact, your great-grandmother Hardin was a nurse as well, so I’m sure she is keeping a close eye on things!

When you were born:

You were 4 lbs., 4 oz.
You were 18 inches long
It was 4:04 p.m.
The Dr. that delivered you was Dr. Merrill

You have a good amount of beautiful, dark hair, a beautiful, round little face, and you are so tiny and cute!

We are happy you have joined our family. You will be a wonderful blessing in our lives, my sweet Leila Marie! I love you!
~Mom