Elena Elizabeth Diaz

 I'm so pretty that I made my Aunt Michelle and Aunt Erin cry when they came to meet me!!

Well, it's been over a week since I've had a chance to actually sit down and write a few words about Juan and I's newest addition to our family.  Elena Elizabeth was born last Wednesday, November 30th at 2:38 pm.  She weighed 7lbs and 15 oz...exactly my birth weight too!  Elena was 20.5 inches long and has a healthy set of lungs for crying!  It was music to our ears when we heard her cry for the first time.  She is truly our little miracle.
I went into the hospital last Wednesday at about 7am.  A nurse called me at about 4:50am to ask if I could come in a little late since the Labor and Delivery floor was SUPER busy already that morning.  Of course we were OK with that and got a little extra rest before heading in to have Elena.  When we arrived at the hospital, Juan and I went straight into a delivery room where I spent most of the day.  My nurse, Maggie, who was just AMAZING got me all hooked up right away.  Juan and I just sat together for awhile as I got some IV fluids in my before being hooked up to Pitocin.  Because I was already dialated 4 cm when I arrived, I was put on a low dose of Pitocin at first.  I didn't have but just a few contractions, so Maggie increased the dosage...not by much, though, because I was making progress.  Finally, my contractions were coming frequently and boy were they intense.  I clenched my fists and held Juan's hand so tightly every time I had one.  I did lots of breathing and tried to relax as much as possible.  It wasn't long before one of my favorite people, the anesthesiologist, came in to give me my epidural.  It was not as scary as I initially thought.  Having contractions while getting the epidural was such a distraction to what he was doing.  But, he made me feel so much better.  My legs and feet got all tingly and I could not feel the contractions anymore.  I really did feel like a new woman.  I highly recommend the epidural to anyone debating on whether or not to get one.  I don't think I could have done all of this without it.  It made the birth process much more doable.  I eventually made it to 10 cm dialated and was ready to push.  Maggie, my nurse, did most of the work until my doctor could come over to finish delivering the baby.  I pushed for about 40 minutes and finally we had a baby girl!!  It was one of the most amazing moments of our lives.  I feel so lucky to have been able to share it not only with my husband, but my mom and mother in law too...all three of these people were so helpful during labor...especially towards the end when I felt like I had no more juice in me to push.  All in all, 11/30/11 will always be one of the most special days in our lives.  Welcome to the world, Elena Elizabeth!!