Couple celebrates Hoag Hospital’s first baby of 2014

Just when they began to give up hope about having a child of their own, Stacy and Adam Bernstein of Newport Coast found out they were expecting.

Milana Juliet Bernstein was the first baby born at Hoag Hospital in 2014, arriving at 1:59 a.m., weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces.

“It’s very exciting, but it’s a strange feeling knowing that I’m responsible for this little person. It’s the first time I’ve felt like an actual adult,” Stacy said.

After trying to conceive for two years, Stacy, 35, and Adam, 41, got the surprising news during a vacation.

“We were traveling in Italy when we found out we were finally expecting,” she said. “That’s how we came up with her name. We were in Milan when we got the news.”

After taking more than 30 pregnancy tests over the course of two years, the Bernsteins’ test in Italian was the golden ticket.

“We were sitting there trying to read the results of the test, but neither one of us can read Italian,” Adam said.

They were thrilled when they finally figured out the results.

“Over the course of two years you take so many tests it’s surreal to see a positive one,” Stacy said, looking down at Milana, who was napping, snuggled tightly in a blanket in her mother’s arms. “I feel so blessed to have her.”

Stacy went into labor early Tuesday morning. Hoag staff told her to come to the hospital when she needed help managing the pain.

“We were waiting around at home for a while,” Adam said.

When Milana finally arrived, Stacy stayed up all night just to watch her.

“They don’t tell you that babies breathe a little irregularly,” she said. “It makes you not want to take your eyes off of them.”