By By JAMES COLLINS / Niles Daily Star
NILES -- Pregnant co-workers Michelle Detweiler and Claudia Mills joked that they would be giving birth at the same time, but it was no joke when the two Niles-Buchanan YMCA instructors ended up in hospital rooms next door to each other at Lakeland Hospital Niles on Wednesday.
Both women knew they would be giving birth around the same time with Detweiler's due date on June 30 and Mills expecting to give birth on July 4.
But, as their due dates passed by, that possibility became much more real.
Detweiler said she was a little embarrassed when the day actually came and their little jokes became a reality.
At 4:40 p.m on Wednesday, Detweiler gave birth to a 9.3 pound baby boy named Isaiah. He is the fourth child for Detweiler and her husband Robert. Isaiah will join siblings Alexis, 9, Caleb, 4, and Gabriel, 3.
Three hours later, Mills followed suit, delivering an 8.5 pound baby boy named Jacob. He will join older sister Emily, 9, as Mills and her husband Chad's second child.
There was a buzz around the YMCA as their eventual deliveries drew near. Office polls were started to predict the weights and lengths of each of the babies and to guess which employee would give birth first.
Surprisingly, both mothers were often found at the YMCA well into their pregnancies.
Detweiler, who works as weightlifting instructor teaching Power Pump classes, said she was at the YMCA working out up until her due date last week.
Mills, a Power Pump and aerobics instructor, actually taught classes up until two days before her expected due date.
McKean said working out while your pregnant is supposed to help out with the delivery and make it an easier process.
Detweiler agreed that her physical fitness helped with the delivery and with a quick recuperation.
When asked when they will be getting back to work, they were both looking forward to getting back to the YMCA as soon as possible.
Sufficient recovery time is typically between four to six weeks, they said.