Sara Cardoso always had a strong bond with her mother. But she didn't truly understand the meaning of motherhood until last month when she gave birth to her twin sons, Kayleb and Kayden.

“My mom was an amazing role model throughout my entire life,” said Cardoso. “I hope one day I can be at least half the woman she is to me.”

 Although Sara and her fiancé Jessie were surprised to find out they were expecting last September, they knew they wanted to spend their lives together and form a family.

“It was an unexpected surprise,” said Sara. “It quickly grew into excitement minutes later when I gave the news to Jessie. By the time I reached my 16 weeks of pregnancy, I invited all of my friends and both of our families to see a 3-D picture of the baby. There were about 16 people in that room but the moment the image of my womb popped into the screen, I see two heads look directly at me. I couldn’t believe I was carrying twins. I couldn’t stop crying from all the excitement. God was blessing me with two children.”

Sara’s twin discovery was both a double delight, and a double dose of anxiety as well. Life as she knew it would never be the same.

“At first I was really scared that the doctors would get the sex of one of the babies wrong and one of them was going to come out as a girl,” said Sara. “Once I got over that fear, I started worrying about that they were going to be different in weight. But I was most scared about not being a good mom for my boys. Every decision I made from that moment on was going to affect my boys. It was a scary feeling.”

Kayleb and Kayden made their debut into the world through natural delivery on April 11 and 12 weighing 5 pounds, 11ounces and 5 pounds, 6 ounces, respectively.

“The doctors had me go in April 10 to dilate me and induce me the very next morning,” said Sara. “The boys decided to come out before then as my water broke hours later. I was determined to deliver my boys naturally and I did everything in my power to make sure that happened. I was five hours in labor when Kayleb was born. The challenge for me began after I pushed my first baby out, as I de-dilated two centimeters and it took me endless hours to push Kayden out. But in the end, seeing my two baby boys made all the pain worth it.”

Since the birth of her twins, Sara has a new found respect for motherhood.

“Being a mother is a natural instinct,” said Sara. “I was so afraid at the beginning, but now I am confident that I will be a great mom for my kids. I don’t really sleep at night but once you get them happy and see the sparkle in their eyes it’s so worth it. I love my boys. They’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

This Sunday, Sara will be celebrating her first Mother’s Day with her friends, family — and the most influential woman in her life, her mother Susan Ferranti.

“Sara has her hands full and doesn’t get much sleep, but she manages to keep her spirits high and a smile on her face,” said Ferranti. “She is turning out to be the wonderful mother I always knew she would be.”