My Birth Story

On February 2nd I knew that my babies could come any time. Super Bowl Sunday was on the 5th, and I joked that that would be a good day to have the babies, because the Seahawks in the Super Bowl would be a great "focal point." However, on the evening of the 2nd, after lounging my huge body on the couch most of the day, I stood up and noticed that I couldn't walk normally, becasue the insides of my thighs had swolen so much that they were rubbing together. My doctor had expressed some concerns about pre-eclampsia, so I decided to go in to the hospital. There, the doctor checked my protein levels and decided to keep me on 24-hour watch. After the 24-hour period it was clear I had preeclampsia and we needed to induce labor. That night around 2AM we began the pitocin drip. I was nervous, having heard that induced contractions are more painful than natural labor. However, the contractions were not as painful as I had anticipated at all. Some hours later, my kidneys stopped functioning, as I was just not urinating, despite an IV and all the fluid I was drinking. 13 hours later, I was not dilated even to a 1, and everyone began tgalking about a c-section. My mom, Pat's parents, and the doctors were all hoping for a c-section. We decided this was the safest route. Evelyn Joanne and Eli Patrick arrived via c-section on February 3rd at 5:40 and 5:41 pm. Evelyn came out first and was screaming to beat the band. One minute later, Eli arrived, just quietly observing his new world. Pat and I called him Luke at first, because that was the name we liked most that day. Soon after seeing him though, we agreed he really looked like an Eli, which has been my favorite boy's name for years. They were more beautiful than I ever imagined. What I will remember most about my birth experience, besides getting my beautiful babies, is the deep bonding and support I felt from Patrick. I felt throughout the process like the luckiest woman in the world.