Evlynn's Testimonial

Never in a million years could I have imagined that Geoff and I would become the parents of twins.

When Ethan was three years old we decided that it was time to start thinking about having a second child. A little brother or sister for him to grow up with, play with and protect.

I found out I was pregnant in February of 2004. Geoff and I kept this information to ourselves for a while just to make sure that everything was going as it should.

When we shared the news with Ethan we asked him if he thought he would like to have a baby brother or a baby sister. He responded by saying he wanted a baby brother…and a baby sister. Boy would those words come back to haunt us!

We found out we sere having twins at my first ultrasound which took place about 20 weeks into my pregnancy. During the ultra sound I watched the monitor as the technician scrolled over my bulging belly. I knew from my first pregnancy that they usually get all their measurements and information first and then they will take you on a “guided tour” of your baby. Here’s the head, there’s an arm and so forth. I watched as the technician did her job and then I asked the question that would change our lives.

“There’s only one right?” Not taking her eyes off the monitor, she shook her head from side to side. “Yeah right!” I said laughing. “That’s not funny!” “No” she said, “you’ve been blessed!” The rest of the appointment is pretty much a blur to me. I shed a few tears and I recall all the color draining from Geoff’s face when I told him the news.

Once the initial feelings of shock and fear subsided, my concern was that I would have to go to Moncton to have my babies. This wasn’t something I was looking forward to. I didn’t want to have to go out of province, away from my family and friends to have the babies. We had no OB/GYN on staff in Amherst and hadn’t had one in years.

It was not long after we found out that we were expecting twins that it was announced that an OB/GYN would be joining the staff of the Cumberland Regional Health Care Center. Dr. Marquis OKon was due to arrive in Amherst sometime in July. This was the best news ever.

At my next appointment with Dr. MacLennan, I asked him what Dr. Okon’s arrival would mean for me. Would he take me as a patient? Could I have my twins in Amherst? Dr. MacLennan said he would contact him and refer me. Dr. Okon accepted me as a patient even before he arrived in town.

At my first appointment with Dr. Okon he discussed what the common concerns were with a multiple pregnancy. Multiple pregnancies are automatically considered high risk. He also confirmed that the twins would be delivered by c-section due to the fact that Ethan’s delivery was a c-section. The main objective was to get the babies as close to term as possible. The magic number was 36 weeks. If I went into labour before 36 weeks I would still have to go to Moncton to deliver.

The best part of each appointment was hearing each baby’s heartbeat. Baby A was in a position that his heartbeat could be found easily. Baby B’s heartbeat was much harder to find due to her position, and I breathed a sigh of relief each time I finally heard it.

What followed for the rest of the summer was what seemed like an endless number of doctor’s appointments, ultrasounds and blood work. I would see Dr. Okon one week and Dr. MacLennan the next. My blood pressure was high and had to be monitored closely. I stopped working at 32 weeks and tried to get as much rest as I could while at home. On September 12th I reached the magic number of 36 weeks. I was so happy. My babies would be born in Amherst. Dr. Okon, had already booked my c-section. I would have my babies on the morning of September 29th, 2004 at the Cumberland Regional Health Care Center.

On the morning of September 20th, Geoff left for work at around 8:00am. Ethan crawled into bed with me and I turned on the television so he could watch cartoons and I could try to enjoy a little more sleep. I figured I’d better get as much as I could because I had a feeling there wouldn’t be much for me in the not so distant future. I rolled over to try to get comfortable and felt something that I had only felt once before in my life. My water broke. Here we go. I called Geoff on his cell phone and told him to turn the car around. This was it.

We arrived at the hospital much to the surprise of the Obstetrics staff. Extra staff had to be brought in, as they were not expecting us for another week and a half. The nurses in the Obstetrics ward are the best. They did whatever they could to make me comfortable while we waited for Dr. Okon to arrive. As comfortable as one can be when they are in labour with twins.

After what I consider to be way too much labour (I was planning on skipping that part this time) I was taken down to the operating room. Geoff got into his scrubs and I was prepared for my surgery. I was hoping to be awake for this delivery, (I was not for Ethan’s) but apparently my spine is not conducive to administering an epidural. I would have to be put under…again. I remember Dr. Okon arriving around 12:15pm and I vaguely remember Dr. MacLennan telling me that he would tell Geoff that they were going to have to put me under and then I recall someone asking if Geoff could come in to witness the birth. This isn’t normally allowed when the mother in under general anesthesia. Apparently the answer was yes because Geoff was in the operating room to witness the birth.

Thane William McAloney was born at 12:32pm on Monday, September 20th, 2004 weighing 6 pounds 7 ounces. His twin sister Zoe Grace McAloney followed 1 minute later at 12:33pm weighing 5 pounds 13 ounces. When I awoke in recovery I was told that both babies were fine. My family was waiting for me in my room when I arrived and then they brought in the babies. They were together in one incubator because the nurses were having trouble keeping Zoe’s temperature up and they thought it would help to have her brother with her. Ethan was so excited that his brother and sister were here. He kept reaching into the incubator to tickle their feet.

September 20th, 2004 was not only an exciting day for our family but also for everyone at the Cumberland Regional Health Care Center. Not only were Thane and Zoe the first twins born at the new hospital, I’m told they were the first twins born in Amherst in 12 years. This would not have been possible without Dr. Okon.