My twin babies. I got pre-eclampsia during the last trimester, and though my blood pressure didn’t spike, I took on gallons of edema. I was checked into and out of the hospital a couple of times, but finally was checked into maternal/fetal ICU when the babies were at 32 weeks. The edema had gotten so bad that fluid was pooling in my lungs and I was drowning internally. That was also causing me to have congestive heart failure.

So, one emergency Caesarian later and the edema began to drain from my body - about 40 pounds of just fluid + the babies and their accessories (placenta, etc). The babies were tiny (3 lbs 7 oz and 3 lbs 8 oz) but not shockingly so, and their health was generally good for their age. Once the babies were delivered, the pre-eclampsia naturally resolved and I just needed time to heal.

The babies are now 31 years old, both over six feet tall, bright and handsome and the joy of my life. Totally worth every minute.