Super day for GAME: not Bowl, babies!

A Boardman couple's got GAME: Gretchen, Allison, Moira and Emma, that is.
By REBECCA SLOAN
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
YOUNGSTOWN -- It's a girl, girl, girl, girl!
That was the catch phrase Sunday at St. Elizabeth Health Center after Becky George of Boardman gave birth to quadruplet girls around 3:30 p.m.
The quads were born by Caesarean section and ranged in weight from 2 pounds 7 ounces to 3 pounds 2 ounces.
Moments after delivery, the babies were rushed to the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where they will remain indefinitely for further care and observation.
"The birth was a surreal experience," said the brand-new mom, who is doing well. "The doctors kept pulling out baby after baby and bringing them over to me so I could see them."
Becky and her husband, Brian, named the babies Moira, Gretchen, Allison and Emma.
The babies are the Georges' first children and are the third set of quads to be delivered at St. Elizabeth's in 20 years.
Becky, 32, became pregnant with the quads last August after taking fertility drugs and being artificially inseminated with her husband's sperm.
She was admitted to St. Elizabeth's on Dec. 1 for bed rest but did not expect to deliver until mid-February.
Health concern
That all changed when doctors determined that the health of one of the babies might be jeopardized unless it was delivered immediately.
"The doctors determined that one of the babies wasn't gaining weight, that her heart rate had dropped and that she was losing amniotic fluid. They told me if I waited a few more weeks to deliver, that baby might be stillborn," Becky explained.
Although it would have been better for the other three babies to be born a few weeks later, the Georges decided not to risk the health of the fourth baby.
"I never had any second thoughts. I wanted all four of my babies to be born healthy and alive," Becky said.
As of now, the quads are doing well, but they will need round-the-clock care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
"All the babies are hooked up to ventilators and respirators and other machines to monitor their major organ functions," Brian said.
Ironically, the baby that doctors were initially concerned about has exhibited the best lung development.
"The doctors told me that if a baby has to fight hard on the inside to sustain its life, it will keep fighting hard after it is born. The underdogs are the survivors," Becky said.
A team effort
Becky's team of doctors includes high-risk pregnancy specialist Dr. Oscar Khawli and neonatalogist Dr. Elena Rossi, both of St. Elizabeth's, as well as obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Patrick Skarote, who has offices in Boardman. A group of about 20 doctors and nurses helped deliver the quads.
"The delivery room was full. There were about four people in there to take care of each baby," Becky said.
The delivery lasted about an hour, and waiting just outside the operating room were eager grandparents-to-be Mary and Dave Spohn of Boardman and Rusty and Amy George of New Middletown.
Waiting further down the hall was an army of friends and family who'd skipped the Super Bowl to turn out for the big event.
Tears, cheers and laughter ensued as nurses wheeled the wee pink bundles out of the operating room for the first time.
"They're so tiny!" exclaimed new grandma Mary Spohn as she wiped back tears and embraced fellow grandma Amy George.
News traveled fast
Grandma and Grandpa George said they were stunned when they learned that Sunday would be the day the quads would be born.
The new grandparents said they were just coming out of church at Bethel Presbyterian in Enon Valley, Pa., Sunday "when someone ran up to us and said that Becky's mom had called the church and left a message on the answering machine that the babies were going to be born. We rushed right over to the hospital," Rusty George said.
Becky will remain in the hospital for three more days so she can recover from her C-section, but it might be a few months before the quads can leave the hospital.
"The doctors said they hope the babies can come home by April, but for now, we have to take it one day at a time," said Brian, who is a bank branch manager in Campbell.
And it will be one day at a time for the new mom and dad, too, as they adjust to life with four brand-new babies.
"I have some experience with infants because I have two younger twin sisters, and I helped care for them from the time they were born," Becky said.
All the same, friends and family are rallying around, offering support.
Becky's friend Molly Faloon is trying to organize a diaper drive.
Anyone interested in making donations can call Molly at (330) 799-4525.