After hoping for a first child and getting a positive pregnancy test, Abigail Kasinski couldn’t wait to tell her family the good news.
Kelly Marcum was thrilled for her little sister. But Kelly had some news she didn’t share with Abigail — she suspected she was pregnant, too. In the end, the sisters had due dates four days apart, they went to the same OB/GYN practice and then delivered at the same hospital a day apart.
“Boy, were the nurses tickled,” said Kelly.
Abigail gave birth to her first child, Kilian James, March 10. Kelly gave birth to her fourth, Veronica Marie, March 11. After bonding over queasy pregnancies, the sisters are excited to experience motherhood together. “We’re looking forward to watching them grow up close in age, close together,” said Kelly. “We’re very much looking forward to apple picking and field trips and things like that.”
Abigail and Kelly grew up in a family of nine children outside of Portland, Maine. Kelly, 32, was the third child while Abigail, 25, was number five. Both eventually settled in Virginia after attending college in the Washington area — Kelly at Georgetown University and Abigail at Christendom College in Front Royal.
Kelly, her husband, Ryan, and their children — Charlie, 6; Atticus, 4; Rose, 2; and Veronica — attend All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas. Kilian, Abigail and her husband, Curtis, attend Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Winchester. Abigail works as a wedding planner. Kelly works as an adjunct professor at Christendom and as the founder of a non-profit for young women called the Gratia Plena Institute.
With her first child, Kelly went to Tepeyac OB/GYN in Fairfax, a pro-life health care center. She went to a provider closer to home for her second pregnancy, but after seeing the difference in care she received, she later returned to Tepeyac. “They were pushing genetic testing, they were pushing birth control so hard,” said Kelly. But at Tepeyac, she felt that the providers saw the inherent value in her child.
That became even more evident when the couple had a miscarriage.
“We were at Tepeyac for that and I was so grateful because they called the baby by her name,” said Kelly. Seeing her sister go through that experience convinced Abigail to go to Tepeyac for her pregnancy care, too.
The sisters didn’t see each other much during their pregnancies as both moved homes and were feeling unwell. “We were both in survival mode,” said Kelly. But Kelly did host a baby shower for her little sister. The “King of Narnia” themed party had banners with quotes from the book series, cupcakes with swords and lion-shaped confetti. “It was amazing,” said Abigail.
As their due dates drew near, Kelly scheduled an induction, as she had had inductions for her previous births. Abigail had pregnancy complications that led to her being induced, too. As Abigail headed to StoneSprings Hospital Center in Dulles, Kelly and her kids prayed for the mother and baby. “(My son) Atticus was like, ‘When I go to bed, I’ll say extra Hail Marys for my godmother (Abigail),’ ” said Kelly. Hours later, Kelly left for the hospital, too. Soon enough, she was eating Chick-fil-A and holding her newborn. “This was my favorite hospital I’ve ever delivered at,” said Kelly.
After the births, Kelly and Abigail recovered in neighboring hospital rooms. The sisters tiptoed back and forth, said Kelly. “I waddled,” joked Abigail. One special moment was when Kelly’s kids met their new cousin right after meeting their new sister. But though the kids were excited, one was a little nervous to handle a newborn. “My husband said, ‘Atticus, do you want to hold the baby?’ ” recalled Abigail. “And Atticus goes, ‘No, he’s too wiggly.’ ”
Maraist is a freelancer from Reston.
