Rachel Dratch shows off her 10 week old son, Eli Benjamin

May 2024 · 3 minute read

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 21: Rachel Dratch attends the opening night of 'Lombardi' on Broadway at the Circle in the Square Theatre on October 21, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)
Photos are on People.com

Saturday Night Live alum Rachel Dratch welcomed her first child 10 weeks ago, a little boy named Eli Benjamin. Rachel, 44, kept the father of her baby a mystery until just recently, joking in July that “There’s a whole crazy story there. But that will come out in my book.” Then after her son was born she revealed that her baby’s father is her boyfriend, a natural foods consultant named John Wahl. They were dating just six months when Rachel got pregnant the natural way. She described it as an accident in that she assumed she wasn’t still fertile. Eli was born a month early after Rachel’s doctor discovered her fluids were low during a routine visit. He now lives at home with his mom and dad in New York. People has more details, including some adorable photos that you can see on their website:

Rachel Dratch’s pregnancy was a surprise to her and her boyfriend John Wahl — and her Aug. 24 delivery was no different.

“I went for a routine visit and they said my fluid was low,” the comedienne, 44, recalls. “It was a month in advance, so I didn’t even have a bag packed! I had to go in that night. It was a big shock.”

“I was about to get on a plane!” laughs Wahl, 42, who moved to New York to be close to his new family. “But I was in the room with her when he was born. To be part of the whole process was fantastic.”

Today, 10-week-old Eli Benjamin — “We just liked the name,” Dratch says, adding that her grandfather was called Benjamin — is getting acclimated to life with his new family, in a nursery designed by Nate Berkus.

Because Dratch’s apartment only has one bedroom, Berkus was able to divide the space with a partition so that it appears to be two rooms.

“It came out really well — it doesn’t look like it’s shoved in the corner,” Dratch says. “Eventually I’ll have to move, I guess, but he did a good job.”

The unique set-up also helps with late night feedings.

“It stuns me how tireless she is. He’s up at 3:30 in the morning and she’s up and at ‘em,” marvels Wahl of his girlfriend. “This love for Eli is trumping everything! I’m not exaggerating: she says four to five times a day, ‘He’s so beautiful.’”

Confirms Dratch: “This has taught me [that] you never know. I feel super lucky.”

[From People]

Little Eli is such a cutie and he has his mom’s big blue eyes! Congratulations to Rachel and John. What a nice story they have about having a child unexpectedly.

Rachel is shown pregnant on July 21 below. She is not pregnant in the header photo, which is from October 21.
NEW YORK - JULY 21: Actress Rachel Dratch attends The Cinema Society & Sony Alpha Nex screening of 'Get Low' at the Tribeca Grand Hotel on July 21, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

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