Ava Lynn

I figured since Ava is already 6 weeks old I would break my blogging silence and write her birth story! I love reading birth stories! Reading about how a new life entered the world is just so beautiful.  Friday, Nov. 20: I was on my 2nd day of maternity leave and decided to run to some errands. On my way to Target I started having mild contractions that were 10 minutes apart. They didn't hurt so I wasn't worried about going to the hospital. I did my shopping and headed home in case they got closer together and I needed to go to the hospital. By the afternoon the contractions had mostly stopped. I was so upset! I was ready to have this baby! That night, they started back up and got close enough together that I decided we should go to the hospital. Around 2 or 3 in the morning the doctor in the OBER told me that I was only 1 cm dilated and that my contractions weren't real labor. I was so sad! We went back home and tried to sleep.  Saturday, Nov 21: After getting a couple of hours of sleep I got up and made plans with my mom. We got lunch and went to a little craft fair to do some walking. I was still having contractions, but they weren't consistent. I got a decent nights sleep.  Sunday, Nov 22: I honestly don't remember a lot of the day. I was having contractions all day, but they still weren't consistent. Even though they weren't consistent, they were extremely painful. Around 9:40 at night I noticed that they were getting closer together. I timed them for an hour and they were coming every 3-5 minutes. I told Thomas we needed to go to the hospital. We got to the hospital around 11:30. The OBER nurse checked me and told me that I was 4 cm dilated. I was so surprised! I fully expected them to send me back home again. I called my mom and told her they were admitting me and that Ava was going to be born soon.  Monday, Nov 23: I was moved upstairs to a delivery room. The nurses were so nice. I am so thankful that they were kind and easy to get along with. I got my epidural at 12:30. I was really scared about getting something out in my spine, but it didn't hurt at all. The IV in my wrist hurt way more than the epidural. My mom came in shortly after that. At 2 am the nurses checked me and I was 5 cm dilated. They told me to try to get some sleep. Thomas and I kind of slept for a couple of hours. The nurses came back at 4 am and checked me again. This time I was already dilated 9 cm. I couldn't believe how quickly I had progressed. They came back in an hour and when the nurse went to check how much I was dilated she broke my water. My doctor wasn't on call, so the plan was to have the on call Doctor deliver her. I wasn't necessarily happy about this, but I could deal with it. A little bit later the nurses told me that my doctor had called up there and when he found out I was in labor said he was coming to deliver Ava. (Side note: my OB is the same doctor that delivered me and my siblings, so it was really special that he delivered Ava 😊) Around 6 I started pushing. This was definitely the hardest part for me. I couldn't feel anything from the waist down, so trying to productively push was very difficult. Thomas held one of my legs and my mom held the other. I'm so thankful they were there with me!I pushed for a little over an hour before Ava was born. I remember seeing her for the first time. She had so much hair! The nurses from the NICU were in the room because she was at risk for breathing in or swallowing some meconium. Thankfully she didn't and I was able to hold her soon after they checked her over. I cried as soon as they handed her to me. She nursed a little while after that and then we had our families come in to meet her. It was absolutely one of the best days of my life! I am so thankful that God chose me to be Ava's mom.