Ava's Birth Story

On Tuesday night around 10 pm, I thought my water broke. I wasn't sure, so I waited until the next day and called the doctors. The doctor believed that it was just Ava pushing against my bladder, and told me not to worry. That morning I went for a 40 minute walk around our neighborhood in hopes that maybe it would help kick start something. I felt some minor contractions, but nothing out of the ordinary. Around 1:00, I decided to get out of the house and went downtown to Old Navy. I also made sure to grab a soft serve ice-cream, which has become a staple in my diet :) Around 2:30, I called the doctor one more time because I still felt as though my water may have broke. At this point she said that they couldn't see me in the office, but she advised me to go to the hospital to check. I called Mat, who met me at the hospital. Around 3:30, after my exam the resident came back and sure enough, my water had broken. It was time to have this baby! The doctor came in and examined me, and informed me that I was already 5 cm dilated. I thought to myself "how could this be? I was just downtown walking around? " Mat and I were in shock, but were also very excited. We headed up to the delivery floor and at 5:00 I was given pitocin to help jump start the contractions. Around 7 pm, I started to feel my contractions picking up and after some time I decided to get an epidural ( so happy I did!) It wasn't long after I got the epidural that the doctor came in and let me know that it was time to push. After an hour of pushing, Ava was born at 10:43 pm. She was beautiful, weighing 6 lbs 13 oz, and was 19 1/2 inches long. We were so happy. Needless to say, I spent the entire night with her in my arms, just staring at her. She is beautiful.

While the delivery went very smoothly, the next week was rough. Ava developed Jaundice and had a difficult time responding to the light therapy. It was a week full of emotions, as Mat and I were tired, scared, restless, and just wanted the best for Ava. After several days under the Bili Bed, the doctors decided to change the treatment and put her in an isolet under the lights. Mat and I were worried that she was going to have a hard time with this, but we were wrong. She loved it! She sprawled out as if she were lying on the beach. She already know she is going to love sun bathing :) On Thursday, 8 days after she was born, we finally were able to take her home. We are so happy that she is healthy, and thank everyone for their warm wishes and support.

Time under the lights

Yay!! On my way home!!!