Ava's Birthday!

39 Weeks



All hooked up and ready to go!





Daddy patiently waiting for his little girl!





She's here! 
Ava McKinley Glass
6 pounds 2 ounces
19 inches long
born at 4:32 pm
August 29, 2012




First moment together, right after delivery!





Mommy and Ava's first belly time together!



On Wednesday morning, August 29, 2012, Nick and I set our alarm clocks bright and early.  Today was going to be an extraordinary day!  Today is Ava's birthday! 

We arrived at the hospital at 6am and were taken directly to our labor and delivery room.  Once in the room the nurses hooked me up to an IV to start me on fluids and then began the paperwork.  At around 7am my labor nurse plugged the Pitocin into my IV to kick start my contractions.  I was already having contractions, but this definitely made them more frequent and they began to get more intense.  Dr. Brown-Graham came to the hospital around 10am to break my water and check on me.  I was still 3-4 centimeters so they upped my Pitocin to full throttle to get me to dilate more.  They said my goal was to dilate 1cm an hour. 

Shortly after lunchtime Dr. Patel came in to check on me and realized that my water did not break like they thought before.  She quickly broke my water and within minutes the contractions were unbelievable.  Dr. Patel said she didn't think I would be much longer and that they would check on me in 1 hour. They were also going to take me off the Pitocin, thank goodness!  Well, within that 1 hour my contractions were so frequent that I had to ask for the epidural.  After about 20 minutes of receiving the epidural my labor and delivery nurse checked me and I was 9 cm dilated!  They quickly called the doctor and began getting things ready for Ava's arrival. 

Ava was ready to enter this world!  Dr. Brown-Graham called the hospital and told them she was on her way.  I quickly began to feel the urge to push, telling Nick that I felt horrible pressure.  The nurse checked me again and said I was 10 cm dilated and she could feel Ava's head.  She then told me not to push that we had to wait for the doctor.  Seriously?  Well, Dr. Brown-Graham came and we began pushing.  She quickly noticed that I received my epidural too late and that the effects of it were at its peak and I was unable to push.  So, they disconnected my epidural and told me that in order to have this baby I needed to feel it!  Every time I pushed Ava's heart rate would drop and they brought in the respiratory specialists to monitor Ava.  They put me on oxygen and warned me that if I didn't push this baby out soon they were going to move forward regardless.  After four rounds of pushing Ava was born!  They placed her immediately on my belly and Nick cut the umbilical cord!  Within 3 hours of active labor we had our darling little angel, Ava McKinley Glass!



Two days old!



Three days old!  We are going home!