Ava Leigh: A Birth Story

Ava was due to be born on November 19th, 2011. I had been in laten labor for almost 2 weeks. Scott and I had spent a few nights in the previous weeks in Labor and Delivery, each time being told that we were going to meet our little girl that night, and each time being sent home with an "I'm sorry you're not progressing" and a shot of morphine to lessen the contractions. On November 18th with my mother as my companion, my wonderful doctor told me that I was dilated and effaced enough to be induced the next day, right on time. He informed me that the next morning between 5:30 and 6:30 am, the hospital was going to call me to set up my time to come in. This was it. It was really happening. Within 24 hours or so I was going to be on the inevitable path to mommy hood.

That night my mom and I shopped, and shopped, and shopped, hoping to make me more dilated and ensuring a faster delivery. We spent 5 hours running around and by the end of the day my back was killing so me so bad that I had to sit at every store we visited. After that nights very interrupted sleep, I woke up bright and early at 5 am to wait for that call. I waited, and checked my phone, and no phone call. I was so anxious for that number to show up on my phone, that I held it every minute until 6:30 am, when I finally called the hospital myself. The nurse on the other end let me know that they were very busy during the night with unexpected deliveries and I was 3rd on the list of inductions. She told me that when a room became available, and when it was my turn they would call me to come in. I was dying! A full night of anticipation was hard enough, now I had to wait until they called me? It was hard to go back to sleep to say the least.

I slumped around all morning, all I wanted was that call, and by 11 am I had Scott call again and check on my status. Second in line.

Finally about 1:15 pm I got an unrecognized call on my phone. My heart jumped! It was the hospital and they were ready for me! The nurse asked me if I could make it to the hospital by 2 pm. Could I? I had been waiting for this moment all day, all month...heck 9 months! It was then I was able to utter those infamous prego words "it's time." Scott and I flew around the apartment at lightning speed, hardly talking to each other, other than an occasional "did you fill the cats food?" and "do you know where the diaper bag is?". I realized I was not prepared as I threw things into my hospital bag and went over lists in my mind that I should have double checked days in advance, but in that moment it didn't matter anymore, I was going to meet my little girl!

When we got the hospital and onto the Labor and Delivery floor, I got very calm. I checked in and signed all the papers. They gave me my packets and information for after she was born. Then it hit me, I was going home with a baby! I walked into the hospital with one inside me, and I was going to be leaving with one outside of me. The nurse took me to my room, a huge corner room overlooking Provo. She told me to undress and put on my gown and she told me would be back to start my Pitocen. It was 2:30. I called my mom to let her know that they had started my medicine and she should head down from my grandparents house.




About an hour after my meds started my nurse came back in and told me that my doctor was here and wanted to break my water. By this time I was dilated to 3 1/2 cm. My mom was there and told the nurse that in both her and my sister's case, their labor was under an hour after their water broke, and maybe I should get the epidural before it's too late. The nurse told me that I could get my epidural at anytime I wanted, and at this point I was not feeling much more than very light cramps. I was nervous because most women who get the epidural talk about how huge the needle is and how scary it, but the pain of that is nothing in comparison to the pain you are already in, so it's a breeze. But I was hardly in pain so I was concerned that I was going to feel the whole thing.


They came in to give me the shot and I curled up in a ball, they told me to take a deep breath and I held Scott's hand. After they gave me the shot to numb it, it just felt like a strange pressure sensation and it was over. Within 10 minutes my legs were jello. Scott thought it was really funny that my legs were so numb that if they were anywhere near the edge of the bed, they would just slide off, and I had to ask for help to get them back on the bed. my doctor came in to break my water, I was dilated to a 5 and a half. Then we waited until I was dilated to a 10. I was nervous. I kept talking non-stop. My mom and Scott laughed that I was taking so much, and even gave me a challenge to see how long I could be quiet for. I told them I could do it, but after 10 seconds of covering my mouth with my blanket, I was laughing. Which apparently counted as talking. Which made everyone else laugh. It was nice to laugh because I knew that soon I was not going to be laughing at all.


Scott's parents and sister Ember showed up and they decided to go get some dinner with Scott since it seemed to would be a while before I needed to push. They left, and 20 minutes after leaving the nurse informed me that I was dilated to 9 1/2 cm, and soon it would be time to push. We called Scott and told him to head back ASAP, so they got their food to-go. By the time Scott got back 15 minutes later I was dilated to the full 10. My doctor told me that they wanted to wait 1 hour, and let the baby naturally push herself down as much as possible unless I felt the need to push. It was 9 pm.

By 9:45 I told my mom that I was feeling a lot of pressure and for some reason it felt like I needed to push. She called the nurses in and before I knew it, the room was full of nurses and doctors. It was time to push. The legs were hoisted up and with a nurse holding one leg, and Scott holding the other, I began the exhausting journey of the last part of my labor. But a few minutes in I was feeling a weird sensation in my legs. One leg was number than the other, and it seemed to me that I was regaining the feeling in my right leg, I could even lift it bent off of the bed. We decided that I needed another round of the epidural to ensure a pain free delivery. They came back to give the other round, and 5 minutes after I got it I started to feel really sick. I asked the nurse if it was normal to feel like you were going to throw up. She said yes, but then I told her that I was feeling really weird. I started to lean my bed back and the left side of my face started going numb, and my ears started ringing and I could no longer hear at that moment. I started panicking...that was until I passed out. By the time my bed was back, I was out. I remember hearing a lot of people in the room. I remember the nurse calling my name and the doctor being called in asap. I kept hearing them say "stay with me Morgan, stay with me." and the monitor beeping wildly. They placed an oxygen mask on my face and my mom and Scott were asking if I was going to be ok. I could hear them again, but I couldn't respond. I heard them saying that they were going to reverse some of the epidural. Within a few minutes of some of the epidural being reversed, I was back to normal, and all the color was back in my face. They told me that my blood pressure dropped really low, and it caused the baby's blood pressure to drop as well, but they were able to regulate us pretty fast.

After getting back to normal, it was time to push again. Pushing was hard, and I was not allowed to drink anything, so I kept begging for a coke my entire labor. I couldn't feel much at all, but it was the most exhausting thing I have ever done in my life. Every single contraction I had to hold my legs and push with every bit of strength in my body. 10 seconds, 3 times in a row, holding my breath. I was pushing so hard that the nurses were concerned I was popping blood vessels in my eyes. I pushed for 2 hours. I never knew I could be so tired, but they could see her and she had tons of hair. The excitement of seeing her soon kept me going. I wanted to see her so bad. It was 11:50 pm and the doctor told me that there was a chance that she could be born after midnight, which was November 20th, which was Scott's birthday. I didn't want her to be born on his birthday because we had a long -standing bet with each other on when she was going to be born, and I did not want to lose. All the sudden I had a burst of energy and started pushing harder than I ever had.

Unfortunately though, Ava was stuck. I was too small for her head to pass, and as much as I pushed, I could not get her past this point. The doctor tried everything he could to loosen me up, but with no other option asked if he could cut me. I screamed at him that I didn't care what he did, I just wanted her out. He wasted no time. All at once, the overhead lights came on, the room was full, the delivery cart was wheeled up, everyone was busy running around, and the doctor started to cut. 5 more pushes and it was the most amazing moment of my life.






All the sudden there she was, and everyone was smiling. 10 hours later at 12:04 am, on Scott's birthday she entered our lives forever. They laid her on my stomach and I wrapped my arms around her. Scott started to cut the umbilical cord. They moved her up onto my chest and she started to cry as the nurses rubbed her with towels. Time stopped. She was finally here. My little girl was here and she was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. She was mine, Scott and I made her because we loved her and wanted her to join our family. It was amazing how fast you could fall in love with someone. I knew whatever she did in life, whatever happened to her, I would love her no matter what. I wanted to give her everything, give her everything, and make her everything that I never got or never was. She has tought me the true meaning of selflessness. I had everything I needed in life in that very moment. In that moment, life was complete. Becoming a mother was everything I had ever dreamed it would be and more. I am so blessed.