Introducing Ava Marie

Ava Marie Pitcher

Sunday, February 2, 2014

3:33 p.m. EST

Indianapolis, Indiana

Weight: 5 pounds, 14 ounces; Length: 17 1/2 inches

This post is coming later than I'd have liked, but it's not for a lack of love or attention our youngest daughter has been getting. As parents, mine and Matt's time is now split between our children three ways. But whatever attention Ava could possibly lack from us, her big sisters make up the difference. Skylie is especially attentive to Ava and wants to hold her ALL THE TIME.

Ava's Birth Story

I'd been having regular, somewhat strong contractions on and off for about a month, so when contractions started Sunday morning about 9 a.m., I hoped but didn't expect this to be the real deal. Contractions continued while we got ready for church. Matt suggested we go to the hospital, but I held off saying that the contractions weren't strong enough.

At noon I decided we could at least go check it out. Some friends agreed to take Skylie and Kaitlyn to church, and Matt and I said that we'd probably meet them there. (Actually, Matt was betting we'd have the baby instead.) More than once as we drove the 15 minutes to the hospital I second guessed myself, and as we walked into the hospital I told Matt that I thought there was a 60% chance they'd send us home.

After admittance, the nurse checked me and confirmed that I'd be having this baby soon! Contractions were two minutes apart, and I was dilated to almost a seven. Even after moving to a delivery room and getting hooked up to IVs, I was still in disbelief. Nurses reassured me that soon the doctor would  break my water, and then contractions would get more painful.

They were right! I'm a sucker for pain and within an hour I opted for an epidural. The anesthesiologist arrived about 2:45 p.m. to administer it. I still felt a lot, but I was thankful for some pain relief! At about 3:25 I frantically told Matt to call the nurse because I thought it was time to push. It seemed like it took forever for the doctor to arrive, but in reality it was less than five minutes.

I like to know how long things are going to last. Hard things seem a lot more doable if I know there's an end in sight. So when I asked the nurse and doctor how long they thought I'd have to push, they laughed at my question of, "Will it take less than half an hour?"

Three pushes and less than three minutes later, our baby girl was born.

The nurse said it was the easiest delivery she's seen in a long time. I'm fortunate. It was pretty quick, but I won't say that is wasn't without pain! :)

I'm positive there's no one on earth besides Matt that could make me burst out laughing mid-contraction or moments before pushing a baby out of me. I'm so glad he is mine and that Skylie, Kaitlyn, and Ava are his. We are lucky girls.

 My three babies during movie night last night. When Skylie was an infant I'd sometimes hear moms refer to their older children as babies. I naively thought, "Those aren't babies! They're toddlers and kids." But I think I understand a little better now: A mother's baby is always her baby.

We are all adjusting to our new life well. Ava is great. Skylie and Kaitlyn adore her, and I feel better than I have in nine months. Life is good.