Abbi's Birth Story- Delivery

It was time. 6:18am, just me, Wilson, and the midwife, and I was finally allowed to start pushing.  I was so ready.

I pushed with each contraction, I stopped when Ashley said to, I cried out a little, I hurt SO much, and then, with a big gush, she was here. At 6:22 am, the midwife placed my baby on my stomach and all I could think was, "Oh my gosh, it's a baby.  It's a baby!"  Haha, duh, right?  Later I would find out that I had torn slightly, but right then, nothing mattered.

Wilson was busy helping the midwife do I don't know what so I had a moment to just rub my baby's little head and clean off her tiny face.  I had to actually get Wilson's attention (he was so task saturated he had to be reminded that something monumental had just happened).  And then, I lifted the blanket and looked.

"Wilson, it's a girl!"

What a moment.  He was the first to call her by her name ("Hi, Abigail!" was what he said. Original, right?) and he took her little hand and immediately fell in love.  I was still in too much shock to process anything; my head over heels moment came later when I was nursing her and my milk came in and she was mine. And I would do anything in the world for that little girl.

We just sat there, the three of us, becoming a family.  A few minutes later they would cut the cord, deliver the placenta, and I would sit up and begin the road to recovery.  I was able to nurse Abbi with very little trouble about 30 minutes after she was born.  My mom came in and helped me get a shower, then the midwife and birth assistant (who arrived about 20 minutes after I delivered) did Abbi's newborn assessment: 7lb, 2oz. 21 inches long.  Perfect in every way. A full head of brown hair, her daddy's blue eyes, and the prettiest baby any of us had ever seen.  The rest of the family got to meet her while I drank my Powerade and had a snack (including a pink cupcake!), and at 10:30am we were in the car heading back home.  Four hours after she was born. Incredible.

I took a crazy long nap that afternoon.  Bless my dear husband for entertaining our families even though he was exhausted too.  Over the next several days, Abbi would sleep mostly in the crook of my arm or on my chest while we got to know each other better.  She wasn't a fussy baby; didn't cry much even when she was first born.  To this day we always know that if she's crying, there's a reason.  She has also always eaten well.  My milk came in 2 days after she was born and thankfully we've never had any trouble on that score.  I'm still awe-struck that my body provided her with everything she needed to grow and thrive.

New life. What an amazing blessing; God is so good.