I took a break from Glow and all social media for a while.

I had my little girl 6-27-2018 VBAC!!!! 🎉

On 6-26-18, I went into labor at home. At first it felt like sharp cramps in my back and pelvic area. They were bearable for an hr and then they became more intense as I waited at home. I called her father to let him know that the cramps were unbearable and we needed to get to the hospital now! So, we drove from Brooklyn all the way to Manhattan at Lenox Hill Hospital. (Best Hospital ever! Seriously, if you’re in NYC please consider this hospital for delivery! The food is delicious!) When I got there to Lenox Hill around 11pm, I was sent to the triage in L&D. There they monitored my contractions. I was there for maybe 2 hrs. In so much pain btw. Finally the doctors told me their plans. They considered a foley balloon to open me up. I believe I was 38 +5. They got me a room and the anesthesiologist came in and gave me an epidural. He told me not to move and to relax my shoulders. Which I had a hard time doing because... I mean cmon. A needle that can possibly paralyze you is going in my back. Lol so you can imagine how many times he had to tell me to relax. When the epidural was put in, I started to press that sucker continuously. IT FELT AMAZING. This all happened around 5 in the morning. Time went by and the nurses checked on me and changed shifts. Around 3pm I was about 6cm with the Foley balloon in. The nurse came in and broke my water. By that time, Ava’s dad went to go get fresh air. At 9pm I felt the urge to push. I was at 9cm and my OB told me to push. I started pushing but Ava’s heart rate started to drop due to distress. My OB told em to stop pushing. He told me he will come back in an hr and if I cannot successfully push her out, I will get a cesarean section. When he left, I started to push little by little whenever I had a contraction. I couldn’t resist the urge to push but I felt if I did it little by little I wouldn’t risk hemorrhaging or tearing anything. 10pm came. My OB came back in. He told me we were going to try again. It was a little after 10. I started to push. With two pushes Ava’s head was already out. At that time Ava’s father came back and was holding my left leg while the nurse held my right.

My OB told me to stop pushing so they can lay down the cloths below me. When he told me to push again, I pushed and Ava almost came flying out. Lol. So much fluid flew everywhere! She was everything at that moment. I felt so proud and so in love. I got to experience a vaginal birth. A VBAC. I had a first degree tear but that didn’t matter. I got to skin to skin right afterwards and then breastfeed. However, later that night when I got transferred to my room, Ava experienced hypothermia. She was cold. No matter how many times I skinned to skinned with her. She was transferred to the NICU. I was determined to give Ava the best. So every two hrs, running on love I suppose... I went to the NICU to breastfeed. Within a day she was able to regulate her temperature. We left. I was so excited to start my journey with a beautiful baby girl! So happy to be a mommy to Ava S.