Flying on American Airlines with 9M old

I am about to fly with my 9 month old on American Airlines. It’s our second time flying and I’m super nervous because we already had a bad experience our first time 😬

Am I allowed to bring a stroller on the plane? My son doesn’t like to be in one of those baby carriers, plus I don’t think I’ll be able to hold and carry him the whole duration of our first flight and connecting flight. 😥 it will take about 5 hours to get to our final destination.

I just need some advice to ease my mind about this flight. I just don’t want to have a difficult time again. 😅