Ally’s Birth Story

Our sweet Ally babe was finally born on June 16th! We have been soaking up all of her newborn snuggles, smells, noises, smiles, and everything in between. She is such a little sweetie! I have loved sharing the birth stories of all of our little one’s for several reasons, but one that I love is for my own enjoyment to look back on each year as their birthday’s come. It reminds me of each unforgettable day, and how great our God is.

On that Monday that Ally was born, we were up early and headed down to the beach to see a few of our friends. It was such a gorgeous morning!

Looking back I was feeling some contractions throughout the morning, but they would maybe last 15 seconds, and come and go very sporadically. I was heading into my 41 week check-up later that morning. At this point we still didn’t know if we would be having a boy or girl. I was feeling hopeful that he or she would come on their own and I wouldn’t have to be induced! I was so thankful to still be feeling good a week past my due date, other than a little impatient LOL! The baby’s heartbeat was right around 138bpm at my appointment, and I was already almost three centimeters dilated. At this point I was still thinking baby boy.. based on the heartbeat! That was right around what Carter and Levi’s was. I did have my doctor do a light membrane sweep to possibly help get things moving on their own too. We did have a scheduled induction for the next morning, but I was praying that the baby would come on his or her own terms!

I left the office and did a few errands while I was out, then headed back home. It was still a beautiful day, so we headed down to the beach with the kids! My mom and I sat by the water, while the kids played and swam. We got some really good sun that afternoon!

I headed back up with the kids around 3:30pm to get them showered. It was right around this time that those sporadic contractions started becoming a little uncomfortable. They didn’t last for long periods of time though! I got the kids changed and clean from the beach, and they were right back out the door playing outside and heading to my parents. I glanced at my hospital bag that I had thrown a few things in at one point, and decided to get the rest of it packed. I was still waiting to call the OB unit until I knew I’d be heading in.

Around 5:30pm I was at my parents eating dinner and was getting more uncomfortable. But I just kind of let the small contractions pass. I said to my parents shortly after, “I think I might call the OB unit and kind of see what I should do.” My dad made this comment to me afterwards, “You’re about to do this really big thing and it’s just so exciting and awesome!” He’s the best. That was enough to make me teary eyed! Jeff wasn’t home from work yet, so I texted him to wrap it up and get home.

I still felt pretty good, so when Jeff got home around 6:15pm I told him to head to my parents to eat and then come back home and I’d call the hospital. I didn’t really have consistent contractions going on still.. so I was still wondering if this was going to be the real deal or if this was almost just side effects from my membrane sweep? But it sure felt like the real thing! I called the OB unit and they said I was welcome to come in.

The baby car seat had been sitting by our front door for a couple of weeks, so Jeff installed that quick. We ended up going with the UppaBaby Mesa! The same one we had for our other three. I double checked for my wallet (if you remember from Levi’s Birth Story, I realized I had forgotten my wallet at home when we arrived at the hospital, and we had to turn around for it!!) We pulled into my parents driveway to give the kids one last hug before we left. And cue the emotions!! Carter and Payton came running up from the beach with big smiles, and I’ll never forget Payton screaming “SISTER!!!!” as she approached us in the driveway. She prayed every night that the baby was going to be a girl, and that she would have a little sister!

We hugged the kids, I know I did extra tight, and told them to say a prayer and we would keep them updated when the baby comes. Payton and Levi all of a sudden started crying and didn’t want us to leave… which was so hard! But thankfully my parents redirected them and they were just fine!

If you’re still reading.. we’re finally getting to the good stuff lol!

We got to the hospital around 7:30pm, and by 7:50pm, I had an IV and baby monitoring all hooked up. When my nurse Kristen had checked me, I was already at SIX centimeters!! She said “Oh yeah, we are definitely having a baby tonight!” She had also asked what my plan was for pain management, and I said I’d like to get an epidural if I have the time. I didn’t have time for Levi, and he was 9lbs 9oz.. that was a super hard labor and birth! Kristen was amazing, and got ahold of the anesthesiologist right away. If it wasn’t for her I’m not sure I would have had time for one! My other nurse Tami during delivery was a familiar face actually! She was there when Levi was born too. The sweet moments in a small town. I am so thankful for her too! Both Kristen and Tami were so good to us.

Side note but our small town has the best OB unit nurses. I was blessed to deliver three of our babies here, and each and every time the love, care, and support I received from our nurses was incredible. I still remember the names of every nurse that helped us deliver our babies, and will always remember how wonderful they were!! I am so sad to see our OB wing close, and I am more than grateful I was able to deliver one more time with the amazing staff at the hospital. I have also had the same doctor since our miscarriage before Payton, and I will always be so grateful for him. Our small town is so blessed!!

Back to birth! Labor was getting harder and harder.. I was squeezing Jeff’s hand, and the blanket on the bed through every contraction, trying to breathe really good deep breaths through each one. And honestly I was also trying not to cry because that wouldn’t have helped! I kept watching the clock, and said to Jeff, “I feel like I’m not going to have time for the epidural.” He stayed so positive though, may have asked a question or two during labor that I wasn’t about to answer in that moment like, “What do the contractions feel like?” 😂. Not now Jeff!!! LOL. He is also the best though, I seriously would not have gotten through this labor and delivery without him. I felt his love and care through every minute, and love him SO much.

Scott the anesthesiologist arrived!!! He was the same man who did my epidural for Payton too. Another familiar face, so nice! When he came in I was squeezing my hospital gown by my chest, and I remember him asking, “Are you having chest pains?” I managed to get out, “No, just trying to grab onto anything to help get through this🥴.” He had to go through a routine of questions before getting started, they were hard to get through between contractions but we made it somehow! I needed to sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed to get the epidural started. That was HARD. I just wanted to stay still in a way? But knew I had to get in a better position to make this work! Throughout the process of him placing the epidural, I remember he would apologize for the poke, or pressure, or tape on my skin. And I kept saying “That is nothing compared to these contractions, it’s fine.” LOL. I can still remember so vividly just praying and waiting to get some type of relief. I remember them talking about how I had super good blood pressure and Scott had asked if I worked out😂. I honestly can’t remember if I even answered!

Everything with my epidural went SO well and I am so grateful for that! At first I could only feel relief on my right side, and my left side was still full force. So we did some rotating and got it more evened out. My pain went down to like a 3/10. My doctor came in shortly after and we did one practice push to see if it was time to deliver. IT WAS! I felt so at peace having my pain managed, and also felt so present. Everyone in the room was so calm too. I was SO ready to meet our new baby. With the next contraction I pushed, and the doctor said he could see a lot of hair! I pushed again and honestly the most incredible thing was I could feel every moment of the baby coming out but I just wasn’t in any pain. I felt so in the moment, and with the next push, I didn’t take a break or breath in between because I knew I could get the baby out.

Seconds later, our baby was born!! And the baby cried RIGHT away, literally the second it came out. I had never had that happen before for the other three, it took a little bit for them (maybe 15-20 seconds) but that was such a relief!! That voice and cry!! Ahh! I’m getting teary eyed typing this. I lifted the baby up onto my chest, laid it there for just a moment, then lifted the baby up to see if it was a boy or girl. I looked up, and honestly could not believe what I saw… “Oh my goodness, IT’S A GIRL!!!” I said as I looked at Jeff teary eyed, and the both of us were just so surprised and so in love from the very beginning. Another girl!!! We both said how happy and excited Payton was going to be!! Our Ally Grace was born at 10:31pm! It’s crazy because I didn’t even realize the time passing and that it was already 10:30 at night.

Gosh, I was just SO happy she was here and healthy. We enjoyed every bit of that golden hour!! She nursed right away, and just wanted to be on my chest with me the entire time. Jeff actually didn’t get a chance to hold her right away, I’ll say that it was because she was nursing.. but also it was me being a baby hog😂. She just smelled SO good and her skin was so soft. She was PERFECT. Jeff had let both of our families know that our baby GIRL was born, and that everyone was healthy and doing well. Then we put our phones aside and just soaked in our little Ally babe. Jeff went and got McDonald’s, because it was the only thing open by 11:30pm! It was delicious though😅. The fries and McFlurry especially LOL!!

The epidural took a bit to wear off. Mainly in my right leg. But I didn’t really mind. We just sat in the delivery room, watching HGTV, and snuggling Ally. Around 12:30am, she was weighed and measured. Eight pounds, four ounces, 21.5 inches long, and full of so much love. I had such an adrenaline rush still, I didn’t even feel tired. And normally we’re in bed by at least 8:30/9:00! I just didn’t want to miss a single moment with her. I prayed for these moments throughout my entire pregnancy, and couldn’t believe she was finally here. We got to our regular room around 2:30am. My body was sore but I felt pretty good at the same time. It was nice to know what to expect, since I had a pretty routine delivery. I nursed Ally one more time, then laid her down and tried to get some rest. Easier said than done…😆.

When 7:30am rolled around the nurses changed shifts and I was able to see another familiar face! My daytime nurse Kim was also there when Levi was born, and it was so nice seeing and having her love and care this time around too! She is also such a blessing, and it was so calming having her too. Ally had her check up that morning with our amazing pediatrician, another awesome blessing in our small town, and she was doing great. From the very beginning Ally has done everything she’s supposed to and it has felt so easy with her. I know I owe that to her being our fourth baby too, but she is just such an angel baby. We love her so much!!

The kids came to the hospital to visit, and that was another moment I will never forget. Nobody had shared any news with them, other than the baby came and that everyone was doing good! Seeing them come into the room, and getting to tell them that it was a baby girl, was absolutely priceless. When we told them her name, Levi said, “How do you know that’s her name?” LOL, it was so cute. They all took several turns holding her! Payton especially was just in heaven, and couldn’t stop smiling. Our FOUR kiddos.

If you made it all the way to this point, good for you!!! That was a long one! But I wanted every little detail of this wonderful night to be included. And as I sit here and type this with everyone asleep for the night, I am thanking God for our family, the chaos and all, these are moments that we are living and loving through each day. I remember praying for times like these to come, and little did I know God had four beautiful babies planned for us. Time needs to slow down a little, but each day gets better at the same time. Welcome to the world, Ally!!

Lots of love & God Bless,

-Alyssa