The birth of Ava Kennedy Thomas

It’s been about a week since our precious little Ava joined our lives and what a whirlwind it has been! We’ve been so blessed to have such loving family and friends who have shared in our joy this week with lots of visits, dinners, and I’m especially grateful to my mom and mother in law who have been so great to come over and help me at the house so I could rest after my 3rd all nighter up with Ava! This little gal LOVES to eat! She's a cluster eater! And on top of that, she has her days and nights mixed up so she just comes alive at about 4 a.m. But I am so thankful she is healthy and happy. She has truly brought sunshine into my life since she’s been here. I feel so blessed and could not ask for more than my sweet little family. Ava was born on Monday, Aug. 13 at 3:59 p.m. I was induced at 7:30 a.m. that morning since it was my due date and showed no signs of going into labor on my own (despite my best efforts!) I really was blessed with a fairly easy pregnancy but the last week was a little tough because I started having a lot of pelvic separation pains. For any of you who have been lucky enough to experience this know it’s NO JOKE! But luckily, my pain was short lived. Once we got to the hospital and started my IV, mild but steady contractions soon followed. Once my water broke, my contractions were still pretty mild and I didn’t feel like the pain was all that bad until about noon and then I got my epidural from the sweetest anesthesiologist who ever lived! She was making small talk with me the entire time she was administering the epidural to distract me from the contractions/ sting of the needle. From that point on, it was SMOOTH SAILING! At about 3:30 p.m. I started feeling the pressure that comes right before the baby is ready to be born and my nurse came in and confirmed it was time to push. So in came Dr Farrow and after about 15 minutes of pushing, Ava made her grand entrance into the world! I remember being flooded with emotion and love for her the moment I saw her. She had the sweetest, softest little cry and really didn’t cry all that much at all! She seemed to tolerate the nurses getting her cleaned up and everything. It was so sweet! When it came time for John to cut the cord, my doctor noticed something very unusual. The umbilical cord had a knot in it! Luckily, the cord was thick and healthy so the knot didn’t pinch or block passage at all through the cord but this was still VERY SCARY to me. My doctor assured me that she would be fine and while this was extremely rare, she must have flipped around just so where she tied a knot in the cord fairly early in the pregnancy when she was small enough to do it. Usually if there is a problem with the cord early on, a miscarriage would soon follow because the umbilical cord is the lifeline of oxygen, nutrition, everything for the baby. I was REALLY counting my blessings that this didn’t happen to my sweet little Ava and that she was born healthy and that the knot didn’t harm anything. It was humbling to me, that is for sure! I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that heavenly father was watching over and protecting my sweet girl! Ava weighed 7 lbs 15.4 ounces and was 20.25 inches long and oh so cute! Her dad and I fell in love with her instantly! And when her big brother Cameron came to visit her that night, he fell in love too and could not stop giving her hugs and kisses. It was really sweet. It was the end to a near perfect day! I was so blessed to have such an easy labor/delivery. And my recovery has been A LOT EASIER than the first time around with Cameron. I am so grateful for this! And I am even more blessed that Ava is such a mild, easy going baby! It’s almost too good to be true! She NEVER cries unless she is hungry or getting her diaper changed (sometimes)! And other than having her days and nights a little mixed up, she is perfect! :) I just love this little girl with all my heart!