Fashionably late: The birth of Ashlyn Harper

My excitement began to grow as my due date of April 25 approached. I figured my baby girl would soon be born. I could not wait for my little bean to be welcomed into the world by her awaiting family. Also, to be honest, I was completely over all the negative pregnancy symptoms that I was experiencing throughout the past nine months, especially towards the end.

Finally, her due date was here, but there were no signs whatsoever of impending labor. Still, I had high hopes that my OB would inform me that I was at least somewhat dilated during my 40-week appointment that same morning.

As I waddled into my doctor’s office, armed with an optimistic attitude, I sat on the examination table eager for my OB to perform a cervical check and tell me that my baby girl was well on her way.

Nope. That’s not the news I received that day. Great, I thought. When will I be close to laboring?

My doctor continued to explain to me that my baby was still sitting high in my uterus. She had yet to drop and settle herself within my pelvis area in preparation for labor. So it looked like I was definitely going to go past my due date of April 25.

I left my appointment a bit disappointed. The anticipation had been building up only to be knocked down like a tower of Jenga blocks at the conclusion of the visit.

We decided to schedule an induction for May 4. That is not what I had wanted. An induction was not at all how I had imagined my daughter would be brought into our lives. I had to realize that not everything goes as planned and as long as my baby was born healthy and safely, I’d be OK. I was game for anything.

Fortunately, an induction was unnecessary because a screaming Ashlyn Harper Moore finally arrived on Thursday, April 28, at 3:22 p.m.

I spent most of my labor at home. My husband drove me to the hospital around 1 p.m. I chose to opt out of having an epidural because I was already dilated 9 centimeters when I arrived at the hospital. After a few pushes, Ashlyn was here. She entered the world at a healthy 7 pounds, 5 ounces and measured almost 21 inches long.

All the pain that I had felt throughout my pregnancy and during labor and delivery was all worth it because I am now able to experience the beauty that is my newborn daughter.

Send us your birth story! Whether you had a home birth, hospital birth, 37-hour labor or emergency C-section, we’d love to read the tale of your little one’s grand entrance. Write up your birth story (click here for tips on getting started) and email it, along with a few photos, to birthstory@pnmag.com. We’ll share it on our Birth Day blog and may even print it in an upcoming issue!