When Ari was pregnant with her first child, she was only 18 years old. She wasn't the typical 18 year old that you know. Ari had been through more than most people can handle in a life time, in her 18 years. She graduated from high school at the age of 16 and graduated from college when she was 18. She was physically, emotionally and financially taking care of herself for years and was going into her third year as a caregiver and a CNA. She supported herself and was on her own living in her own apartment with her boyfriend! It wasn't planned and it wasn't what they really wanted at the time. She was supposed to get on birth control and had an appointment to do so, but the news of her pregnancy came before that. Even though half of her family wasn’t happy, the other half was but, thought she was too young. Ari and her boyfriend, Austin, embraced it as much as they could. It didn't make her feel like all her hopes and dreams were over but she was still very scared of becoming a mom!
Ari was so tired in her first trimester but was still working. That was, until the news traveled to her boss who fired her. Her second trimester was a lot easier and she began to enjoy the pregnancy. She didn't start showing until she was almost 7 months but then her belly grew quickly! Ari had a couple false labors. She hoped they would keep her because she was so ready to push out her daughter.
Finally her due date, July 23rd, came and still no baby. Her doctor scheduled to induce her July 29th but her labor began early the morning of July 28th. The pain started around 3 a.m. Ari remembered it being so bad, she couldn’t sleep at all. She got up and went to the bathroom around 5am. When she wiped, she looked at the toilet paper and saw blood. She immediately freaked out and started crying. While she was on the toilet her contractions became so intense that she couldn't move from the toilet. She sat there crying and screaming at her boyfriend for hours but he didn't hear her. Finally, around 11:42 in the morning, she was able to get up off the toilet! She walked up to her bed and with pain and anger in her voice yelled "Austin!" He peeked his eyes open and she yelled "Get up Austin! Don’t you hear my crying and screaming for you?" As he was still trying to wake up he replied “no." Ari started to cry, telling him she thinks she needs to go to the hospital, and that she was bleeding. He jumped up faster than ever in a panic and immediately starts asking if she was okay.
When they got to the hospital she was dilated 3cm. She walked for an hour to help dilate more and endure some very painful contractions while waiting to go to her own room. She had a lot of people from both his family and hers there for support. Finally, in her own room and fully situated, her contractions began to increase! She couldn’t bare the pain anymore and was asked if she wanted the epidural when she was 6cm. She took it (now she looks back and wish she hadn't) it eased her pain and she fell asleep for hours. When she woke up she felt okay but 30 minutes later started feeling really horrible contractions. She thought the epidural was supposed to take the pain away. Her nurse said sometimes it doesn’t and, in her case, it put her to sleep and gave your body some rest. Her pain was bad and around 2am the nurse said it was time to push.
She became very scared and anxious at the same time, knowing she was about to have her baby girl in my hands. She pushed once, pushed twice and she felt herself opening. The pain was beyond explainable. Both sides of the family were taking turns holding her legs and Austin went to the bathroom to throw up. She heard everyone telling her to push. The doctor said that her head is in sight! She kept pushing but the baby wasn’t coming out. Ari gave it everything she had but she felt stuck!
While all this was happening and feeling horrible, her Nina was on her right lifting her leg so high it was basically over her head. On her left side, Austin's mother was barely lifting her leg. The doctor was playing with her daughter's hair because it was that long and curly saying “I’m waiting, whenever you’re ready to push her out, I’m ready!” She could have ripped all of their heads off because it was just so much of a bad combination between the three. She was crying in pain and she kept saying “she’s stuck I can’t push her out!”
Finally after an hour and 4 minutes, she pushed her beautiful baby girl out! It was such a relief! It was the most amazing thing in the world to have something that belonged to her and that she can call her own! She had taken care of so many babies and kids but it was completely different when she had her own child! Joy and happiness swept her over. She couldn't wait to go home with her baby girl.
18 months later, she was pregnant again....
Who is Ari? She's a woman...
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