The Bachelorette’s Andi Dorfman describes a 28-hour labor with a baby girl

Andi Dorfman is settling into her life as a new mom and after a week at home is ready to share her daughter’s birth story.

“Just over a week with my girl and we’re fine,” Dorfman, 37, he wrote via Instagram on Monday, Dec. 30, calling the story of her baby girl’s birth “a pretty dramatic scene” spanning 28 hours.

The former Bachelorette — who announced her arrival of daughter Harper Dec. 20 — noted that it was “smooth sailing at first” after her water broke and she was dilated. “The epidural was stellar 💃🏻 and we ordered dinner anticipating the baby girl’s arrival in a few hours,” she recalled.

Dorfman, who shares Harper with her husband Blaine Hartshe joked that those were her “famous last words” as 12 hours later she was “still fully dilated but no baby girl”.

The former reality star said she “pushed for about 90 minutes” before doing “rotational movements for a few hours” and returning to push again.

Dorfman admitted, “Even s NYC and LA marathons below my belt” all that pushing – which involved two hours or more – was “by far the most exhausting thing I’ve ever done in my entire life!”

Her last round of pushing was close to 4:30, but it wasn’t like the movies. “I immediately expected to hear ‘the cry’ and have her placed in my arms,” ​​Dorfman explained. “(Everything you hear/see) but she was silent 😢.”

She recalled that after the doctor cut Harper’s umbilical cord, she was moved to a heated baby bed, “where a whole team of nurses and doctors rushed into the room to help.”

While Dorfman said she and Hart were “pretty panicked,” they “knew she was in good hands.”

“It turned out she was pretty stressed out from the birth and forgot to breathe,” she continued, adding that the couple learned she “had an Apgar score of 2 and needed CPAP and some more medical TLC.”

Despite Harper’s health setbacks, the new mom and dad were able to hold their baby “and name her” before she was taken “for a quick stay in the NICU where she made lots of sister friends and later met us. day!” Dorfman wrote.

Looking back, the Bachelor Nation star said their family feels “lucky and grateful” for her successful delivery and their daughter’s health. (Fans met Dorfman in Season 18 Bachelor in 2014, before she led season 10 Bachelor.)

“Harper Bell Hart, we love you!” she added teasingly, “If you could keep the fear to a minimum we would appreciate it, but thank you for capping off a wonderful year 2024 for us 🎉 🥂 🎀.”

Dorfman, who married Hart in May 2023announced on December 20 that her little one had arrived. “After 28 hours of labor… and we’re officially three,” she wrote via her Instagram story alongside a photo of the couple holding their newborn’s hand.

Two days later, she shared the first real photos of her baby girlincluding a picture of Dorfman, Hart and Harper in a hospital bed.

“Our sweet girl came into this world at a solid 7 lbs. 13 ounces and as tall as her dad at 20.5 inches!” Dorfman broke out on December 22. “We are more in love with her than we could ever imagine. I’m crying on the spot just looking at her and daddy is completely wrapped around her cute little finger.’

She explained that Hart chose their daughter’s middle name, which is short for “Bellissima,” which means “beautiful” in Italian.

“An ode to a place that has been a magical part of so many milestones in our lives and will now be a part of it forever,” Dorfman added, referring to the place where she and Hart reunited in the summer of 2021 after getting to know each other. previous year. (Few tied the knot in Italy two years later.)

“Thank you for all the amazing wishes you’ve sent and a huge thank you to our girl for making us the fiercest, proudest, smartest parents ever!” Dorfman concluded. “This is truly the best gift we have ever received 💕🥹🙌🏻.”

A family of three enjoyed it first christmas together before Dorfman had her own health scare.

“Hello, we’re back! This time for mom (a minor setback and we need a quick/safe procedure) but first I gave this little nugget a quick snuggle,” Dorfman she wrote via her Instagram Story on Saturday, December 28, she shared a photo with her baby in the hospital.

She added: “The lesson: No matter how clueless you are about motherhood; you know your body best anyway! Listen to it! Yes, recovery is hard and everyone is different, but your instincts are valid (and probably correct).

Dorfman explained that after feeling “a ton of pain” once home from the hospital, she went back to her doctors and was diagnosed with “one large and one small hematoma.” The Cleveland Clinic defines a hematoma as a closed wound where blood collects and fills a space inside your body because it cannot flow in or out.

Dorfman’s surgery was successful and she returned home for the weekend indoors. “I basically had a total reset in my recovery so I’m back on day 2 (again),” she wrote via her Instagram story on Sunday, December 29. “I hope every day gets better.