Andi Dorfman is settling into her life as a new mom and after one week at home, she is ready to share her daughter’s birth story.
“Just over a week with my girl and we are on the mend,” Dorfman, 37, wrote via Instagram on Monday, December 30, calling her baby girl’s birth story “quite the dramatic scene” totaling 28 hours.
The former Bachelorette — who announced her daughter Harper’s arrival on December 20 — noted it was “smooth sailing at first” after her water broke and she was dilated. “Epidural was stellar 💃🏻 and we ordered some dinner expecting baby girl’s arrival within a few hours,” she recalled.
Dorfman, who shares Harper with husband Blaine Hart, joked those were her “famous last words” because 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 “some rotational moves for a few hours” and returning to more pushing.
Dorfman confessed, “Even with the NYC and LA marathons under my belt” all of the pushing — which included two plus more hours — was “by far the most exhausting thing I’ve ever done in my entire life!”
Her final round of pushing came close to 4:30 a.m. but it wasn’t like the movies. “I was immediately expecting to hear ‘that cry’ and for her to be placed in my arms,” Dorfman explained. “(Everything you hear/see about) but she was silent 😢.”
She remembered that after the doctor cut Harper’s umbilical cord she was transferred to an infant warmer bed “where an entire team of nurses and doctors rushed in the room to help.”
While Dorfman said she and Hart were “quite panicked” they “knew she was in good hands.”
“Turns out she was pretty stressed from the labor and forgot to breathe on her way out,” she continued, noting the couple would learn that “she had a 2 Apgar score and needed a CPAP and some other medical TLC.”
Despite Harper’s medical setbacks, the new mom and dad were able to hold their baby “and name her” before she was whisked off “for a quick stint in the NICU where she made lots of nurse friends and got to be reunited with us later in the day!” Dorfman wrote.
Looking back, the Bachelor Nation star said their family feels “fortunate and grateful” for her successful delivery and their daughter’s health. (Fans met Dorfman on season 18 of The Bachelor in 2014, before she helmed season 10 of The Bachelorette.)
“Harper Bell Hart, we love you!” she added, teasing, “If you could keep the scares to a minimum, we’d appreciate it but thank you for capping off a wonderful 2024 for us 🎉 🥂 🎀.”
Dorfman, who wed Hart in May 2023, announced on December 20 that her little one had arrived. “28 hours of labor later … and we are officially a party of 3,” 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 girl, including a picture of Dorfman, Hart and Harper all in a hospital bed.
“Our sweet girl came into this world at a solid 7 lbs. 13 ounces and tall like her Daddy at 20.5 inches!” Dorfman gushed on December 22. “We are more in love with her than we could ever have imagined. I cry on the spot just looking at her and Dad 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 now will continue to be a part of her for forever,” Dorfman added, referring to where she and Hart reconnected in summer 2021 after knowing each other year’s prior. (The pair tied the knot in Italy two years later.)
“Thank you for all the amazing well wishes you have sent and an enormous thanks to our girl for making us the most mushy, proud, sappy parents ever!” Dorfman concluded. “This is truly the best gift we have ever received 💕🥹🙌🏻.”
The family of three enjoyed their first Christmas together before Dorfman had a health scare of her own.
“Welp, we’re back! This time for Mama (minor setback and need a quick/safe procedure) but got a quick snuggle with this little nugget first,” Dorfman wrote via her Instagram Story on Saturday, December 28, sharing a photo with her baby at the hospital.
She added: “Lesson Learned: No matter how clueless you are about motherhood; you still know your body best! Listen to it! Yes, recovery is tough, and everyone is different, but your instincts are valid (and probably right).”
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.” A hematoma is defined by Cleveland Clinic as a closed wound, where blood collects and fills a space inside your body because it can’t flow or drain out.
Dorfman’s surgery was a success, and she returned home for a weekend inside. “I basically had a total reset on my recovery so I’m back on day 2 (again),” she wrote via her Instagram Story on Sunday, December 29. “Here’s to hoping each day is better.”
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