Can we all agree that women are warriors? We balance home life and work life and motherhood all at once. It can be overwhelming, but millions of us do it every day. And don’t even get us started on childbirth. It doesn’t matter how you give birth. A woman’s body goes through trauma every time, yet we’re up and moving a few days later, just like the queens we are.
But one mom out there is making some of us feel lazy. Abby Bailiff recently gave birth to her first child, which is incredible in and of itself. But what she did next is positively mind-blowing. A viral TikTok, posted by her sister, shows the mom’s first 24 hours and includes photos of her and her baby enjoying lots of firsts. Oh, and no big deal: She also has on a cap and gown in the final snap.
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Her son was late to the party.
Bailiff told Good Morning America that her son, Bodie, was due on April 27 but did not make his debut until around 3 p.m. May 3. The longer it took him to arrive, the more concerned she was about graduation being a conflict.
“Every day past 40 weeks I was like, ‘Oh gosh. This is getting closer and closer,'” Bailiff told Good Morning America, adding that she ended up getting induced on May 2 because doctors were concerned about the development of Bodie’s lungs. “It was not the original plan to be that close to graduation … but Bodie had other plans,” she said.
The birth was smooth and without complications, so Bodie and his momma took off.
Bailiff explained to the morning show that she and Bodie decided it was time to go home shortly after he was born. She and her newborn were out of the hospital at 1:30 p.m. May 4.
She contemplated not going to the graduation, but after encouragement from her mom and sister, she decided she couldn’t miss out on such an important milestone.
Her mom and sister helped her get ready, and she arrived at the ceremony, which started at 3 p.m., almost exactly 24 hours after she and Bodie met in the delivery room.
Bailiff is so glad that she went.
The new mom has no regrets. She told Good Morning America that her husband and son watched her on FaceTime, and she knew she had made the right decision as soon as she walked in the door. She had just taken and passed her boards May 1. It was a great week for the new mom.
“l worked really hard to do it all and to accomplish my dreams and goals,” she said. “And it was all for Bodie.”
The new supermom was lauded by University of North Carolina staff.
The new mom’s accomplishments were not lost on the university, which praised Bailiff for all she accomplished through her pregnancy and beyond.
“The commencement ceremony represents the start of a new role or career. The fact that Dr. Abby Bailiff felt so compelled to attend her ceremony after years of study for her DNP degree represents her resilience, perseverance, passion and dedication to her school, classmates and family,” Debra J. Barksdale, dean of the UNCG School of Nursing, told Good Morning America.
“Graduation is a joyous time and a highlight of the academic journey. We are so proud of all our students, but especially those who defy odds to achieve their dreams.”
Her sister made Bailiff and Bodie a viral sensation.
The nine-second clip shows all of the highlights: the baby, that first postpartum sandwich, a happy mom holding her sweet baby in the hospital, and her on stage in her cap and gown to receive her doctorate in nursing. It has fans of this supermom going wild.
“I don’t think Ive ever been so proud of someone I don’t know,” one comment reads.
“The biggest flex Women are so badass!” another person wrote.
“Lame me over here just doing laundry the next day. You go girl!” someone joked.
“This is the most badass thing I’ve ever seen. You should be woman of the year!!” a follower cheered.
“At the moment, I was just like, I’ll just go and do it, and then when my sister made the video, it just kind of put everything in perspective,” Bailiff said, according to Good Morning America. “I just felt like a superhero.”
