Within 24 hours, Abby Bailiff had her first child and walked across the stage to receive her doctorate degree.
Bailiff, 28, of Thomasville, North Carolina, completed the three-year doctor of nursing practice program while also working full time. She worked as a registered nurse, overnight so she could attend school during the day. She also passed her board exam on May 1st.
Bailiff said her due date was April 27th, and when that day passed and even more after that, she became more nervous.
She was set to graduate from the UNCF Greensboro School of Nursing scheduled for May 4th.
“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.”
Without any complications, baby Bodie was born. She spent the night in the hospital and was discharged the next day, her graduation day.
“I was still debating on whether I was going [to graduation] or not, because I didn’t want to be, like, a bad mom and just up and leave him right when I got home,” Bailiff said. “But around 1:30, I was like, ‘I think I should really do this.’ My sister and mom were here, and they were like, ‘Well, let’s get you ready.'”
Less than two hours later she was walking into her graduation, about 24 hours after Bodie was born.
“Once I got there and I walked in, I was like, I’m so glad I came,” Bailiff thought. “It was an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment. I can’t even describe the feeling I felt. I was just overjoyed.”
Bailiff’s husband and Bodie watched from home via FaceTime as she walked across the stage and graduated.
“l worked really hard to do it all and to accomplish my dreams and goals,” she said. “And it was all for Bodie.”
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