Super mom gives birth and walks at doctorate graduation within 24 hours
Abby Bailiff recently received a doctorate degree and gave birth to her first child -- all within the span of 24 hours.
Bailiff, 28, of Thomasville, North Carolina, delivered her son Bodie on May 3, at 3:08 p.m.
She said her due date was April 27, and with each day that passed, she became more nervous about her upcoming graduation ceremony from the UNC Greensboro School of Nursing, which was scheduled for May 4.
"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."
Bailiff said Bodie's delivery was smooth, without any complications.
She and her son spent the night in the hospital, and were discharged the next day, on May 4.
"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, Bailiff said she was walking into her graduation ceremony, which started at 3 p.m., almost exactly 24 hours after Bodie was born.
While Bailiff's husband and Bodie watched from home via FaceTime, Bailiff walked across the stage after graduating from UNCG's doctor of nursing practice program.
"Once I got there and I walked in, I was like, I'm so glad I came," Bailiff recalled. "It was an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment. I can't even describe the feeling I felt. I was just overjoyed."
Bailiff said she completed the three-year doctor of nursing practice program while also working full-time as a registered nurse, often working the overnight shifts so she could attend school during the day. She completed the last stage of the program, clinicals, while she was in the final months of her pregnancy with Bodie.
On May 1, just two days before she gave birth, Bailiff said she also took and passed her board exam.
"l worked really hard to do it all and to accomplish my dreams and goals," she said. "And it was all for Bodie."
Debra J. Barksdale, dean of the UNCG School of Nursing, told "GMA" that Bailiff's commitment to attending the ceremony shows her "passion and dedication."
“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," Barksdale said in a statement. "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."
Bailiff's accomplishment went viral when her sister Hannah Allison posted a video on TikTok showing all she had accomplished.
The video is captioned, "POV: you become a mom & a doctor in the same 24 hours."
Bailiff said it caught her off guard when she saw a video that documented all she had done.
"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, adding, "I just felt like a superhero."
She said the video and the response to it online also put in perspective for her all that women can do.
"Women are just so capable of doing whatever we can to accomplish our goals and still be a mom and still have career goals as well," Bailiff said. "So, it was really cool to watch."
