The Sutterfields welcome baby boy Alijah

Being their first pregnancy, Alli and Andrew Sutterfield didn’t know what to expect. 
They simply knew they were expecting, and they were thrilled about it.

Thankfully, Alli’s pregnancy went smoothly. She gladly skipped morning sickness, enabling her to begin her 7 a.m. shifts as an imaging tech at Lone Peak Hospital (the same hospital she’d deliver at), and she was able to continue working throughout pregnancy. At around the 38-week mark, Alli’s baby began pushing hard against her spine. The intense sciatica pain made it difficult to walk, and Alli knew it was time to transfer her baby boy from the womb to her arms.

On induction day, June 19, 2023, Andrew calmly drove Alli to the familiar Lone Peak Hospital, and by 8 a.m. Alli received Pitocin to induce labor. That’s when things began progressing quickly. Just three hours later, Alli was 100 percent effaced and dilated to a five.

By 2 p.m. the pushing began. Little did they know, this most strenuous stage of labor would require the most time and everything Alli had to give. Thanfully, as the mom-to-be willingly sacrificed her body’s energy, the dad-to-be offered non-stop comfort and support.

“Andrew was great! … He brushed the hair out of my face in between pushes, rubbed the top of my head to help me relax … he held my leg, got me a washcloth for my head, offered to put on music … and even though he usually goes white as a ghost with the sight of blood, he was right up there, the whole time,” Alli said.

After three hours of pushing, Alli had exhausted her physical strength.

“I wanted to give up. I laid there, looking at the ceiling, and thought, ‘I can’t do anymore,’” Alli remembered. “But my nurse [Bethany Hall], who was in there the whole time, kept trying different methods to help me push … and they worked.”

For example, Nurse Bethany handed Alli one end of a towel and told Alli to pull. Nurse Bethany held onto the other end of the towel, pulling in the opposite direction.

“She was strong! She almost pulled me off my bed! So, I pulled back more. She brought the competitive side out of me – in a good way!”  Alli said.

With that extra pushing, Baby Sutterfield was nearly ready for his debut. For a final dose of motivation, Nurse Bethany brought in a mirror to show Alli the headway being made.

“I’m a visual person, and I could see that he was right there – I could literally push one more time and I’d be done. That was incredible to see! I don’t remember actually seeing him in the mirror coming out all the way, but I do remember the feeling,” Alli said.

After three hours of pushing, Dr. Kathleen Langer delivered Baby Alijah Robert Sutterfield, who entered the world weighing 8 lbs. 12 oz. and measuring 12.5 inches long. Then, without hesitation, Andrew cut the cord.

Alijah arrived with beautiful blue eyes, a head of jet-black hair, and a fan club waiting to adore him. Alli’s parents and brother and sister-in-law had been sitting in the lobby throughout delivery, and they soon swooned over Alijah’s adorableness.

Alijah’s name, pronounced similarly to Elijah (as in Elijah Wood, who plays Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings), had a nice ring to it. Alli’s dad and Andrew’s grandpa share the name Robert, so Alijah’s middle name has a double-strong family connection.

One thing’s for sure, Alijah’s calm and happy disposition not only grew their family in number, but it grew the united deepness of their love. Welcome to the world, little one!