And then we were three...
On Tuesday, March 5th, after a regular day of work and 4 weeks of only being 1 cm dialated, I checked in to UAB's Women's and Infants' Center to begin the induction process to bring our sweet girl into the world. She was very content to stay warm and cozy inside, but she was officially out of growing room, and it was time to come out.
I was admitted to the hospital around 7:30 pm. We got there at 6:00, but the doctors and nurses were busy with deliveries, so we sat in the waiting room until they were ready for us.
We got into the room where the next day I knew I would be having my baby. They got me hooked up to monitors and started prepping me for the induction the next morning. My husband slept on a pull-out sofa in the delivery room with me. I was grateful that he didn't have to leave, and especially that he had a comfortable place to sleep as well.
Overnight, I had dialated to 4 cm. They got the pitocin going around 7:00, and I got my epidural around 8:30. Then, blissfully unaware of any contractions, I fell asleep.
I woke up a few hours later feeling pretty awesome! Well-rested, no pain... and when the doctor came to check on me, dialated to 8 cm! I had slept through basically the entire labor process (thank you epidural!!)
Now, everyone at the hospital and everyone I had told I was getting induced had said not to expect Parker to be born any earlier than Wednesday evening, and that it would probably closer to night time. That was no longer the case. By 2:00, I was fully dialated and it was time to push. My mom and brother and my friend Ryan left the delivery room to join my husband's family in the waiting room. My husband and the nurse helped me start pushing. The epidural was working so well that I had to watch the monitor to tell when a contraction was coming. It was working a little TOO well though, because I couldn't feel if I was pushing in the right place. After about an hour, the anesthesiologist came and turned down the epidural. I still wasn't in pain from the contractions, but now I could feel them and could tell that I was pushing.
By 3:30, Parker was well on her way out, and that's when the real pain kicked in. I was blazing hot, so my husband's job became to fan me and get me wet washclothes to cool me down. The end is a bit of a blur. I started thinking and saying that she was never going to come out. At one point I told the doctor who had said she could see the head, "then just go in there and pull her out!" I was exhausted, but I felt fierce. This baby was about to be here; all I had to do was push...
At 4:01, on a beautiful sunny day, my sweet girl came into the world. The pediatricians got her immediately because she had inhaled fluids on her way out. They got her all cleaned up, weighed, and measured, and then handed her to me.
On Friday, we found out that Parker's tongue was connected too far towards the tip, which explained why she had trouble latching. The pediatrician called a pediatric ENT at Children's Hospital South to try to get her in to be seen that day. They could see her at 1:45. It was 11:30. We had to rush to get discharged to make the appointment. It was a mad dash! Ryan and Andrew got everything packed while I had to go over a BUNCH of paper work with the discharge nurse and get myself ready to go. We left the hospital at 1:00.
I was admitted to the hospital around 7:30 pm. We got there at 6:00, but the doctors and nurses were busy with deliveries, so we sat in the waiting room until they were ready for us.
We got into the room where the next day I knew I would be having my baby. They got me hooked up to monitors and started prepping me for the induction the next morning. My husband slept on a pull-out sofa in the delivery room with me. I was grateful that he didn't have to leave, and especially that he had a comfortable place to sleep as well.
Overnight, I had dialated to 4 cm. They got the pitocin going around 7:00, and I got my epidural around 8:30. Then, blissfully unaware of any contractions, I fell asleep.
I woke up a few hours later feeling pretty awesome! Well-rested, no pain... and when the doctor came to check on me, dialated to 8 cm! I had slept through basically the entire labor process (thank you epidural!!)
Now, everyone at the hospital and everyone I had told I was getting induced had said not to expect Parker to be born any earlier than Wednesday evening, and that it would probably closer to night time. That was no longer the case. By 2:00, I was fully dialated and it was time to push. My mom and brother and my friend Ryan left the delivery room to join my husband's family in the waiting room. My husband and the nurse helped me start pushing. The epidural was working so well that I had to watch the monitor to tell when a contraction was coming. It was working a little TOO well though, because I couldn't feel if I was pushing in the right place. After about an hour, the anesthesiologist came and turned down the epidural. I still wasn't in pain from the contractions, but now I could feel them and could tell that I was pushing.
By 3:30, Parker was well on her way out, and that's when the real pain kicked in. I was blazing hot, so my husband's job became to fan me and get me wet washclothes to cool me down. The end is a bit of a blur. I started thinking and saying that she was never going to come out. At one point I told the doctor who had said she could see the head, "then just go in there and pull her out!" I was exhausted, but I felt fierce. This baby was about to be here; all I had to do was push...
At 4:01, on a beautiful sunny day, my sweet girl came into the world. The pediatricians got her immediately because she had inhaled fluids on her way out. They got her all cleaned up, weighed, and measured, and then handed her to me.
She was perfectly shaped, not squished. A healthy 7 lbs 15 oz and 20.25 inches long. We fell in love immediately. After getting everything in order and making sure we were ready, we went up to the mommy/baby unit.
Daddy got to push Parker.
Door to our room
We had a FLOOD of visitors. Everyone was so excited to finally meet Parker!
Ryan was there nearly the whole time to take pictures. This is one of my favorites.
On Friday, we found out that Parker's tongue was connected too far towards the tip, which explained why she had trouble latching. The pediatrician called a pediatric ENT at Children's Hospital South to try to get her in to be seen that day. They could see her at 1:45. It was 11:30. We had to rush to get discharged to make the appointment. It was a mad dash! Ryan and Andrew got everything packed while I had to go over a BUNCH of paper work with the discharge nurse and get myself ready to go. We left the hospital at 1:00.
We finally made it home in the early evening on Friday, March 8th. We are still trying to get the hang of things with a newborn, but she is doing very well, and we could not ask for more. I have never felt more blessed and more loved than I do when I hold my baby girl or see my husband holding her. We had nearly three years as a family of two, but now we are three, and I am happier than I've ever been.
Congratulations! She is adorable!
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