the birth story

parker ray 4.26.2010.

So much for an induction on Cinco de Mayo. Parker had other plans... and they were to come two days before his due date. Now that I know him, I can't imagine having gone another day without him in our lives.

Here's a quick synopsis of Parker's entrance into the world:

Monday (Sunday night)

12:30am - Started timing painful contractions. They were about 8-9 minutes apart, but coming regularly.
2:00am - Woke Sam up to let him know I'd been timing painful contractions for the last hour and a half. They were about 6-7 minutes apart now. He turns on the tv.
3:30am - Arrive at the hospital, we are put in an exam room and my contractions are monitored along with Parker's heartrate. Contractions are about 4-5 minutes apart now and HURT.
4:30am - Nurse tells us to go walk around the hospital halls to try and speed things up. Easy for her to say. Ouch. My water breaks while walking around the hall. Wow, this is happening.
5:00am - We are admitted to the hospital and put in a delivery room. All I can think about in between contractions is "Where is the freakin' anesthesiologist? Get me an epidural!!"
5:30am - Epidural is put in. I could have kissed that man. I didn't though.

6:00am - 9:00am - Epidural is working amazingly. I'm able to rest my eyes and relax, and Sam turns on a movie. We watched Angels and Demons.
9:00am - Parker is making his way through my pelvis. This is called transition. It should have been called torture. I was made to lay on each side for 30 minutes with one leg up in a stirrup while super painful contractions come every 2-3 minutes. Sam and the nurse do an amazing job helping me breath through the contractions and I realize if I just don't lose my cool and really focus on breathing, I might make it through this. Jodi (Sam's little sister) and Jason (her husband) were here for the last 30 minutes of this. I hope I didn't scar Jodi from the birthing experience for life because of my full body convulsing. I shook like I was freezing to death throughout the entire labor. I wasn't cold though... they assured me it was normal. I think it was a mix of my body being in shock, me being the most emotional and freaked out I've ever been in my entire life, and the epidural.
10:00am - It's time to push. Jodi and Jason leave the room and it's just Sam, the delivery nurse and me. Pretty soon a 4th little guy will be joining us. Don't ask me where the doctor is.
10:30am - Parker's head is making progress on the outside. The nurse says it could be another hour or so. I tell her, you don't know how hard I can push. Or, at least that's what I was thinking. This is the worst pain I've ever felt in my entire life.
10:35am - I think I'm going to die. I tell Sam and the nurse I can't do it anymore. The nurse says I have to, this baby's coming. In my mind I realize if I don't buck up and do this something much worse will happen. The baby will be stressed out and I would have to be whisked away for a c-section. I'm not sure where us women going through childbirth get the strength to do what has to be done in this situation. I was sure I was going to die.I also yell at Sam at this point to count through my contractions faster. He's counting like "1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10." I really would have preferred "1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10." But alas, the contractions nor the counting got any faster.
10:43am - The baby's head is stuck at the largest point. This is referred to the "Ring of Fire." The nurse says it's the hardest part and I need to push faster inbetween breaths or he'd make backwards progress. I scream as loud as I can (yeah, it was like a bad labor scene in a movie) and push like my life (and my baby's life) depended on it.

10:44am - parker ray is born.

Yup. There was no stop at the shoulders, there was no turning of the baby. His head shot out, and out shot his entire body along with it. The nurse yelled at the top of her lungs for the doctor, who immediately came running in. Sam jumps up and yells, "He's here! He's here! You did it!"Both of us thought what had happened was totally normal, until we realize the doctor hadn't been there and the nurse was freaking out about how quickly he had shot out.

Parker was immediately placed on my chest and was crying the most beautiful cry I've ever heard. He was totally ok. I wasn't. Babies aren't supposed to come out that fast, and I had sustained a 4th degree tear. I don't need to explain what that means, just know that it comes along with a lot of pain and stitches. But, I'm totally recovering well and if that's the worst thing I have to go through to get this PERFECT little baby boy home with us, I would do it a million times more.

Parker has been such an amazing baby and has the sweetest little personality. I know he's only 5 days old, but already I feel like he's grown a ton. Everyday he opens his eyes a little wider and makes a new face. It has been amazing getting to know him, and watching Sam and me getting to know ourselves as parents.

Having him in our house has been fun, and a huge adjustment. Sam has been amazing, and Parker has been very forgiving with our fumbling hands and amateur clothes-changing abilities. But we're learning quickly and I'm so thankful for natural maternal instincts that make it easier than I could ever imagined to love and care for this little baby who is so dependent on me to live.

this little boy is so loved.