I wanted to do a timeline because I am already forgetting the timing of things. The day moved so fast I didn't even have time to chart it as we went but this is how things were to the best of my memory!
October 16 2011
8:30 p.m: Mommy takes a sleeping pill and two extra strength tylenol to get her to rest.10:30 p.m.: Daddy tries to go to bed and hears mommy's monstrous snoring and decides to sleep in the living room.
October 17 2011
2:58 a.m.: After sleepless hours, worried that the alarms would not go off, Daddy suddenly wakes up and realizes that the alarms indeed did not go off. Daddy calls Labor and Delivery to make sure the induction is still a go, and gets a "Yes! We'll see you at 4."
3:00 a.m. - 3:20 a.m.: Mommy and Daddy get ready, and Mommy gets a blessing from Daddy and Grandpa Woolsey. Mommy and Daddy hit the road to Cedar City.
4:15 a.m.: Mommy and Daddy check into Valley View Medical Center in Cedar City.
4:40 a.m.: Mommy is all hooked up to her IV, and gets her first Cytotec. Nurse Whitney check Mommy to find she is only at a 1 with no other progress to speak of. MOmmy and Daddy take a short nap.
7:40 a.m.: Nurse Ginger checks Mommy's progress. She's at a 2+ and starting to have mild contractions. Mommy eats breakfast, her last meal as she enters active labor. Nurse Ginger gave Mommy a second Cytotec. Daddy and mommy watch an episode of Psych but mommy falls asleep towards the end and her contractions start dying down for a little bit.
8:30 a.m.: Mommy sits up and after painful contraction, her water breaks. She's not sure if she peed her pants or her water broke, so the nurse checks, and it was her water! Mommy is excited it broke on it's own!
9:00 a.m. - Nurse Ginger checks mom, and she is at a 3.
9:15 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.: Mommy puts on her big girl panties and walks around until the contractions get too intense. Laurie comes to check on mommy, and tells nurse Ginger to start her on Pitocin because the contractions are getting closer together.
10:50 a.m.: Nurse Ginger checks mommy to see if she made it to her goal of making to a 4. Mommy is happy to hear she is at a 4 and asks for the epidural.
THE LONGEST 40 MINUTES LATER!!! Mommy's contractions have gotten so intense, mommy wants to scream at the nurse every time she offers any words of encouragement.
11:30 a.m.:Wayne the anesthesiologist finally arrives.
11:55 a.m.: Mommy's epidural is in place. Nurse Ginger tells mommy to let her know if she feels any pressure, but mommy doesn't say anything because she thinks the pressure is from the meds kicking in, and enjoys the sweet relief of the drugs. Ginger starts a pitocin drip at level one...which really wasn't needed....
12:15 p.m.: Nurse Ginger puts in mommy's catheter. Mommy tells her she has some pressure, so the nurse checks her again. Nurse Ginger, "This is why I wanted you to tell me immediately when you had pressure. You're complete!"Mommy: "As in it's about time to push?!" Nurse Ginger told mommy that she guessed baby would be here within the hour and had her do a test push to see how things were moving. She got Laurie and let her know of mommy's progress.
12:22 p.m.: Daddy calls grandma Betsy to see where she is. She is on the Boulevard, still in St. George. She's surprised to hear that little Parker is on his way out so fast but says she'll hurry! She has grandpa Scott, aunt Tasha and big brother Connor in the car with her and aunt Desi and her friend Gabby are 4 miles behind them on the freeway. Mommy tells nurse Ginger and worries they will all miss it. She tells mommy that we can wait to push and don't have to rush it as long as baby keeps doing ok. We made guesses at the baby's weight- Ben didn't even know what to guess but I guessed he'd weigh 7 lbs 7 oz and Ginger guessed he'd be 7 lbs 6 oz. I think I even guessed he'd be 20 inches long.
Laurie keeps checking mommy to make sure the baby isn't popping out on his own. Mommy keeps her legs together to keep baby in until everyone arrives! She tells Nurse ginger to holler for her as soon as she sees the whites of grandma's eyes!
1:21 p.m.: Grandma Betsy and Tasha come into the room and Laurie says, "OK grandma's here, let's open your legs and have a baby!" Soon after mommy gets into position aunt Desi and grandpa come in too. YES mommy lets her dad be in the room to see it all- mommy isn't shy!
1:26 p.m. : After one push Laurie tells mommy to look down and see the head- she's hesitant but looks anyway, and then Laurie has mommy reach down with both hands and pull baby Parker the rest of the way out and onto her tummy!
The rest is messy and medical but Laurie did a good fast job of getting mommy ready to take care of Parker. Parker started nursing almost immediately. He has been a good little eater so far!
Connor got to come in and meet his baby brother after he had started nursing- so about 15 minutes after he was born. He had such big smiles when he saw Parker for the first time and called him by name and kept saying "Baby!" It was so awesome and sweet. I wish I had 10 eyes so I could have taken it all in, but a lot of it is on video I hope!
It all happened so fast I didn't even cry at first. I was so SO exuberant to have that little boy here! While we were waiting for everyone to arrive I felt so peaceful and mellow. I even told Ben I felt like I could just take a little nap! After such hard fast contractions it was so nice to lay there and have a small break before he came into the world. It was my goal to make it to a 4 before the epidural, and thank goodness I didn't go any further because I think I barely got the meds in time! Right as the pain was edging off the urge to push appeared so I know I was close to having this baby au naturale!
After holding Parker on my chest for a little while, getting to know him in those first few minutes I felt such a joyful love for him and started to cry a little, knowing my little baby boy was finally in my arms. It wasn't chaotic but with how fast he came I felt like it was so unreal and couldn't even remember that Ben had been holding my leg up! But then I realized I couldn't have reached down and pulled baby to me if I had been holding my own leg. Chalk it up to exhaustion and the excitement of the moment! It was so SO different from Connor's birth. The room was better lit, there were less nurses but more people there- Ashlee was on Skype watching as well. I think next baby will be born with just mommy and daddy in the room. It was fun to have everyone there but I think it would have been relaxing to have just us and maybe my mom there. It was awesome letting my sisters be there and experience the miracle of bringing a baby into the world though!
I couldn't stop saying how easy and fun and wonderful the day had been. I felt like such a champion! I had endured some horrid pain and pushed through it so I could get this boy here sooner. I definitely surpassed my pain tolerance from my childbirth with Connor. Ben said he had a hard time not laughing at some of my contractions because I was making some fun noises! He kept waiting for the swear words to pop out and said he almost told me "Oh just swear! You'll feel better!" But I had a hard enough time keeping my breathing steady and had no time for cursing :-)
Having Parker has made me love life so much! It has increased my love for things so much more- including my love for Ben and Connor. It is so much less intimidating and scary to have this baby home- I don't feel quite so overwhelmed. Having the help of my family is definitely awesome and I don't know what I'd do without them! My mom is a huge help and has made life so much better! Poor Ben has had a cold but was such a great support to me. Walking the halls he was such a good bear hugger when I'd need to stop for contractions. Smelling him was so soothing to me and really made the pain easier to bear. He's such a good husband and father and I'm so glad he doesn't have a job right now for the sole purpose of being home with his family!
Recovery is going well and since I didn't have to push hard and didn't hardly tear, I'm just mostly trying to get rest when I can. I had to type this before I forgot any details. I'll probably add more later on as I remember things!
We were lucky my mom won a newborn hospital session at the What Women Want Expo in April, so Rachael Steele of Steele The Moment Photography came and took some pics of Parker yesterday! Here are those pics as well as some from delivery :-)
Us and Laurie
Connor giving Parker knuckles! Haha
Love this one...
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