Parker's Birth Story
We are no longer in the yellow brick house, and I haven't used this space since we moved, however, I wanted to document Parker's birth story and this seemed like a good way to do it. Enjoy this one-time return to the blog.
March 16th was my due date. At each doctor's appointment leading up to it, I came in hopeful that I was making some progress. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to change. At my last check, I wasn't even dilated to a one yet, so we set an induction date. I did a little negotiating with Dr. Shreck so he would set it later in hopes of the little man coming on his own, but in the end, we found ourselves heading to the hospital on March 19.
One of the pros of being induced is knowing when you will be going to the hospital so you can make arrangements. We asked Kyle's parents to stay with Decker and Oliver overnight and to come early enough so we could have our "last meal" with them. After we ate, we loaded the car, grabbed a few photos with our boys and headed to check-in just a few minutes late.
Our night nurse, Catie, got us all settled in and started a drug overnight that is supposed to prep you for induction the next day. It was a different kind than I had last time, and she said it sometimes brings labor on more quickly, so we were excited to get things going. I had some anxiety the night before Decker was born because I wasn't sure what to expect. With Parker, I was less anxious and just excited to meet the little guy. So we settled in and watched Beauty and the Beast until it was time to attempt sleep. Every time I got up or changed positions in bed, Catie would have to come in and adjust the monitor. On top of that, the medicine had to be administered every 4 hours, so she came in for that, too. And the cherry on top was several periods of a long, high pitched beeping noise coming from the machines in the room. Apparently they were testing out some pressure system in the walls and it was causing things to go haywire. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep.
However, by the time 5 a.m. rolled around, I had drifted off. They had to wake me at 6:30 for shift change so Catie could introduce us to our day nurse. I won't share her name here because we were less than thrilled with her. I have never had anything but fabulous nurses in the labor and delivery unit at Stillwater Medical Center and that was true this time, too, aside from the one who was actually in on the delivery, but there's more on that to come. I went back to sleep and Dr. Shreck had to wake me when he got there around 7:30 a.m.
He was surprised at how little progress I had made over night. Still just dilated to a one and not really having any noticeable contractions, so he ordered a high dose of pitocin and broke my water. They got the fluids going right away so I could get an epidural if I wanted one this time. I was still on the fence. Having a fear of needles and knowing I had been through natural childbirth before, I thought there may be a chance I could go without it if things progressed quickly. However, breaking my water only helped slightly. Contractions did start, but they didn't get intense until 9:30 a.m. My parents and sister had arrived by then, so they were in the room when I asked for some IV pain medicine. Just before injecting it, the nurse warned me that it might make me "a little loopy." Two seconds later, the room was spinning.
I am not sure where the nurse went or what she was doing, but Kyle and Mom were trying to tend to me, laying me down and getting a cold washcloth for my head. I could still hear and understand everything going on around me, but I had to close my eyes and lay down to keep from getting sick. Shortly after that, the nurse checked me. It took FOREVER for her to finally decide that I was just at a 2. I wasn't very pleasant because I had lost my patience with her at this point. There were several unfortunate encounters that morning, including almost getting the IV ripped out of my hand when she tripped over the tubes. I recognize that everyone is human and we make mistakes, but there were too many to count and that gave me no faith or trust in the care she provided.
The pain medicine wasn't doing much but making me feel sick, so I asked for an epidural. After what felt like an eternity, the anesthesiologist came in. He explained everything to me first and then started the process, which mesmerized Kyle. The nurse had positioned me wrong on the bed, so we had to move things around and get me re-situated between contractions. It took a little while for the epidural to kick in, but once it did, I was very relaxed. I could still feel the effects of the IV meds as I laid there, but the pain had subsided. For the next hour or so, I laid there resting my eyes and feeling like I was in a wave pool as the pressure of contractions would come and go.
At 12:30, the nurse came in to check me again. This time, I had made lots of progress. I was an eight and she felt like the baby could come any minute. I asked her how I was going to know it was happening. It was so different this time not really being able to feel everything. She didn't really give me an answer but just said to call them if I experienced any change.
Kyle's parents had delivered lunch to him, and he left the room to find a microwave. While he was gone, I called the nurse in because I felt the need to push. I apologized for calling her in again so soon, certain that I was probably still just an eight. But when she checked me, she said I was complete and they called the doctor. Kyle was back in the room, trying to find the right channel on the TV, and I told him he'd better get to eating his food if he wanted to eat it before the baby got here.
Waiting on the doctor this time was nothing compared to the last time. When he got there, we got right to pushing. Kyle and the nurses had to tell me when contractions were coming because I couldn't feel them. It was so strangely different from the last time. After each push, the doctor and nurses said, "We'll have a baby on your next one." That turned out not to be true a few times, but in all, I only had to push for about 15 minutes and Parker was here!
Kyle said he looked like Decker's twin as they put him on my chest for some
brief skin to skin time. Dr. Shreck estimated he was over eight pounds, and
said he was glad we hadn't waited any longer to induce. They took him over to
be weighed and, sure enough, he was 8lbs. 3.7oz. Kyle shared the good news with
our family and remembered to announce the name this time. :)
The next few hours were a bit of a blur. The meds were still wearing off, and
I was sleepy and queasy. Mom tried to encourage me to rest, but I told her this
was the fun part, getting to see everyone meet Parker. During that time, Parker
had to be put under the warmer to get his body temperature back up, but we
finally got to try nursing. That's what we were doing when Kyle surprised me by
walking in with Decker. He got to take a peek at his little brother but wasn't
sure what to think. Then, Parker started crying and tears streamed down
Decker's face as he looked back and forth between me and Parker with confusion.
He wanted to sit with me, so Parker got some Grandma cuddles while Decker and I
snuggled on the bed. He was getting upset, so we whipped out the big brother
present "from Parker." Fortunately, once he pulled out some Hot
Wheels, his mood changed pretty quickly.
Decker stayed until 4 o'clock or so and then Kyle took him home so he could go
to Nana and Papa's house for the night. Meanwhile, Parker and I had been moved
to a regular room. Thankfully, I was feeling OK to walk down the hall since
there was really no wheelchair or assistance offered to me. Our nurse was
fidgeting on the computer and despite me asking several times where we should
go, I ultimately had to wander out into the hall and find out from the nurse's
station.
I felt great at this point because the medicine had worn off and Parker was doing an awesome job nursing, which was totally foreign to me after having so much trouble with Decker. Our night nurse, Joanne, was extremely helpful and that was a breath of fresh air. We sent Parker back to the nursery in the night in hopes of getting some decent sleep before checking out the next day. That plan worked pretty well. Mom made it back to the hospital around 10 a.m. the next morning, just as Parker was getting his hearing test done. She and I split the new parent celebratory steak dinner for lunch, while Kyle opted for a Jimmy John's sandwich instead. (He won't admit it, but I think he regrets turning his nose up at hospital food. That dessert was amazing!)
At 2:15 p.m., they rolled me out of the hospital, and we were headed home. Mom stayed that first week, and it was nothing short of wonderful. Decker went back to daycare in hopes of keeping him in some sort of routine, and Mom, Kyle and I enjoyed baby snuggles all day long - in between feedings, diaper changes and March Madness bracket checks, of course. Parker is the best baby. He eats well, sleeps well and is super patient with us when it's time to change him or give him a bath. It's pretty great. At five days old, he was over his birth weight tipping the scales at 8 lbs. 6.5 oz.
I know not everyone loves the baby stage, but I can't get enough of it. There was a time when I wondered if we would ever have kids. I am so grateful that we did. They are the biggest blessing, and I truly feel I was made to do this whole motherhood thing. If you need me between now and June, I'll be at home, just loving on all my boys. :)
March 16th was my due date. At each doctor's appointment leading up to it, I came in hopeful that I was making some progress. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to change. At my last check, I wasn't even dilated to a one yet, so we set an induction date. I did a little negotiating with Dr. Shreck so he would set it later in hopes of the little man coming on his own, but in the end, we found ourselves heading to the hospital on March 19.
We were keeping the name a secret, but we did share that it started with a 'P.' That got my office mates thinking. They had this pool going for what he would be named and when he would come. I think Kristy ended up being the closest on everything.
This is me on my due date. Unfortunately, it came and went with no real excitement.
The nursery was all ready. Just waiting on baby.
One of the pros of being induced is knowing when you will be going to the hospital so you can make arrangements. We asked Kyle's parents to stay with Decker and Oliver overnight and to come early enough so we could have our "last meal" with them. After we ate, we loaded the car, grabbed a few photos with our boys and headed to check-in just a few minutes late.
Our last photo as a family of three (plus, Oliver who looks thrilled!)
Our night nurse, Catie, got us all settled in and started a drug overnight that is supposed to prep you for induction the next day. It was a different kind than I had last time, and she said it sometimes brings labor on more quickly, so we were excited to get things going. I had some anxiety the night before Decker was born because I wasn't sure what to expect. With Parker, I was less anxious and just excited to meet the little guy. So we settled in and watched Beauty and the Beast until it was time to attempt sleep. Every time I got up or changed positions in bed, Catie would have to come in and adjust the monitor. On top of that, the medicine had to be administered every 4 hours, so she came in for that, too. And the cherry on top was several periods of a long, high pitched beeping noise coming from the machines in the room. Apparently they were testing out some pressure system in the walls and it was causing things to go haywire. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep.
However, by the time 5 a.m. rolled around, I had drifted off. They had to wake me at 6:30 for shift change so Catie could introduce us to our day nurse. I won't share her name here because we were less than thrilled with her. I have never had anything but fabulous nurses in the labor and delivery unit at Stillwater Medical Center and that was true this time, too, aside from the one who was actually in on the delivery, but there's more on that to come. I went back to sleep and Dr. Shreck had to wake me when he got there around 7:30 a.m.
He was surprised at how little progress I had made over night. Still just dilated to a one and not really having any noticeable contractions, so he ordered a high dose of pitocin and broke my water. They got the fluids going right away so I could get an epidural if I wanted one this time. I was still on the fence. Having a fear of needles and knowing I had been through natural childbirth before, I thought there may be a chance I could go without it if things progressed quickly. However, breaking my water only helped slightly. Contractions did start, but they didn't get intense until 9:30 a.m. My parents and sister had arrived by then, so they were in the room when I asked for some IV pain medicine. Just before injecting it, the nurse warned me that it might make me "a little loopy." Two seconds later, the room was spinning.
I am not sure where the nurse went or what she was doing, but Kyle and Mom were trying to tend to me, laying me down and getting a cold washcloth for my head. I could still hear and understand everything going on around me, but I had to close my eyes and lay down to keep from getting sick. Shortly after that, the nurse checked me. It took FOREVER for her to finally decide that I was just at a 2. I wasn't very pleasant because I had lost my patience with her at this point. There were several unfortunate encounters that morning, including almost getting the IV ripped out of my hand when she tripped over the tubes. I recognize that everyone is human and we make mistakes, but there were too many to count and that gave me no faith or trust in the care she provided.
The pain medicine wasn't doing much but making me feel sick, so I asked for an epidural. After what felt like an eternity, the anesthesiologist came in. He explained everything to me first and then started the process, which mesmerized Kyle. The nurse had positioned me wrong on the bed, so we had to move things around and get me re-situated between contractions. It took a little while for the epidural to kick in, but once it did, I was very relaxed. I could still feel the effects of the IV meds as I laid there, but the pain had subsided. For the next hour or so, I laid there resting my eyes and feeling like I was in a wave pool as the pressure of contractions would come and go.
At 12:30, the nurse came in to check me again. This time, I had made lots of progress. I was an eight and she felt like the baby could come any minute. I asked her how I was going to know it was happening. It was so different this time not really being able to feel everything. She didn't really give me an answer but just said to call them if I experienced any change.
Kyle's parents had delivered lunch to him, and he left the room to find a microwave. While he was gone, I called the nurse in because I felt the need to push. I apologized for calling her in again so soon, certain that I was probably still just an eight. But when she checked me, she said I was complete and they called the doctor. Kyle was back in the room, trying to find the right channel on the TV, and I told him he'd better get to eating his food if he wanted to eat it before the baby got here.
Waiting on the doctor this time was nothing compared to the last time. When he got there, we got right to pushing. Kyle and the nurses had to tell me when contractions were coming because I couldn't feel them. It was so strangely different from the last time. After each push, the doctor and nurses said, "We'll have a baby on your next one." That turned out not to be true a few times, but in all, I only had to push for about 15 minutes and Parker was here!
The proud Daddy.
Parker Miles Fox born at 1:12 p.m.
8 lbs. 3.7 oz 20.25 in. long
Poppy with his namesake. We struggled to decide on Parker's first name, but we had his middle name picked out from the beginning. We wanted it to be the same as his Poppy's middle name.
Decker reluctantly meeting his little brother.
Let the craziness begin!
I felt great at this point because the medicine had worn off and Parker was doing an awesome job nursing, which was totally foreign to me after having so much trouble with Decker. Our night nurse, Joanne, was extremely helpful and that was a breath of fresh air. We sent Parker back to the nursery in the night in hopes of getting some decent sleep before checking out the next day. That plan worked pretty well. Mom made it back to the hospital around 10 a.m. the next morning, just as Parker was getting his hearing test done. She and I split the new parent celebratory steak dinner for lunch, while Kyle opted for a Jimmy John's sandwich instead. (He won't admit it, but I think he regrets turning his nose up at hospital food. That dessert was amazing!)
Decker always crossed his ankles like this, so I thought it was so sweet to see Parker doing the same. They looked less and less alike to us the more we studied Parker, but their expressions are spot on!
Parker did a great job with his hearing test. They did it in your room this time, so I got to hold him and watch how it works. It was pretty cool.
Bon Appetit!
At 2:15 p.m., they rolled me out of the hospital, and we were headed home. Mom stayed that first week, and it was nothing short of wonderful. Decker went back to daycare in hopes of keeping him in some sort of routine, and Mom, Kyle and I enjoyed baby snuggles all day long - in between feedings, diaper changes and March Madness bracket checks, of course. Parker is the best baby. He eats well, sleeps well and is super patient with us when it's time to change him or give him a bath. It's pretty great. At five days old, he was over his birth weight tipping the scales at 8 lbs. 6.5 oz.
I know not everyone loves the baby stage, but I can't get enough of it. There was a time when I wondered if we would ever have kids. I am so grateful that we did. They are the biggest blessing, and I truly feel I was made to do this whole motherhood thing. If you need me between now and June, I'll be at home, just loving on all my boys. :)
Home at last.
Brothers (and Papa) reunited.
Meeting his cousins.
Jlyn took some newborn pics for us. This was one of my favorites, but she got a lot of good ones!
By day three, Decker was finally asking to hold Parker.
Decker tried to cheer him up by 'booping' his nose. Parker wasn't impressed.
A side by side of Decker (left) and Parker (right).
It was so great to have Mamo around. Parker loved her snuggles. He lifts his head like this all the time. Such a strong boy!
Bath time!
After the first weekend at home, Daddy went back to work. Lunch time snuggles are the best!
Parker's first walk to the pond.
As Mamo and Decker search for rocks to skip.
Eventually, it was time for Mom to go. Much to our surprise, we managed to get a quiet dinner together the night she left. Thanks to food prepping and technology! :)
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