Parker's Birth Story PART II

So where were we? Oh YES, Parker was preparing to make his debut to this world 5.5 weeks early! If you missed my last post I explained how labor came on…

Well the big question everyone wants to know for every baby born is always – did you get the epidural? Now I wanted to attempt to go pain-med-free. But people who have never had a baby and who have never practiced any techniques for managing that kind of pain have absolutely no business using the terms "pain-med-fee" and "having-a-baby" in the same sentence. But what do we know? We’ve never been THERE before!

I have to say first that Honey was amazing as a birth partner! I didn’t need a doula! In fact I’m considering hiring him out as birthing partner because he was just that good! He helped me through each contraction like it was something he did every day of his life. True to his style, Honey didn’t get unnecessarily amped up. He spoke calmly and softly, he rubbed my back and face, he talked me through each contraction. It was wonderful! Well except for the pain… but he couldn't control that. Honey was truly great!

I made it until I was dilated to 8.5. The nurse told me that I had to make a decision. By this time the contractions were pretty painful and I wasn’t sure how long labor would take. I decided to get the epidural and I’m so glad I did! Next time I’ll get it sooner! It was great! I could talk, laugh, comprehend what others said, focus, listen, I was like… ME!

What felt like one minute after getting the epidural it was time to push! I pushed for less than 10 minutes and Parker James was in my arms. Ah. Maze. Ing. !!

Right before showtime!

 

Holding our little peanut

Family of three

So to recap here is how we went from, as Honey puts it, ZERO to BABY:

Friday 11:59 pm                Laugh about the false labor “close call”

Saturday 12:30 pm           Check into hospital

Saturday 4:20 pm             Learn we’re having a baby...today

Saturday 6:46 pm             Hold Parker for the first time

WOW! And here are Parker's Stats:

4.8 Pounds (yes tiny!)
17" (not too shabby)
Born on Saturday, May 12 at 6:46 p.m.

Honey cutting the cord

Well that was certainly exciting. Honey even told me that between pushes I stopped and looked at him and said – This is SOOO surreal! And it was. But our world was about to change. Because Parker was born 5.5 weeks early (which is well established from my previous post) he did not have fully developed lungs. He was not able to breathe well on his own. He would need to go to the NICU. 

You mean I can’t breastfeed him right away? No.

You mean I can’t hold him longer? No.

You mean he won’t be in our room tonight? No.

You mean he won’t be coming home with us in 2 days? No.

No. No. No. No. Noooooooooooooooooo…

Parker was whisked away to the NICU after Honey and I held him for about two minutes. His doctor came to our room to talk to us and shared that in addition to his Pre Term Lung Disease (common in premie’s) Parker’s heart rate shot up to an alarming level and he would need further monitoring. Our hospital was not equipped to handle heart issues like this so our son was going to be transferred to a fabulous Children’s Hospital about 45 minutes away. 

They brought Parker to see us. He was in a huge incubator with tubes and wires and he was just so small… We touched his little hand and cried and talked to him and told him we loved him and said goodbye. They drove him to the Children’s Hospital. We sat there stunned.

Saying goodbye only two hours after saying hello...

Honey stayed with me that night. I couldn’t leave the hospital and they explained that there was nothing Honey could do at the Children’s Hospital. There wasn’t even a bed for him there. I needed him. Parker was in good hands. Our hearts were broken into pieces all over the cold hospital floor. We needed each other.

The next day Honey drove to the Children’s Hospital while the sun was coming up. My doctor discharged me at 10 am – she knew I wanted to get to my baby. My parents and Honey's parents had all arrived the night before and they were all so very helpful! Honey's parents went with him early that morning and my parents picked me up from the hospital and drove me to be with my little family.

Here are some pictures of our little one when he was one day old at the Children's Hospital:

Holding him for the first time for as long as I wanted!

Stay tuned for Part III - Surviving the Children's Hospital and taking our baby boy HOME!