Hello My Sunshine: Wow... so that's labor!

He is here! After 38 weeks and 6 days, Parker Ericson finally came! Do you remember how I said he was going to be huge? Remember how I was worried his head would be too big? Well... I was very very wrong. I'll get to his birth size later; let me tell you about his birth first.

Like I said in my previous post, I was walking around just praying he wouldn't fall out because my body was so ready, but I just wasn't in active labor. I went to the doctor on Monday January 7th and talked about being induced because, let's face it, if he wasn't going to come soon, I'd be induced any way. We scheduled the appointment to schedule being induced for Friday (yes, I said that right) in hopes that he'd come on his own, naturally. I also let her strip my membranes. Oh boy did she go to town on that. I was really scared. Everyone had told me over and over again that it is so painful and it just really sucked. It didn't hurt me. It just felt like a ton of pressure, but hey thats nothing compared to a human pressing down on my pelvis and walking around like that for weeks. The doctor said I may deliver within 24 to 48 hours if it worked. I was supposed to cramp up and bleed, but none of that happened. I thought they failed.

I went to bed like normal. Uncomfortable. At the end of pregnancy you wake up every thirty minutes to pee. Fifteen minutes after you pee you have to wake up because you are so uncomfortable. Just so you know, it takes an act of God to roll over in bed. I am not exaggerating. I would grab the bed frame and breathe in deep, flip to my back, another deep one, and complete the turn. It was miserable. Around two am I felt the urge to turn every seven to ten minutes. It was so weird. So I just gave up on sleep and turned on The Office. After about an hour I realized it was actually back contractions and they felt very different when you were laying down compared to standing up. I started timing them and breathing really loud. I mean obnoxiously, overdramatically loud trying to wake my husband up. He woke up a few times and asked how I was, only to fall asleep before I finished my answer. I was hoping this was go time and went down to bounce on that stupid yoga ball some more and time the contractions. I didn't want to get everyone's hopes up only to let them down so I waited until I was sure I'd be going to the hospital to tell my mama. Around 4:30 I told my mom I'd be going around 6 am. Of course she teased me for waiting awhile. I went and woke Eric up, showered, and forced him to make me breakfast. He made me bacon and pancakes; it was the best pre-delivery breakfast in the world. I got super cute to go deliver. I had my best hair day in weeks!

Right before we left for the hospital

We get to the hospital and deal with getting checked in. I'd just like to tell Mercy Gilbert that it is extremely dumb for them to have women in labor check in the disgusting emergency room. There were germs everywhere! So gross. We get all settled in triage and they checked and seem like they want to send me home. All the other ladies were being sent home and I was just praying it wasn't next. My parents got to the waiting room just as we were told that I had to walk around for an hour and come back to get checked for progress. If there wasn't enough, they'd send me home. I went out and walked in a big circle with my mom for an entire hour and Eric slept the whole time. Contractions started coming every three minutes. My mom kept giggling because contractions didn't hurt me, they just made me feel like I had to go to the bathroom SO bad. Every three minutes I told my mom I had to go to the bathroom and she just kept telling me noooooooo, it's just pressure. What does she know? She doesn't have five kids or anything... ha ha.

After an hour of walking we go back and WOO HOO there was progress and we were being admitted. I wasn't exactly "woo hoo'ing" when she told me. I was scared. It was all so real. That hits you like a ton of bricks. It isn't just "Oh I'm going to be responsible for a human being" it was more like "HOLY CRAP I AM GOING TO PUSH A HUMAN BEING OUT OF MY VAGINA." That was my fear. Raising a human would come naturally and that is not scary. First gruesome thing my weak stomached husband had to deal with was my IV. They put it in an odd place on your arm and Eric toughed it out and stayed. He was shocked that I didn't flinch. I'm a pro at blood being taken, so an IV was a breeze. I was adamant about my epidural afterward. No jokes about that. I told them over and over again. My cute nurse put "Epidural asap" on my nurse board.

They obviously listened because I got to my room, went pee, came out and they were ready for me. Eric sat through it like a champ. The worst part of the epidural was him poking his finger to find the spot. That's it. It was a breeze. After I was all settled in and cozy, my family (mom, dad, and Trevor) came and chatted with us. We just sat and talked, they'd leave when I needed checked, then come back. I sat and labored for a few hours without feeling a single thing. They broke my water and that was easy. I got checked around 1:30 and the nurse said I'd start pushing soon. I. was. terrified. I started shaking uncontrollably and I was texting my mom telling her I was so horrified. It's true. I wasn't scared of delivery until a few weeks before, but that is nothing compared to when they come to tell you that you can push. Holy crap.

My doctor came in and I started pushing at 1:39 pm. It was just me, Eric, a nurse, and the doctor. It was so peaceful. Right before I started pushing, Eric accidentally looked and was super grossed out. The doctor had to put a chair behind him so that if he fell he would land safely. I expected more people, more chaos. It turned out to be the most calming, relaxing moment of my life. They worried me a bit saying that the baby may have the cord wrapped around his neck. We had to watch his heart rate carefully the whole time. I pushed for four contractions, 11 minutes and he was here. My little Parkman was here with no cord around his neck, it was just on his arm.

I was so lucky. I had no pain. Contractions didn't hurt. Epidural didn't hurt. Pushing didn't hurt. The whole experience was just perfect. I could give birth twenty more times if I wanted.

Now I am going to get sappy. The moment they put him in my arms was the single most amazing, magical, perfect moment of my life never to be trumped, only to be felt again the next time I give birth. From that moment on I will always be a mother. No matter what happens to me or him, I will forever be a mother. It is the only title that matters. It is the best one in the world. There is no greater love than this. Parents do not exaggerate when they say that. The moment I found out I was pregnant I was head over heels in love with him, but holding him in my arms made it all so real. Even bloody and connected to the cord, I had to just hold him. I didn't want to let him go. I could not let him go. I can't believe he is here and he is mine. He didn't cry immediately so I did not know he was out and safe until they told me. They asked if I wanted him and I just put my arms out. Crying and loving him. They lay your baby on your chest and the whole world stops. Everyone else ceases to exist. There is no one except you and your baby (Daddy comes in later).