Welcome to the World, Parks!

(Reader Beware: LONG post, and possibly TMI)

It's so funny to me that my last post was just 2 days before I went into labor, and even funnier that I said that I hoped my next post would be news of the birth of our boy! Well, somebody get me a crystal ball because I must be a fortune teller!

I had a weekly OB appointment on the morning of December 18th, and was not thrilled about it, since Dr. Benezra was out of town and I had to see a different doctor. I got myself ready to go anyway, got Sydnie ready for a nap, kissed Matt goodbye, and was off to the doctor's office. I got in right away, and it was business as usual; you know, step on scale to see ungodly number, pee in cup, etcetera, etcetera. I saw my usual nurse, Kaitleen, and I told her that Dr. Benezra had said at my previous visit that he'd "sweep my membranes" for me. (Membrane Sweep). Kaitleen said that the other doctor would happily do that for me, if I wanted her to. The doctor saw me right away, and I asked a couple of questions that she answered for me, and she did an exam. Sure enough, I was STILL only 1 cm. dilated. She asked me if I'd like her to sweep my membranes, and after considering this for a moment, and how terribly uncomfortable I was, AND the fact that my next appointment wasn't going to be until CHRISTMAS EVE, I said yes. The reason for my hesitation, though, was that since Dr. Benezra was out of town, I could potentially be delivered by a "stranger" if the membrane sweep worked. BUT since I was told that I had a "50/ 50 chance" of going into labor after a membrane sweep, I just KNEW I would be part of the 50% that it didn't work for. So onward we went with the membrane sweep. It was not nearly as horrible as I had heard it was, and was a great opportunity for me to practice some relaxation techniques. The doctor finished, we said our goodbyes, and I went to the front desk to book my next appointment. I called Matt, and told him that this baby was just not going to budge, and I had a feeling he'd be late. I had completely bummed myself out, so I went for a chai tea latte and a mani/ pedi to lift my spirits.

At the nail salon, I was as usual, the center of attention and got one million questions like, "When are you due?" "How far along are you?" and, "You MUST be having a boy, since you are ALL belly!" I was used to this at that point, and answered cordially with a smile, despite the fact that I was becoming more and more uncomfortable. I thought to myself that MAYBE that doctor had done just the trick, and had gotten things moving for me. I even asked my nail tech to spend some extra time during my foot massage on my ankles (certain pressure points in the ankles can stimulate uterine contractions) ;-)

After the nail salon, I headed home to get the house tidied up, since Ashley and Chrissy were coming over for a girls' night. Ashley was bringing takeout from one of our favorite little Italian places, Amici's, and we were going to hang out, chat, and watch a movie. I started to feel a little lazy while I was cleaning, so I laid down on the couch to take a little cat nap. I woke up to my first contraction around 5 p.m. It wasn't anything terribly painful, but it was enough for me to take notice, so I opened up my handy iPhone app., "Contraction Master". It helps to time the duration, and time between labor contractions. At that point, they seemed to be averaging between 6 and 10 minutes apart, so I told Matt that he may not be able to golf the next day after all! Ashley and Chrissy arrived at 7, and while the contractions were still coming, I was too preoccupied to pay much attention. That all changed just before midnight.

Ashley and Chrissy had gone home, and Matt had gone to bed, JUST IN CASE he was able to golf the next day. I stayed awake on the couch, timing my contractions, watching reruns on Jersey Shore, and chatting with the girls on my message board to pass the time. I let a couple hours go by. By 1:30 or 2 in the morning, I thought it was probably time to wake Matt and maybe head to the hospital, since the contractions were now between 3 and 5 minutes apart, and we had almost a 30 minute drive to the hospital. I quickly printed out a few copies of our birth plan and called Ashley, and asked her to come over to keep an ear out for Sydnie through the night. She happily agreed. And as soon as she arrived, Matt and I threw my bags in the car, and were on our way!

We got to the hospital at 2:30 or so. We were greeted by a very friendly staff, and were shown to a Labor and Delivery room (their triage unit in L&D is only open during the day), where I changed into a very fashionable nightgown. A sweet nurse named Heather got me all set up with a fetal heart rate monitor, and a contraction monitor. My contractions were certainly strong, sometimes topping the charts, but my cervix was not making any changes. Heather suggested that we walk the halls in an attempt to get my cervix to open up a bit. After walking for over an hour, and squatting for awhile at my bedside, Heather checked me again. Still no changes. I was SO frustrated. Heather said that it would be best for us to head back home, try to get some rest, and come back when I was "huffing and puffing" through my contractions. So, I got dressed, and we left the hospital with no baby :-(

We got home just after 5 a.m. and were able to sleep until Sydnie woke up around 8. No rest for the weary!! I hopped in the shower, put some makeup on, and headed to the couch where we set up camp for the better part of the day. Sweet Sydnie was so patient with us all day, and played in her play pen while we rested, and I battled contractions. Finally that afternoon, I started to feel a shift in the contractions. They were getting stronger and much more painful. Matt suggested that I sit on the birthing ball, for a change of scenery. He rubbed my back, and helped me through the pain. When he felt like my pain was getting to be too much, he called Tina and Ryan and asked if we could bring Sydnie over for the night. We got BACK in the car, dropped Sydnie off with Tina and Ryan, and headed back down to the hospital for attempt number two.

When we got to L&D, we were greeted by our sweet nurse from the night before, Heather! She got me all situated again, and checked my cervix. I had made progress!! Heather said that I was dilated to 3-4 cm., and would finally be able to be admitted officially! I was so thrilled knowing that I would not leave the hospital again without our baby! We walked the halls again for a couple hours, and admired the newborns in the nursery window. I just couldn't believe that we were going to have such a little bitty baby again! When we made it back to our delivery room, Heather checked me again, and I hadn't made much of a change. I was a little disappointed, but told her that I KNEW that as soon as my water broke, labor would progress really quickly, since that's exactly what happened with Sydnie. Heather called the doctor who was on call that night, Dr. McTammany, to see what he had to say about my progress. When Heather came back, she reported that Dr. McTammany was at a Christmas party, but would be happy to stop by the hospital after his party to break my water. Hooray!

Dr. McTammany arrived just before midnight, and got down to business right away. He examined me, and said that the baby's head was still pretty high, so I wouldn't have a "gush" when he broke my water. He was right. Just a small trickle. Then another trickle. Then with my next two contractions, I GUSHED. My contractions immediately got VERY intense, and I felt Parks' head move down. I HAD to get out of bed after laboring on my back for a short time, as I was far too uncomfortable laying down. Heather suggested sitting on the birthing ball for a bit. I thought for sure I would love that idea, since I bounced on my birthing ball at home religiously. Well, I was WRONG. I was back up as soon as I had sat down- I HATED IT. Heather thought fast, and leaned me over the edge of the bed, so that I could labor on my feet a bit. I lasted this way for 3 or 4 contractions, until my knees felt like they were going to give out. Heather then suggested a reclining chair. This I liked. I swayed back and forth during contractions, and was able to lean back in the chair during breaks. I labored this way for about an hour. I felt so out of control of my contractions. In my head, I was calm; I told myself that I was stronger than these pains, and that I could DO THIS. But my body wasn't listening. The pain was so intense, and my breathing was so irregular. I told Matt and Heather that I couldn't handle the pain anymore. I wanted desperately to give up. I was crying, sweating, shaking, and I felt like I needed to throw up. Matt was AMAZING. He was so strong for me, telling me to "beat this one", "you're doing so good", and "that's one contraction closer to the end." I mean, seriously incredible. Heather, a three-time natural childbirth-er, was also very encouraging, telling me to focus on my breathing. She decided she should check my cervix, just to make sure I was making progress. She looked me in the eye and said, "You're 7-8 centimeters dilated." I knew then that there was no going back! I didn't have an IV in, by choice, and had even declined a saline lock, so even if I WANTED to get something for the pain, it was too late (since an IV or epidural would have to be administered, which would take too long at that point). I knew I had reached the "transition" part of labor, which was the hardest and most intense part. But I also knew that I was SO CLOSE to having our baby.

Heather had me get through two more contractions before having me move to the bed. She checked me again, and I was already 9-10 cm, with just a small ring of my cervix left. I told her that I HAD to push, but she said that we needed to wait until the rest of my cervix was complete. My body had other plans. Despite my best efforts to wait, I could feel my body pushing Parker down. I yelled, and groaned, and a nurse who was getting things ready for the birth told me, "No more noise now, Stephanie!" I was too distracted to be be mad at her for that. Dr. McTammany arrived right on time. He said to a nurse, "Well, she was right! She knew she'd go quick after her water broke!" The nurses got me prepped, and ready to push, and away I went. I pushed with all my might, and the "ring of fire" that so many speak of was evident. Parker crowned right away. I'll never forget how much it hurts, and how good it feels all at the same time, pushing my baby out, and being able to feel EVERYTHING.

With three pushes, and in three minutes, Parker Bryan Chico was born at 2:17 a.m. on December 20th. He came after 32 hours of labor, but just 2 hours after my water broke! I felt AMAZING having my son on the outside of me! He cried SO loud, and was so alert that he even grasped onto the scissors that were going to be used to cut his umbilical cord! Up onto my chest he came, and I felt my heart double in size. I didn't think I could love anyone as much as Sydnie, but as soon as I saw Parks' face, those doubts disappeared. He weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces, and was 20 inches long, and he was PERFECT.

The three of us were able to spend the next hour alone together. Parker nursed, and we just looked at eachother. After our bonding time, Parker went in for his first bath, and I was moved to a Mother/Baby suite. Matt went home to get some sleep, and get ready to pick Sydnie up later that morning, and I did my best to sleep for the first time in two days.

After a short stay in the hospital, we were able to go home after just 30 hours. It felt so good to get home, and have all of us together just in time for Christmas.

Life as a family of four has been an adjustment to say the least, but after almost a month of getting used to it, I'm happy to say that things are getting better and better by the day!

More to come later, but for now, here are some pictures!