It only took me a month and a half but am finally ready to share Parker’s birth story with y’all! Honestly, the time has FLOWN since she was born and I just went back to work so things have been crazy!

Parker’s Birth Story: The Unexpected Beginning

The birth story all starts on August 12th around 3:20am. I rolled over in bed (which any pregnant woman knows takes TONS of effort) and I felt a little something leak out you know where…

I thought to myself, “that was not pee…it has to be my water!”

My next thought was about how tired I was and how I was sure I could easily go back to sleep but my conscious kicked in and I got up and went to the bathroom. Once I sat, the rest of my water came out and I continued to sit there in disbelief! She wasn’t supposed to come for another 2 weeks! I must have been sitting there a little too long because Ryan knew that something was up. I hesitantly told him my water had broken (because I wasn’t ready for it to be true) and he sprang into action.

I had previously packed our hospital bag but in true Brittany fashion, had paid more attention to making sure we packed stuff for everyone else (Ryan and baby) prior to making sure we had my things. So after frantically rushing to grab a few things and getting dressed, we were headed to the hospital and arrived there by about 4:30am.

Since it was pretty much the middle of the night and I was in no pain, we easily checked into Sentara Princess Anne and got situated. They said I was dilated 2 inches but that hadn’t been a significant change since my last OB appointment so they had me walk around to try to induce contractions.

This was the beginning of a whole lot of nothing so around noon they started me on Pitocin, a drug to help start contractions. I honestly didn’t start feeling the contractions till around 4pm which felt like an eternity since we came into the hospital. Around 5pm, the nurse came to me and told me that I needed to get the epidural before 6pm if I wanted one or I would have to wait until the anesthesiologist got out of a c-section.

I didn’t have a birth plan or any preconceived notions of how I wanted baby Hanson’s birth to go. I say this because I had decided if I thought I could give birth without the epidural, I would. I also say this to tell you that I decided to get the epidural and I am so glad that I did 😂! By 5pm the contractions had started to hurt and I knew they would only get more painful from there.

I think I was more scared of the epidural and catheter (you have to get because you can’t walk to the bathroom after the epidural) than the idea of actually giving birth. I shook with fear when the time came for the needle but Ryan helped keep me calm and thankfully it mostly took! I had some feeling in my right hip that would come and go but the nurses were so great. They moved me around from time to time to help fix what pain I could feel! Until it was time to push, I think I tried at least 10 different positions to get everything moving along!

While all of this was going on, I still wasn’t dilating very far which was discouraging. Plus they couldn’t check me that often because once your water has broken you have a higher risk for infection!

It wasn’t until 10:30pm that I had made it to 6 centimeters. The night was young though and we took naps/tried to relax as much as we could. Thankfully there was a Fixer Upper marathon on!

By 1:30am the next day I had made it to 8.5 centimeters. Since 10:30pm I had been praying to God to hit 8 centimeters. He answered my prayer but by 1am they had decided to put me in the hardest position yet. The nurse had me get on my hands and knees so that my belly could hang below me. My legs were numb and it felt like the hardest plank I had ever done. The nurse explained to me that while the baby’s head was in the right place, my symptoms were telling her that the baby might be facing the wrong direction so I held this position as long as possible to help her move. Let me tell you, it was hard as hell.

The other hard part I had experienced up to this point was hunger… I eat a lot so going almost 24 hours on nothing but a yogurt was a STRUGGLE!

Through it all, around 3am, the doctors announced that I was dilated enough to push!

Parker’s Birth Story: Go Time

It all happened so fast. The nurse told Ryan how to hold my leg, she held the other one and with every contraction, they told me to do three big pushes.

I have never pushed so hard in my whole life. I am surprised I didn’t bust a blood vessel in my face. I pushed hard enough to get my first hemorrhoid through which I saw when they brought in a mirror for me to see the baby’s progress as I pushed. I was so MAD about the hemorrhoid since I had made it my whole pregnancy without one but the mirror turned out to be very helpful…

When you stop pushing, the baby sucks back up a bit into the birth canal but the doctor wants you to hold her there. The mirror allowed me to see where she was and if I was clinching the right muscles to keep her in place.

I pushed for an hour and a half. Sometimes I only had the energy to push for one/two of the three pushes per contraction but with every push, I could see she was closer.

Ryan, the doctor, and the nurses cheered me on the whole time and finally, her head came out! I def thought I was done though but of course, I had to push her shoulders out. Shortly after, she was all out and they put her on my chest…

Ryan and I were a mess of tears at that point. It really was the craziest feeling. You use so much power and adrenaline to get her out and then it was pure bliss once we finally had her.

Ryan cut the cord and attributes his success (aka not getting sick) during the whole process to chewing gum lol. I knew he’d be a great support to me but he totally surpassed my expectations! I love him so much.

After that, I didn’t even notice my placenta being taken out. I really didn’t notice anything other than her face and Ryan’s.

Well, until my hunger returned 😂. Thankfully I only had to wait two hours for Chickfila to open.

We named her Parker Taylor and she was 7 pounds and 20 inches of perfection at birth. Her middle name is from my high school friend and college roommate who tragically passed away this year. I pray that Parker can love as many people and light up a room like her namesake Taylor did.

We stayed in the hospital for 2 nights after her birth where were tried to learn all the things… Breastfeeding… Baby safety… But it’s all a blur.

I do remember the food and the nursey being awesome. The nursery definitely doesn’t prepare you for real-life with a newborn at home though😂… the nurses would take her to the nursery while Ryan and I slept and bring her back every time she needed to feed. Real-life with a newborn requires a lot more effort which we soon learned lol.

They also checked me frequently which included pressing very hard on my stomach to make sure my uterus was contracting. necessary, but no fun.

The nurses were all angels though and I am so grateful for each of them. A special shout out to Ebony who was our first nurse in delivery and Katie who was our first nurse in the mother’s wing. Everything that they do to help you, no matter how embarrassing, takes a VERY kind and loving heart.

Parker’s Birth Story: Postpartum

Now, don’t let the beautiful photos by Zoe Grant fool you, this is where it may get a little graphic but I want to tell my honest story. Do not continue to read if you are worried about TMI!

I think the hardest part of everything that is involved in having a baby took place afterward.

First off, Parker had jaundice which made her so sleepy which made it hard for us to keep her awake to feed. Because of this, she lost more weight than was acceptable and the doctors then had me feeding her every two hours which is actually more like every hour because each feeding takes an hour in the beginning. I cried in the doctor’s office when they told me this. I was so tired and the idea of sleeping in one-hour increments was horrifying.

After our first appointment with the pediatrician, they also made us return to the hospital to have her jaundice levels checked again. She told us it was likely that Parker may have to be re-admitted to the hospital to stay overnight under a light to help her jaundice. Nothing any parent wants to hear.

So we went to the hospital, I nursed her in a conference room, and then she got the test (a foot prick) done.

While waiting for the results, my drama began. I had so much fear that I would evacuate my bowels (lol, technical verbiage makes it feel less aggressive to say) while having her. Thankfully I did NOT but I still hadn’t gone in over a week and the pressure I felt in my bottom was becoming excruciating and something I could no longer ignore. I decided to have my mom go downstairs to the hospital pharmacy and purchase an enema for me. I told y’all, TMI but I don’t want to pretend it was all sunshine and roses.

After using the enema in the hospital bathroom I felt SO much better but on to the next problem…I thought I was getting mastitis because it turns out that I have a second set of bobs in my armpits.

I know you probably think you read that wrong but you didn’t. I have extra (supernumerary or accessory) nipples and breast tissue in my armpits.

Crazy but it is actually not terribly uncommon (see more info here). The funniest part of it was that I have joked my whole life that I had a second set of boobs because I had fat around my armpits with a tiny mole on each side. I’ve never wanted to wear strapless things my whole life because of them!

When I got pregnant though, the moles/nipples got larger and darker AND a 3rd one showed up on my left armpit. A friend mention they could be cancerous (because at the time I didn’t know they were nipples) so I had them looked at and removed 2 weeks prior to giving birth!

Fast forward to knowing and thinking I have mastitis in the hospital while waiting for Parker’s results. I thought this because my armpits had gotten HUGE when my milk came in and they were in paiiiin/hardly expressing. I started crying because none of the nurses would look at me (because I wasn’t admitted to the hospital, I get it now) and I was so scared to become sick while already struggling with having hardly slept!

My OB called in meds for me but thankfully it was a false alarm and I didn’t have to take them. I think my hormones and worry really got the best of me that day.

Thankfully after that day, things were a lot less traumatic. My armpits are a lot better (minus smelling weird) and I get to have surgery on the after I finish breastfeeding to have the milk ducts removed. My lifelong dream of having sexy armpits will one day be a reality!

I did end up seeing a lactation consultant until Parker hit her birth weight at 3 weeks of age, but that wasn’t stressful and I am so glad I did!

Lillian at Tidewater Lactation Consultants is a genius. I wanted to video everything she had to say each time I was there because she was so knowledgable and helpful! She also was able to check the calorie content of my breastmilk because formula had been suggested to help Parker gain weight. My breastmilk was 25 calories per ounce and formula is around 20 calories per ounce so we were able to kick that idea to the curb. Plus if you read my blog on newborn must-haves, you know I have no trouble with production.

Parker’s Bith Story: On To Everyday Life

At 4 weeks post-baby, I was back to work. I know it may seem a little soon to most people but that is what happens when you own your own business and your baby comes two week early lol.

Thankfully since I own my own business I can also set my own hours so I have been trying to take it slow as I get back into my grove. We are also super lucky that my mom and Ryan’s mom take turns watching her so I can work.

We are all continuing to figure each other out but I can honestly say I love her more than I thought possible every day.

Some nights we get 6-hour stretches of sleep and some nights its more like 3 hours. I am definitely sleepy a lot of the time but I know it is just for a season and I try not to wish it away too much because I now know how fast time can truly go.

Baby girl, momma loves you and would pause every moment if she could 💕