Little Hudson

I've been dreading writing this post... only because I've been afraid it's going to take too long to write!  :)  Time is precious right now where sleep is lacking and the days seem to be slipping by too fast.  And all I want to do is sit on the couch with my two sweet boys and not do anything else!  ;)

I'm not sure if you've all heard the story, but I thought I'd write out the delivery story for some journaling purposes too.  :)    I apologize, it's going to be freakishly long... But here goes.

I feel like it all started with the doctor's appointment on Friday morning, the second of September.  The doctor informed me that I was dilated to a 4 and nearly fully effaced.  "All you need is some contractions and you're on your way!" she said.  We also scheduled an induction for Monday the 12th (if it came to that...)  I also have to throw in that she was like, "By your measurements, I don't think this is going to be a big baby."  (haha! forshadow moment...) 

The following Monday, at about 6:30 pm, I started having some contractions.  They were pretty far apart and weren't too painful, so I didn't think much of it.  (I'd started having painful contractions since 30 weeks and was getting used to the "false" routine ;)  But hooray- they continued!  I kept having contractions all through the night, and started to think, "This is really it!  It's happening!"  So I kept checking the clock until they got to the golden 5 minutes apart.  It was 4 in the morning and I was all ready to go- they were at 6 minutes apart steadily, and finally they got to 5.  I was like, ok, only about 45 more minutes of this and I can call the doctor and wake up Brian and it'll be time to go!  I had three contractions at five minutes apart and then... they stopped.  Totally and completely.  Nothing. 

Noooo! 

I was so sad.

So the next day I did everything as normal.  All the laundry.  Cleaned all the bathrooms... again... (happily knowing it had to be the last time with a huge belly ;) and waited to go to the "last" doctor's appointment on Thursday the 8th.

I had to go to Manassas for this apointment so they could do the 'non-stress test' on the baby to make sure he was doing ok since I was over 40 weeks.  It was pouring rain outside.  I jumped into the car, after joking with Brian that he might need the van for Miles if they sent me right over to the hospital (hahaha) and started to drive down the road.  The breaks felt funny.  The pedal was thumping weird everytime I pushed it.  I started kinda freaking out and turned around and went back home.  After making Brian drive it, he determines he thinks it's fine.  I'm positive that the breaks are going to go out and I'm going to die in a car accident.  But he assures me it's fine.  So I get back in the car, mad, because I'm going to die and my baby will probably die too, and head to the appointment again, now probably late.  And upset.  The rain is coming down super hard and all I keep telling myself is that if they go out, pull the emergency break.  Don't forget about the emergency break.  And I'm crying and trying to downshift as much as possible. 

Somehow I made it without the breaks going out.  Hallelujah.  But I'm frazzled, and soaked, as I run up to the building in all this rain.

  As the appointment began I was talking with the nurse about being a little overdue and all the contractions I'd had on Monday night.  She laughed and joked, saying, "You know, they've sent people straight over to the hospital to deliver before at these kinds of appointments!"  I laughed and was like, yeah right!  (By this point I was sure we weren't going to see our baby til the induction.)  So the nurse brought me a pile of magazines and I settled in to push the button during the non-stress test everytime I had a contraction or felt the baby move.

We passed with flying colors.  He was totally active and I randomly started having all these braxton hicks right during the test.  The doctor was like, "What a good baby!  He's just doing all the right things for us."  

We continued on with the exam and then I saw the doctor's eyes get wide.  "You're dilated to a six!"  (she really almost yelled this.)  "I am?"  I'm a little bewildered here.  I'm not sure exactly where she's going with this....  "I'm sending you over to labor and delivery right now!  Congratulations!  You're going to have a baby today!"  (insert utter confusion and bewilderment here...)  What?  This can't be happening!  (Remember, I was already in this crying/freaked out state thinking I'm going to die, and now the doctor is telling me I'm going to have a baby today?... Now I'm really freaking out.)  I'm not ready for this...

Now everyone in the office is laughing and congratulating me and saying things like, this girl is dilated to a 6 and walking around like it's nothing!  (But really, it did feel like nothing...) And I'm ready to cry again.  I called Brian and he's trying to get everything ready to come over to the hospital.

I made my way to the labor and delivery lobby and  called my dad, my mom, my sisters, Brian again, and Leilani (we'd made plans for the next day right before my appointment- I had to call and tell her why I had to cancel!  ;)  Anyway, I wasted an hour before heading back to get checked in.  Thankfully, after all  these conversations, I was feeling much more calm and more ok with having this baby right now.  I was going to  have this baby now!  :)  Yay!

After several failed IV attempts (which resulted in some seriously ugly bruises... I should've taken pictures ;) Brian got there and we discovered I was now dilated to a 7.  Which also meant I had to make the decision right then whether or not to get an epidural.  At first I was on the fence... then after they broke my water the contractions got worse.  I knew it would be survivable, but I thought to myself, if I can do this without a ton of pain, why not?  So I told them to send in the anesthesiologist.  And it was the same guy who gave it to me with Miles.

He's Ukrainian or Russian or from somewhere over there.  And last time my epidural was awful... The worst part of delivering Miles.  But I thought to myself, it's worth it.  I asked him for a light dosage, because I still wanted to be able to have some feeling, I just didn't want all that pain and he asked me in his thick accent, "Why?  You like pain?"  No.... So here I go, bracing myself for this horrible epidural... and... nothing.  It was seriously nothing.  I don't know what was going on last time, but this time... I was like, "I love epidurals."  ;)  And he did it just right.  I could still feel and push but I wasn't in a ton of pain.  Perfect.

How did I get so lucky?  I thought I was due for some karma with how well Miles delivery went last time.

I checked into the hospital a little after 6 pm and delivered Hudson Caleb at 9:30 pm.  :)

And the doctor's "not too big of a baby"?  Hello 9 lb. 3 oz. Hudson!  Yikes!  The doctor that delivered me did say she didn't think I could physically deliver a bigger baby.  She said she almost didn't think Hudson's shoulders were going to come through.  At that point during the delivery she was like, "I need some help here!"  A little bit concerning, yes.  I was too concentrated on pushing, thankfully, for it to freak me out, so that's good.  ;)  But he was born healthy and big and wonderful.  And we loved him from the get-go.  :)  And I am so thankful that I didn't end up delivering in the car or not making it to the hospital.

right after they cleaned him up :*)

all ready to go home!

sweet, sweet big brother

 

Haha, I love how he looks surprised :)

I had to throw this in, hahaha!  Miles and his finger 'friends' ;D

more loves.  :)  Miles loves to hold Hudson :)

 And here is Hudson as I type this post.  :)  Well, in the beginning.  Right now he's wide awake and in my arms.  :)  He's doing wonderful.  There's been a need for some adjustment (I don't think I could've survived the last two weeks without my mom... She was amazing. Yesterday was my first full day without her and there were several meltdowns... but we will figure things out and survive!  :)  Miles loves the baby, but has a hard time with me not being able to do everything for him right at the moment he wants all the time.   So we'll all have to learn some more patience around here, but that's what comes with another sibling.  :)  I know he'll get the hang of it.  And me too. 

And now we're just all excited to see if Hudson keeps these blue eyes.  :)  I'd love to have my brown eyed boy and a blued eyed one.  :)