A Beautiful Blessing...Hudson's birth story: Part Three

{Read Part One and Part Two}

So it was happening. And the timing was working in favor of having my family in town. No more worrying about whether my sister could be there or not. However as it started to sink in, my thoughts started to drift in the direction of "what ifs". He was coming 4 weeks early. There could be problems. We didn't know anything was wrong with Aiden until he was born. What if?

I kept it together mostly because of the adrenaline pumping through my veins. We had to call Ricky, who had met with a client for work that morning, to let him know he would need to cancel the rest of his calls. We  brought in my hospital bag and I changed in to the cute gown my sister gave me as a gift. I had taken a shower before my appointment that morning and took the time to do my hair and makeup...so I felt...pretty. In fact, the first thing Ricky said when he walked into the delivery room was "Wow, you look too pretty to be in labor." :)

My mom was at home with the boys and my nieces, but my neighbor and good friend texted Ricky and offered to take ALL 4 of them at her house (along with her own 3 year old twins and 7 week old baby!) so my mom could be at the hospital with us. What an amazing friend!

Because I hadn't gotten the results from my GBS screening that they had swabbed for at my appointment earlier that day, I needed to go ahead and get IV antibiotics before I delivered. So although I was in active labor, they did not want to speed the process with pitocin or breaking my water until I had gotten 2 full doses of the meds.

Finally, at 5:30pm, my doctor arrived and broke my water. Shortly after, I got my epidural which only took on my right side (and had to be inserted twice because the anesthesiologist hit a blood vessel the first time). He tried upping the meds after a while to help even it out, but it didn't work. Eventually I began feeling the most intense pain I've ever felt in my life and I was convinced the epidural didn't work. When I say intense, I mean screaming-like-they-do-in-the-movies-during-child-birth pain. I honestly didn't think I was going to physically be able to do it. 

They checked me one last time. I was 7cm. I begged to have the epidural re-done  but was told the anesthesiologist was working on a trauma case at the moment. I told them there was going to be another trauma if he didn't make his way back to my room before I had to deliver.

At last, he showed up and nervously prepared to re-do my epidural for the 3rd time. However he hit another bad spot in my back and had to remove it AGAIN and insert it a 4th time. Seriously????

Luckily the new epidural kicked in just in time. About 25 minutes later I was 10cm and ready to go.

Everyone was in place. My sister was shooting the whole thing on our Flip camera. My mom had my hand on one side and Ricky on the other. They told me to push with the next contraction and with that one push, I heard "he's here!"

They placed this little boy on my chest and the feelings of love gripped my heart so intensely. It's hard to describe the emotions I felt. Of course there was relief - he was healthy. Joy - he was beautiful. Amazement - having a child truly is a miracle. But then, there was also some guilt. I had wanted this perfect moment from the time I got pregnant. Well, actually, I had wanted this moment from the time it was robbed from me when Aiden was born. I felt guilty that I felt so happy. That I hadn't felt this way for Aiden's birth. Complicated. I know.

I began to cry. So did Ricky. Actually, I don't know if there was a dry eye in the room. My doctor even said in all his years of delivering babies, he can't remember ever getting choked up. But seeing our emotions and knowing what we had been through, he said it just solidified why he loves doing what he does.

Hudson came into the world on Wednesday, July 18 at 7:47pm. He weighed 6lb. 11oz and was 19.5 inches long. He is a beautiful blessing and the piece that completes our family. 

I still can't believe how everything worked out. My sister AND my mom got to be there with us. Everything went great (besides the epidural). Hudson is a strong and healthy little boy.

The big man upstairs had this planned all along unbeknownst to us. We are beyond happy. Our hearts are full.

{Next post...the boys meeting their baby brother for the first time}