Since Hudson is now 10 days old, I better hurry up and record the story of his birth before I begin to forget some of the details of that day.
The c-section was scheduled for noon; we had to be at the hospital at 9:45 am for pre-op, so we got up and had a semi-normal morning, except for the fact that I'd been fasting from 10 pm the night before and was STARVING. Having surgery so late in the day was not my ideal, but it wasn't up to me. Being pregnant and hungry was really hard.
Before we left for the hospital we took a final family picture of just the three of us before we became four. It was a
beautiful sunny day.
And of course we had to get some pictures with Grammie who had arrived a few days earlier, and was going to take care of Cooper for those few days while Hudson and I remained in the hospital for recovery.
My last picture of being the mother of one child.
Cooper took this picture for us. I think the angle is funny, and makes my stomach look even BIGGER (as if that were even possible at that point). My mom had said she couldn't believe my size. You know if your own mother says you look crazy pregnant, you do. ;o)
So off to the hospital we went. For those of you gathering info for family history purposes, Hudson was born in Novant Medical Center--Matthews, previously known as Presbyterian Hospital--Matthews, in Matthews, NC (Mecklenberg County).
We went straight to the labor and delivery center to check in. Just as we entered through the doors to that wing, and told them who we were, the fire alarm went off. They said, "Good thing you made it through our doors before that went off, or you would have had to exit the building!" I was so relieved that we didn't have to exit, since it was just a drill, but I'm sure Nate, who was toting my bag, the baby's bag, my nursing pillow and my pillow was even more relieved.
After checking in, they showed us to my room where I changed into a gown and got in bed. They hooked me up to an IV, which was not fun seeing as I'd been fasting, so my already hard to find veins were pretty difficult. Funny, but the IV is one of my least favorite things about having a baby. Silly, I know. They pumped two liters of fluid in me. My doctor came in to talk and answer questions, and then he felt my belly, and gave his prediction that the baby would weigh 8 lbs. 7 oz. Apparently it's a little bet between him and the nurses every time. A nurse came in and asked if we had a name for the baby, and I said "Hudson," while Nate said no. I looked at him, and he said he wasn't set on that name and wanted to think about it. I was unpleasantly shocked. He'd mentioned a few days before that he wasn't sure about the name, but I hadn't realized how unsure he was until then. I had settled on Hudson Jay for a name, and the thought of calling the baby by a different name was very weird to me. But we left it up in the air until we could further discuss it.
Meanwhile, Nate was given his coveralls to go to surgery with me. It was a one-piece white suit made of disposable medical material; looked kinda like one of those disposable suits a a painter or asbestos remover wears. The thing was, it was WAAAAAAY too small. He put it on over his clothes and the legs looked as tight as skinny jeans, and it was crazy tight from there up. He got it on and zipped it up, and got me laughing hysterically with his dancing around the room in his Saturday Night Fever manner. Then he tried to take it off, and it was like a straight jacket. He couldn't even get his arms out. The nurse walked in, and I was laughing so hard my eyes were watering. She took one look at Nate in his get-up, and called another nurse to go find some scrubs for him. Then he felt all official in his blue scrubs.
We had a few moments to ourselves, and knowing that it was almost time, I asked Nate if we could have a prayer together. As we ended the prayer, the nurse came in to say it was go-time. Nate kissed me, and they took me back to the c-section OR. Nate had to stay in my room while they prepped me for surgery, and then they'd bring him in before they started.
They wheeled me to the hallway outside the OR, and then I walked from there to the small gurney in the middle of the room. The room was FREEZING cold, and they covered me in warm blankets, but I was still cold with my feet sticking out the bottom. They sat me on the edge of the gurney while we waited for the anesthesiologist to arrive. As I sat there, right in front of me was a big table covered in surgical instruments they'd be using. Talk about nerve-wracking!!!! I wish they would have faced me the other way. That was seriously one of the worst parts about the whole thing; sitting there looking at those instruments, knowing what many of them are used for. There was a nurse standing in front of them, back to me, who was preparing them all, and then another nurse came in and they started counting things off. Sheesh!!
After what felt like forever, the anesthesiologist came in, and they gave me a spinal and a nerve block. I was very relieved to find out that I wouldn't be getting an epidural like I did with Cooper, because I wasn't in labor. Well, I kept having some contractions, but I wasn't in labor. In fact, a contraction started just after he said, "Hold really still!" That was hard, and the spinal hurt, but it was over rather quickly. They laid me down on the table, and my Doctor came in. His name is Dr. Kopcynzski, but everyone just calls him Dr. K. He asked if I could still feel my toes/legs, and I said, "Yes!" He said that was ok, they'd wait a few more minutes. As they started cleaning my belly to prepare for what was to come, I could still feel it, and started getting worried that the anesthesia wasn't taking. Then suddenly my feet went from freezing cold to warm, and I became aware that I could no longer move my legs or toes. They put up the surgical screen, and Dr. K asked, "Can you feel that? How about this?" When I said no, he said, "Then you're good and numb and we're ready to start!" They started the clock, and he said they'd begun, and I started panicking because Nathan wasn't in the room yet. A few moments later Nathan suddenly appeared at my side, and took my hand, and I started to cry because I was so relieved to have him there, and terribly afraid of being cut open while awake. I'd been scared about that for weeks.
But those feelings passed as I started to smell the burning scent of the cauterizing tool they use so you don't bleed as they cut, and I realized that I was going to be fine. It was still very weird to think about, and so I stopped thinking about it and started thinking about our baby about to be born. I was overwhelmed with happiness, realizing that our little one was moments away from taking his first breath of air, and seeing us face to face.
Very different than my c-section with Cooper, where I was so exhausted from laboring for hours and hours that I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep through the whole thing, this time I was very alert and aware of all going on around me. I chatted with Nate, with the anesthesiologist, and the nurse anesthetist and occasionally my doctor. At one point I could feel my heartbeat in the gums and roof of my mouth, and asked them if that was normal. They assured me I was fine. At another point I felt a little foggy like I was on laughing gas at the dentist, but that passed as well, and things were very clear. I never had much nausea, and the anesthesiologist commented several times about how well I was doing, in a tone that implied that he was surprised, since I guess a lot of women get very nauseous. I was thankful that things were going so well.
Just before Hudson was born, I asked the doctor how many babies he'd delivered in his career, and he said he'd lost count, but it must be in the thousands. That made me feel very reassured, and I turned my head and looked in Nathan's eyes as we awaited the birth of our son. We both said, "I can't believe we're about to have another baby!!" Then the doctor said, "Here he comes!!" Just a few moments later I heard the first cry of our son; it was such a sweet sound. He cried and cried, and had such a strong cry! The doctor said, "12:24 pm" and I took that to mean that was the time of day he was born. The nurses asked Nate if he wanted to come take pictures as they cleaned him off, and I was left alone, listening to my baby cry. His cry was, "nah, nah, nah," and the doctor said, "Nah, nah, nah--wow, that kid is
already hungry." Nate came back a few minutes later to reassure me that the baby was beautiful and perfect, and then went back to see him. The nurse said he was 8 lbs. 11 oz, 20-1/4" long. Dr. K said, "Only 4 oz off!" It seemed like FOREVER before they brought the baby to me. With Cooper it seemed much faster afterward that I was able to see him, but maybe it was the same.
Finally, Nate brought our little guy over to see me. They'd left him naked momentarily so I could briefly see all of him. Then they took him away to swaddle him. While I waited alone again, the doctor said I was doing really well. I asked him if there had been a lot of amniotic fluid, because with Cooper when they broke my water during labor, it was like Niagra Falls. The doctor said, "Water?! Was there water?! There was so much water it was like a flood! Yes, you had A LOT of water." I was curious because that confirmed to me that is why I get so big during pregnancy; I carry a lot of water. Also at one point a nurse who had turned away for something, turned around and said, "Doctor--there's no tubal scheduled for her!" Moment of panic, until he explained it wasn't a Fallopian tube, but he was actually repairing some scar tissue from my previous c-section that had adhered to my abdominal wall. I asked how my previous incision looked and whether he thought I could have had a safe VBAC birth, or if it was too thin and could have ruptured. He said there were a few iffy spots, and I'd definitely made the safer decision to have a c-section, and he was glad I had.
After what seemed like another eternity, Nate returned to my side carrying our bundle of joy. I couldn't believe how different his facial features were from Cooper's at birth. While Cooper looked a lot like Nate's mother's side of the family, this baby looked like ME! Instead of reddish hair like Cooper, he had dark brown hair, also like me. His eyes were open for a bit and he was looking around, and then he nodded off to sleep. I laid there and admired my newborn son, and my husband holding him, and I touched the baby's face occasionally. It took them about 45 minutes to sew me up, so I had a lot of time to wait to hold my little baby. That was by far the hardest part for me, and it made me cry a little because I just wanted to hold him. Everyone assumed I was crying for joy, and maybe it was a little of that too.
They finished me up, and we went back to my room for recovery. I'd been told my recovery would be in my same room, and I didn't think anything of it beforehand, but being back in my room, the familiar surroundings felt reassuring, and it was a bigger deal than I'd ever thought it would be. It was nice to know I was in "my own" bed and wouldn't be moved again. As soon as we were back in the room, the nurse picked up the baby from his bassinet, and brought him to me. They undressed him down to his diaper, and laid him on my chest, skin to skin. I wasn't permitted yet to sit up, but laying there with my baby was the sweetest thing. I cried for joy, and took him all in. He'd cried when they undressed him, but as they laid him on my chest, he immediately stopped crying. That was a moment I wanted to freeze in time.
It wasn't long before I got to nurse him, and he took right to it. That was another of my big concerns, since Cooper had struggled with it. But not Hudson--he was HUNGRY and ready to eat. That was another sweet moment for me. I laid there with my baby until Nathan wanted to hold him, and then I took him back. It's probably safe to say we didn't lay him back in his bassinet until late that night. We talked a lot about what his name should be--a topic of discussion for the next couple of days. We also talked about now being parents of two children, and how weird that felt.
This kid has HUGE feet!!
Hudson's first bath...
I couldn't believe how "easy" the whole c-section birth had gone this time. Everyone had told me it would be different having a scheduled c-section versus an emergency c-section after laboring. I felt pretty good, and by midnight I was up and walking. OK--walking just to my bathroom and back, but I was up. With Cooper it was nearly 48 hours before I was walking, due to the epidural. This time was MUCH better. After going through it, if we have another child, I probably will choose a scheduled c-section again. But really what makes any childbirth worth it, is the precious little baby who has a birthday, and breathes his first breath of life. Nothing is more precious to me in this world than my beautiful sons, and I would go through anything for them.
In the surgery room, Nate had texted my mom that Hudson was born, so she could tell Cooper. She and Cooper came to meet Hudson that night around dinner time. That experience was covered in another blog, and needless to say, Cooper was ELATED to meet his new baby brother. Seeing them together was an amazing thing for me as well.
And that is the story of the birth of Hudson Jay Smith.
Lastly, we did eventually settle on the name Hudson, also covered in a previous blog. However, I didn't explain before about Hudson's middle name of Jay. Jay is my father's middle name (Alan Jay Christensen), and also his father's middle name (Kurt Jay Christensen). Being our second son, we'd decided it was only right to pick a middle name from my side of the family. We'd thought about several other middle names: Otto--after my great-great grandfather Otto Edward William Thorwald Christensen on my dad's paternal side, and Dixon--after my 4th-great grandfather William Dixon Bailey on my dad's side, but through another family line. Both of those men have some great life stories about joining our church and the sacrifices they made for it. But in the end, I settled on Jay, wanting to name him after my own father and grandfather, both men I admire and want my son to admire and live up to their legacy as well.
