At 38 weeks, I was being rushed into the hospital after the baby had failed his practice breathing test. My OB showed up and told me it was time to deliver.

So many things were running through my head! Was everything ok with the baby? What if something was wrong? Are we ready for the baby? I was scared. I was anxious. The nurses kept telling me everything was ok and that I didn’t need to worry. Their words were comforting, but I was still so nervous. Time passed quickly and it all happened so fast! Before I knew it, they were rolling me into the delivery room for my section.

My husband, Beau, and younger sister, Gretchen, were there with me. My procedure went fine, everything seemed normal, and at 12:20 PM we welcomed a beautiful baby boy that we named Hudson.  I overheard some grunts coming from the baby and I could see the look of concern on my sister’s face when she noticed they were giving him oxygen. My fears were eased when the nurse told me he was fine, but there was some fluid in his lungs and the oxygen sometimes helped them get it out. Soon after, they laid the sweetest baby boy on my chest. Participating in Magic Hour and doing skin to skin was something new and different from my other two deliveries, but it was so special. Once Magic Hour was complete and we were a little more settled, we had the kids come in to meet him first.  Then the rest of my family came in for a quick peak in the recovery room.

While Hudson laid on my chest, I continued to hear some grunts and feel him breathing heavy, almost like he was having a hard time. Against our hopes, he was not passing the fluid and it was causing him trouble. The nurses assured me he would be fine and took him to the transition nursery. They explained that he would stay in the nursery for six hours to pass the fluid, if he didn’t he would go to the NICU for closer observation. Their kind words and comforting tone helped, but I was concerned and scared. I was also a bit heartbroken because with my previous two babies, I headed to the mother/baby rooms with them and this time I went into our room empty handed. The nurses kept me updated on Hudson’s progress and I was able to call to check on him at anytime.  My husband went to see him through the glass a couple of times to try to ease his nerves.

Hudson stayed in the nursery a little over six hours, but this was good because it gave him a little more time.  They brought him back to me around 8:30 PM and I was so excited to see and hold my baby. One of the nurses came in shortly after and told me it was feeding time. I was so relieved when he started nursing like a pro. I guess when it’s your third you just know what to do? Whether it was him or me, I was happy to have my baby boy in my arms. We stayed two nights in the hospital and then went home to become the family of five my husband and I had hoped for.

I am happy to report that Hudson’s big brother and big sister have been amazing! They try to be as hands on as I will let them, but being that is it flu season and they are both in school I try to keep them at a distance in attempt to keep everyone healthy. For some reason I think my anxiety has been a little worse with Hudson. My husband has really been super through everything, too. He knew I was anxious and worried about the baby’s breathing, so he went out and got an owlet monitor for Hudson. He’s also helped with bringing the older kids to school in the mornings and with homework in the evenings, which has been amazing.  I think you just have to learn to go with the flow as your family grows, knowing that it will all fall into place.

We are so blessed and I wish the best for anyone else going through this exciting time in their lives. I am forever grateful for the care I received at Woman’s and for the people who helped us along the journey.

For Bridget’s complete journey, be sure to read Part 1.