Hudson Bradley’s Birth Story: Part 3

Catch up on Hudson’s Birth Story Here:

Hudson Bradley’s Birth Story: Part 1

Hudson Bradley’s Birth Story: Part 2

Sorry to keep you hanging – It’s been a little crazy adjusting to my new full-time job (nursing Hudson). He’s a champ, though and doing SO WELL! He turns 6 weeks on Wednesday and is already 10lbs!!!  Back to his Birth Day…

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So I was able to be wheeled back to my recovery room with Hudson in my arms. I cannot even begin to describe how good that felt, being able to be with him after birth. We transitioned to skin to skin right away, which was another thing I didn’t get to experience with the boys. Tears freely rolled down my face as I looked into his and felt his little body on mine.

He began making some grunting sounds instead of crying, that caused some alarm, but often breathing improves with skin to skin, so my nurse was willing to give him a little time to work it out. Since he was struggling with full breaths, we didn’t get to try nursing, but I was super content to just get to take him in and enjoy the moment.

The whole moment was surreal. We had a BABY! ONE Baby. 

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Brad was able to go get the boys who had just arrived and bring them back to my room to meet their baby brother. Their eyes were wide in amazement and their smiles couldn’t have been wider. My mama heart burst.

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About 10 minutes into having the boys back with us, things started to get more serious. The enthusiasm and excitement that had been present in the delivery room faded. Phone calls were being made to a neonatologist, respiratory therapist, and things started feeling rushed. Brad took the boys back to the waiting room, and they gave Hudson some oxygen as he laid on my chest.

The respiratory therapist assigned to Hudson was one of the same one we had with the boys. What a provision and comfort from God! It became clear that his breathing was becoming more concerning and his time in my arms was coming to a quick end.

The respiratory therapist looked at me with empathy and kindness and asked if I was okay as I handed him over to her care. As much as I hated to give him up, I was certain he would just need a little extra care for a few hours, as many 36 weekers need. Although I didn’t want him to spend any time away from us, I knew the continued care nursery would be close by and was thankful we wouldn’t be having a NICU experience this time.

They wheeled me to my regular room, and shortly after Brad went to check on Hudson’s transition. We learned then that the oxygen support the Continued Care Nursery could offer was not enough. He was in the NICU, and had actually stopped breathing twice on his way there.

It was a tough blow. We obviously felt anxious, not expecting him to struggle this much. On top of that we weren’t able to be with him for several hours while they tried to stabilize him.

It was hard to not have thoughts of “why”. Why was he struggling as a 36 weeker? Why did I go into spontaneous labor instead of make it to his scheduled c-section? Why did we have to do the NICU again? Why couldn’t this be a normal happy birth day?  Why was God putting us through another scary trial? 

They put him on C-Pap and gave him a dose of Surfactant to help his lungs inflate fully, which seemed to show immediate benefits. My first thought when I saw him on C-Pap, was, “This is no big deal. It’s just C-Pap. Thank goodness he’s not on a vent.”

By the evening his oxygen support on C-Pap was near room air, and we began believing our return to the NICU would just be for a quick visit. We were able to see our little guy again and introduce him to grandparents and aunts. Things were improving, and he was beginning to look like he just needed a little extra TLC to give his lungs a boost. We knew he was in great hands at the largest {and best} NICU in the state, St. Vincent Women’s.

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Our spirits were up as we considered it an unexpected set back. As much as we wanted Hudson in the room with us, we hadn’t slept since Monday night and it was now Wednesday night. We were emotionally and physically ready to get some rest with hopes that everything was looking up from here…