Hudson Gage

Here we are from start to finish in pictures. If you don't care about the birth and the wonderful doctor that we have then feel free to just look at the pictures and move on. I'm going to share a little bit more because it was crazy!

Brent and I went to Utah Tuesday night to relax a bit before Hudson was born. Nothing too exciting besides trying to figure out a name. You wouldn't believe the struggles we had. anyway...
Went to the hospital to check in for my routine c-section. Got all checked in and into the operating room. I distinctly remember looking around thinking man, what if something went wrong? That would be crazy. I quickly shook the thought out of my mind because nothing ever goes wrong. I mean, this is my fourth c-section. They have all been in and out.
I got my epidural and was quickly relieved to have a great anesthesiologist. The one I had with Reagan was horrible. This one I loved. He was gentle, talked me through each step, and stayed right with me through everything (not that the others have left but sometimes I feel like they forget I'm around and not a machine).
Dr. Marriott started the c-section and it seemed to be taking a while; longer than I remember my others taking. There was quite a bit of tugging and no mindless chatter like there sometimes is with Dr. Marriott. Finally the anesthesiologist said "oh, there is the head." I expected them to announce his birth shortly after. It took another couple of minutes before that happened. Keep in mind from first cut to birth is usually only a couple of minutes so this seemed like forever!
Hudson Gage was born at 12:49pm healthy and screaming like any baby should be. He weighed 7 pounds 10 oz and was 20 inches long. He has a little bit of dark hair just like Corbin's. They quickly cleaned him up and whisked him and Brent to the transition nursery to get him ready to be presented.
I laid there for what seemed like eternity waiting for them to sew me up. By this time Dr. Marriott has usually really started in with some sort of story or crazy jokes. There was none of that. There was lots of "hand me this, or that, or NOW!" I didn't really pay attention to what was going on I just tried to relax. I figured that tying my tubes takes a little longer and some more concentration (that is the extra step involved this time). I knew something was up when he leaned over my little partition and said "you're losing a lot of blood and we may need to do a hysterectomy." Whaaat? Not quite the words I was expecting. The anesthesiologist was right by my side making sure I was ok and if I needed anything. Such a nice guy. Especially since Brent was gone and couldn't come back in.
I tried to listen to what was going on and I heard the doctor say "I'm calling it. We need to do a hysterectomy and I need 3 units of blood" Ugh... So they did the hysterectomy and blood transfusion. I thought they were about done when I felt more pressure and pain than I have ever felt on the operating table. I was trying really hard to be strong and not cry out in pain. Dr. Marriott said "you need to give her something to calm down or we're going to have to in tube her" Ummm...no thank you. I'll try deep breathing. At that point the anesthesiologist told me he would give me some medicine that would make me drowsy. Thank goodness. It couldn't kick in fast enough. It allowed me to relax and sleep for a bit and I woke up just as they were finishing.
I looked at the clock and it had been almost 2 hours since Hudson had been born. That is a long time on the operating table. I was tired and sore. But, I was alive and grateful for such a wonderful doctor.
Its what I found out after that made me realize how serious it was. So here is the why.
First of all Dr. Marriott couldn't get into my abdomen very easy to get to my uterus. When he got to my uterus there was so much scar tissue that he had to cut it higher than normal. It made him uncomfortable but he needed to get the baby out. So he got the baby out. When he went to sew my uterus up it wouldn't hold the stitches. at. all. He put I don't know how many in. I think he said around 30 or 40 something and it wouldn't hold. At this point he also couldn't get the bleeding under control no matter what he and his assistant (he wasn't doing this alone) tried. That is when they decided to do the hysterectomy and that I needed a blood transfusion. He apologized over and over and over to me, Brent, our families because he felt so bad about all that had happened.
If you know Dr. Marriott he is very to the point. He doesn't dilly dally around when he has things to do. Every nurse I had commented that he must have been really concerned because he never comes more than once to see patients after birth unless there is a problem. He came and saw me twice a day for 2 days after! He made the point that these things are not normal and we are lucky things turned out so well. We are thankful for the power of the priesthood and that prayers are answered. Brent couldn't be with me through any of this and had to get the news on his own. I know that we were both being watched over. It kind of threw everyone for a loop. Our kids kind of knew that things weren't right and I think it made them a little nervous. Or it could have been the fact that they were waiting to see us for about 2 hours longer than planned!
We came out thankful for a few things:
1. Great doctors and nurses that work well under pressure
2. Having it confirmed to us before the c-section that our family was complete
3. The power of priesthood blessings. Brent and my Dad gave me a blessing before we left and Brent commented that he said things that didn't make sense to him until after everything happened. I know that Heavenly Father knows what we are going to go through and the strength that we need
4. Blood donors
5. Healthy baby boy and healthy mom!

Everything is great now. Hudson is a healthy little guy. He is our biggest baby. Almost 2 full pounds bigger than Reagan was. My recovery has been great. The only difference is that I had to stay an extra day in the hospital...and I don't have a uterus!