Hudson Colby

Our sweet little baby Hudson came to us last week on December 22 at 12:31 in the afternoon. It was a big surprise since he was not expected until the end of January and we had some very scary few days leading up to his birth. We had a prenatal appointment On Thursday the 16th to check everything before we went home to Idaho for Christmas and it was discovered that my blood pressure had risen 50 points. I was not very concerned about it since I had not been feeling any symptoms, but the midwife wanted me to do a 24 hour urine test just to check my kidney status and make sure everything was okay. She told us that Pre-eclampsia is diagnosed when there is 300 mg of protein in the urine so we would need to watch for our lab results and call back in. We waited anxiously for the results and were shocked when they came back at 959! I called the midwife on call to ask her if we could still go home for the holidays and she gave me a very emphatic 'No'. We were told that we would be on bed rest to keep Hudson in as long as possible and would need to go in for a non-stress test to check the baby's heart rate on Monday. Hudson passed that test within 5 minutes but when we were on our way out the door the nurse requested that I take another urine test. My protein was at 3,000. I still was not concerned but the neonatologist ordered that we go down to labor and delivery for more tests. Once we were there my blood pressure continued to rise and the urine tests were coming back abnormal. It became clear pretty quickly that they would not be letting us go home. We were shocked and scared. We had no bag, no supplies, no baby stuff... just our clothes and a purse.

My midwife "Angel"

They quickly started me on a drug called Magnesium Sulphate to keep me from seizing and stabilize my blood pressure. They gave me 2 doses of steroids to boost Hudson's lung development and the haze set in. "The mag" gave me double vision and made me VERY groggy. I had a hard time staying awake or maintaining normal conversation. Once I had been on that and the steroids for 24 hours they started me on Pitocin. My contractions began coming fast and strong. I was dilated to a 3 at 11:00 in the morning and called the nurse around 12:00 to let her know that I was feeling ALOT of pain. She checked me and declared me COMPLETE!

Yes, those really are my feet. They were HUGE!

Landon and I were very shocked and confused and I was feeling very scared. My midwife got word that we were to be taken to an operating room to deliver so that NICU could immediately begin monitoring the baby. I was afraid that I was going to have my baby in the hallway!

Hudson was born a short 20 minutes later and was taken away immediately. My parents and Landon's parents were allowed to see him but I was still recovering and was not able to see the baby for a few hours. When I was allowed to see him the Magnesium was making me very loopy and dizzy and I only saw him from a distance for a short while. Landon and I were able to hold the baby the next day and have been attached to his bedside ever since. ♥

We are currently still in the NICU working on breathing and eating issues, but hope to be home soon. This has been the most challenging and yet most spectacular event of my life. I had planned a VERY different birth experience for Hudson and I but I am so grateful for modern medicine and my healthy baby boy. I have felt emotions in the last week that I did not know I was capable of and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life loving this baby.

World's smallest Jazz fan

G & Gs (Neither set have been allowed to touch him yet :( )

Thanks so much for all the love and support. Landon and I have been overwhelmed by the phone calls, text messages and prayers sent our way. This will definitely be a Christmas that our little family will NEVER forget!