Hanging with the Hughes: February 2011

I guess it is safe to say that we successfully survived an extremely stressful and crazy week! I can't believe it has been that long to tell you the truth! It all started Monday morning when I went in for an amnioncentesis. The results came back saying that the baby was more than ready to be born soon. I, however, was only dilated to a 2. So instead of scheduling a C-section for the next morning, we thought we would wait one more week to see if I would dilate further so that I could be induced. Little did I know that decision would be made for me! It was a good thing that we cancelled anything for Tuesday morning because we would not have made it. We went to the skating rink that night with the kids for their school activity. Brian met me there and then we both drove home. When I got home I got the kids in their jammies and was getting Gaving in his jammies when I heard Brian's garage door open. Then I heard him coming up the steps in the garage followed by a crashing sound. He had opened up the door to the house before he fell so I heard him cry out. He has fallen on several occasions, so I didn't rush right out because I thought he had just dropped some stuff or fallen to his knees. When I got to the door I saw him laying on the floor of the garage not conscious. I came down the stairs and he started talking to me. He seemed ok at first, but then I saw his head was bleeding and he was saying a bunch of incoherent and weird things. I decided he needed to go to the hospital, but there was no way I could get him up off the floor. So I called 911. He was still conscious, but not making any sense so the paramedics thought it would be better if they transported him so they could keep an eye on his vitals and other things. Luckily, a bunch of my neighbors had come over when they saw the lights and took my kids. The next thing I knew I was in my pajamas driving to the hospital. We were there for several hours waiting on tests and a CT scan. Everything came back normal so they let us go home. It was pretty late when we go here, but there were still neighbors who were here to help carry Brian into the house. By the time I got him ready for bed and asleep I was getting extremely sick. I spent the next 5-6 hours with the chills and vomiting. I called my mom about 5 in the morning and asked her to come to my house in a few hours to get the kids off to school because I would not be able to. I called the Dr.'s office and left a message about my symptoms and what I should do. So my mom got the kids off to school for me then went home. On her way home she slammed into the back of another car on the freeway. I feel totally responsible because if I hadn't of called her, she wouldn't have been in an accident. After I got off the phone with her, my Dr.'s nurse called and said that I needed to get to labor and delivery ASAP. Here I am, my mom was just in an accident, Brian is completely out, I have Gavin at home, and I am sicker than sick, and I supposed to go somewhere! I called some neighbors to leave Gavin with and then drove myself to the hospital. I looked horrible by the time I got there so they rushed to get warm blankets on me and take my blood. Let me just tell you that laying there in the hospital sick and alone and feeling helpless was not so good for me. All the tests came back normal, but my Dr. felt like sending me home in this condition was a really bad plan. He really wanted my consent to do a C-section that day. I was not willing to risk my luck or take any chances so I told him to go ahead. I wasn't sure if Brian was going to be able to make it. However, he told me on the phone that he didn't know how he was going to get there, but that he was not missing the birth of his baby. Again the neighbors came to the rescue to get him into a car and to the hospital. They wheeled him around in a wheelchair in case he got dizzy. The nice thing about the C-section was that everyone in there made me totally at ease. Even the anesthesiologist. I have never met one of those doctors that I like. This guy was awesome though. He was super friendly and made me very comfortable with my spinal. My last experience was very horrible because the guy basically did not care how I was feeling. This guy was really young, he was actually the same age as me which is kind of weird when you are stark naked on the table and everyone is attaching things to you! They made the surgery in to a big party. They called it a birthday party! When they brought Brian in I got really emotional. This was the moment we had been waiting for for so long. I was so grateful in that moment that he was there to support me and hold my hand. When they took our precious baby out and I heard her cry,

I cried like I have never cried before. We're talking the total ugly cry. It was the best sound in the world to hear Taygen cry.

I have never cried at the birth of any of my children. I was always happy, but I never fully understood the true miracle of having a healthy baby. It was an experience I will never forget, a joy I can't describe in words. I am just so so grateful that after everything we had went through we were able to hold our baby girl. I of course sent for the kids as soon as possible so they could be comforted that I was OK, that Daddy was OK, and that Taygen was OK.

Maya was extremely relieved.

She told me that she couldn't believe that Taygen had lived, but she was so grateful that she had. That girl of mine is going to have such a wealth of knowledge about how precious and short life truly is. I am so glad that this event turned out to be positive for all of us. So now were home