The nurse told me to tell the nurses in the recovery room and nursery that I wanted to be able to see my baby ASAP, that most of the nurses are super family-friendly and can make sure the baby is brought to me quickly if I make it clear how important it is. She said, of course you can get that "one nurse" who's a stinker about it, but that I should speak up about my wishes because most of the nurses are really flexible. That made me feel a lot better, and I coached Justin--who always goes with baby to the nursery--to pester the baby nurses to get that baby back to me in recovery with great haste.

Around 7:30 a.m., I walked myself into the same OR that Eisley & Violet were born in. I sat on the table that feels about 6 inches wide, and the anaesthesiologist started working on my spinal block. This time was a little harder to get the spinal placed compared to my previous surgeries. It took a while, but soon enough my legs went dead and I'm just thankful the anaesthesiologist was able to get it done and I was completely numb through out the surgery.

At some point I noticed the silly anaesthesiologist had strapped my arms down, which sort of ticked me off, they'd never done that before, though I've heard of them doing it at other hospitals and I've always thought it sounded a little barbaric. One nice thing about being "experienced" is that I wasn't feeling as vulnerable as the first time, so I came right out and said, "Can you please take those off? I've never had my arms strapped down before." So he did, he just made me promise that if I had an itch or something I'd let him know instead of scratching it myself. I guess they don't want you interfering with the "surgical zone"...? Still, straps are not necessary. Please...

My blood pressure was still sky high when Justin finally joined me in the OR, and I was all ready to be cut into again {had I known, I would have had them install a zipper when Eisley was born}. I was so much more nervous this time than my past two c-sections, and Justin says he was too for some reason. I was squeezing his hand SO hard.


This c-section seemed a little more rough and violent than the past two--maybe due to all the scar tissue? A c-section is no gentle birth, folks, it's a major sugery and involves a LOT of movement. It took longer to get to the baby, and there sure was a lot of jerking around, pushing, tugging, prodding. It's like having dental work done, it doesn't hurt but you can feel things going on. The moment they pulled him out, I literally felt relief as things shifted inside with all that space being given up again.

Paxton was born at 8:07 a.m.. They let you know when they're almost to baby, this time they had to use the vacuum {just like with Eisley} because he was so high up there. We have a video of the moment he was born, but I won't be posting it because it's actually sort of graphic compared to Violet's birth video. Also, right after he was born you can hear the anaesthesiologist tell Justin that he can't record--which annoyed us both because I actually had gotten approval from my OB prior to the birth, but I'd forgotten to coach Justin {that's my thing, to prepare myself and others with all possible scenarios and what to say and what-ifs} since I'd ALREADY GOTTEN APPROVAL. But, we did get the moment he was born on video, as well as right after when he was being cleaned up on the warming table. In between is just sound and a visual of blue scrubs.

Paxton moments after birth

He cried right away, they brought him over for me to see before taking him to the warming table--and this time the nurse working on the baby made sure I had a good view the entire time. That was wonderfully thoughtful. She even told Justin to move out of my way so I could see Paxton, and honestly, that's how it should be. I'm a big believer that c-section moms should be afforded as many liberties {as safely possible} that regularly birthing moms are given. My first thoughts were overwhelming, first that I loved him! Second, I was struck with how much he looked like my father. I had no predictions or premonitions on what he'd look like, but I immediately saw so much of my father in him, and I still do.

He cried quite a bit, up until the moment they had him all bundled up and wiped down and they handed him to me to hold, then he calmed right down and didn't make a peep. I held him and marvelled, and we had a wonderful few minutes...

Until I felt like I was going to vomit. I got really nauseous all of a sudden, and I said, "I'm nauseous...Justin, take the baby!" And the anaesthesiologist said, "Yep, I thought you were about to say that." Because apparently he'd been watching my blood pressure fall and now it was very low. It had started out in the hypertension stage 2 area and now was all the way down, so low that I was feeling faint and sick. I hated to pass up the baby, but I also didn't want his first moments of life to include his mother either vomiting on him or dropping him on the floor in a dead faint.

Anaesthesiologist are well trained and have a locker full of drugs at the ready, so he was able to help me feel better within minutes. Justin and Paxton were ready to head off to the nursery to be weighed and such, I talked to the nurse first {she was so sweet} and asked her to hurry up with the baby and she promised me they would. Now it was just a matter of letting my OB sew me back up. I'm blessed to have had 3 c-sections now go off without a hitch. I have scar tissue, but everything is still where it should be and functioning and this is so wonderful. Some women leave the OR without their uterus after having a c-section, it's always a concern for me that something might go wrong. I'm so glad that so many people were praying for us.

Dad & Paxton head to the nursery

One of the worst parts of a c-section is when they're finally done, but they have to move your from a tiny operating table into a hospital bed, and that includes tipping you over on your side both ways. Just try and imagine being completely numb from the chest down and having a bunch of people tilt you off an operating table, holding you mid-air, you think you're going to fall to the floor and become a human Humpty Dumpty. They do this every day though... I haven't fallen yet!

Paxton is weighed

I was wheeled into recovery {I've always been the only one in there} where two nurses were waiting to take care of my post-op needs and monitor my vitals. The nurses introduced me to recovery as "Adele". Just as I was about to correct them and tell them my name is actually Heather, they started commenting on how much I look like the singer Adele and I realized they were joking. I've heard that before, many people have told me I look like Adele...but it was funny that the nurses noticed with all that was going on!

Justin must have done his job of bugging the baby nurses to hurry because it wasn't even 5 minutes when the phone rang and it was the nursery asking if "Erickson mama" was ready to see her baby yet. That's when I heard my nurse say, "Give us another 15-20 minutes or so..." At which point I spoke up and said, "Actually, I want him brought to me right away. I want to be able to nurse him as soon as possible." Unfortunately, my nurse was already hanging up the phone.

"Can you call them back and tell them I'm ready please?" I asked.

"Let's just wait another 20 minutes or so..." she replied. UGH! Apparently I had gotten that "one nurse".

I told her that I'd already talked to several nurses about it and that I had been told he could be brought to me right away.

Again, she replied, "I understand...but let's wait another 15-20 minutes to make sure you're up to it."

Now here's the thing: this wasn't my first rodeo. I was not the vulnerable, do-whatever-you're-told first-time-mom any more. After ALL the trouble I'd gone through to demand Justin pester the baby nurses and talking to nurses myself, I wasn't about to let Nurse Ratched ruin this for me. {Okay, calling her Nurse Ratched might be a little harsh, she wasn't mean or rude, she just wasn't doing what I wanted her to.} It's not fair that c-section moms should have to wait an hour to see their baby when the other birthing moms are never separated from their newborns if they don't want to be. But I am assertive, and while I genuinely appreciate the work nurses do, I also have no trouble pulling out my stern voice when I feel I need to... I wanted my baby and darn it, I was going to get my baby!

I couldn't hold in my annoyance any longer. I huffed. Loudly. I said, in my best mama bear voice, "Look, can you just please call the nursery and tell them I'm ready to see my baby? I don't have to hold him yet, I just want him brought here now."

"Okay," said Nurse Ratched. She walked over to the phone, and while she was put on hold for several minutes by the nursery this time, I had at last gotten my way. Soon enough, Justin and a nurse were wheeling Baby Paxton in to see me.


I felt a little loopy and light headed from the morphine and narcotics, but Paxton's nurse was quick to put him in my arms. I really do love the nurses. I had yet another run-in with that one, but for the most part, they are wonderful at seeing to a mom's needs. So this time around, my time in recovery without the baby was much shorter than  my previous two experiences, so I was happy.

Time flies once you have the baby here and in your arms, and he'll be turning 18 and leaving the house, like, tomorrow. Before we knew it I was in my room in the post-partum wing, cuddling my newborn and being doted on my husband and nurses. They take good care of you at our hospital.

After a while my parents brought Eisley & Violet by to see the baby--what a wonderful moment in life! Your babies meeting your newest baby. Eisley had been waiting months for this, and she immediately fell head over heels for her baby brother. Violet was not nearly so standoffish was Eisley had been toward her when she was born, I would say Violet was interested enough for a two-year-old. She thinks he's cute and likes to kiss him and bring him his things, but she's also been unphased by his birth. They both took turns holding him, Eisley could sit and stare at his face for hours.
Justin stayed with me one night in the hospital, the next night he took the girls home so they could sleep in their own beds again. It was easy being alone with Paxton because so far he's been the most mellow baby a mom could ever hope for. Even his sister's can't seem to wake him up {and Violet has tried}.

Yay for baby brothers!

Eisley, Papa, and Paxton

This recovery has been so easy and swift this time around. I never took any of the narcotics they offer, I dealt with the pain of recovery on Tylenol and ibuprofen alone. I remember how much I hated the Percocet and Vicodin when I had Eisley, Justin has stories to tell about the crazy things I said. I'd rather not take prescription pain killers at all. Because of this, I was able to go home from the hospital after only two nights. C-section moms often stay up to five days, but when you have two little ones already and the only thing you're getting at the hospital any more is Tylenol and free diapers, you feel the call of home, your own bed, and good old normalcy. So I asked to leave early and was allowed to go since I was recovering so well.

Daddy's lap has reached maximum capacity

Each child has been an adjustment. The first child is, well, the first child! You drive home so slow from the hospital, you fret and you're anxious about every little thing. You hold that first baby like a priceless pieces of crystal that could shatter at any moment.

Watching daddy do a diaper change

By the time you get to #3, you're more relaxed because you have to be. Paxton is so chill too, so that helps. He already sleeps up to 6 hours at night! He sleeps a lot during the day too. He nurses so well, he fusses occasionally but is easily calmed. He sleeps through the two-year-old's tantrums and the four-year-old's singing in the car.

All buckled in and ready to leave

With number one you're thrown for a loop because you really had no idea what it'd be like to be a parent. With #2 you think you're a pro but you quickly realize, hey, this is a different baby. What worked with #1 doesn't work with #2 and so then you're humbled and even more thrown off. When #3 comes along, you're prepared to be humbled and so you're not as nervous or thrown off by their injection into your family. We knew Paxton's birth would rock the boat, all babies do, this much we know by now.

Party of five! Ready to go home...

So far the trouble with #3 is that it's not just mom, dad, and baby any more. There is not just another quiet toddler in the background learning to adjust. This time we've realized it's tricky to have two little ones demanding so much when we're trying to care for Paxton. Eisley hovers and asks questions constantly. It's really endearing, honestly, that she is so in love with her brother. Though we've had to ask her to back off and give us some space at times when we're knee deep in stressful moments that come with having a newborn. She is a wonderful big sister, and this little guy is so loved. Violet isn't as much in our face, but she just keeps being Violet and won't let us off easy just because we have a new baby.
The girls are not at all jealous toward Paxton, there is no aggression {yet}, but they have gotten competitive with each other. Like little mother-in-laws fighting with each other, one pulls the blanket up over Paxton to keep him warm, the other pulls it down to cool him off, repeat once or twice and suddenly they're arguing over how to properly place the blanket over the baby and we're breaking up a fight.

Our back seat is full now! Time to work on that third row...? ;-)

We have a family of five now! I can hardly believe we're here already, at this stage of life. Three? Already???

Eisley hovers around the baby...endearing!

I swear just yesterday Justin and I were going to our junior prom together, holding hands and then some in his car and talking about what we were going to do with our lives. Kids were always part of the plan. Now we have three.
We love you always, Mr. Paxton!
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Why we named him Paxton...

Paxton Bradford was named after my great-grandfather from my mother's side, Arthur Paxton Baker, who's mother's maiden name was Angeline Paxton. I would think she must have wanted to hold onto her maiden name since she gave it to her son. Seeing as I kept my maiden name for personal reasons, I like to think that naming my son, her great-great-great-grandson, Paxton would have thrilled her...I hope. Bradford is my father's name. Paxton was also born on my uncle Eric's birthday, and he passed away when I was seven. I love using family names. Violet is a family name, and Eisley's middle name, Kathryn, is also a family name.