Introducing Nixon

02.07.14

The Best & Longest Day Ever.

That is how I would sum it up in a nut shell. 

Meeting Nixon for the first time is something I don't even know how to describe. I would love to go and re-live that moment over and over again. Sometimes it doesn't even feel like it happened, because it was so surreal.

 Born at 12:51am

My contractions had started on the 6th at 4:30am or so. Nothing major, but I sort of just had a feeling that it was the real deal. The only thing that had me doubting was that they weren't bad at all and I could never really tell when they started and ended. That being said, during my pregnancy I 'd had very few contractions and given that I was at 40 weeks I just kind of knew that this was it. I had major insomnia while pregnant, especially in the 3rd term. I basically got 4 hours of sleep on a good night, so when I felt my contractions I figured I might as well get up. I decided to do some cleaning, because the last thing I wanted to worry about while in labor was what cleaning needed to be done. I had been paranoid for weeks that I'd go into labor the night that I left the dishes undone or the night that I went to bed with unruly hair. Ironically on the 5th, I was exhausted and left dishes in the sink, so at 4:30am I decided to do the dishes and then some laundry and then I was worried about my hair. A little vain and silly, I know. But I wanted to look at least kind of good by the time, my baby was born! In fact, when people asked me if I was nervous for labor, I'd tell them I wasn't. And that is the honest truth. What they should have asked me, is are you nervous its going to happen so fast that you aren't going to have time to do your hair and makeup. In all honesty, that is what scared me the most! Awful, I know. Luckily though, I ended up with time to take care of that! After a little cleaning, I decided to get in the tub and relax. I did this, until Tyler got up around 6 for work. I told him that I thought it might be happening but that I thought he should go to work but to expect a call at some point. I also told him to keep it on the DL, because the last thing I wanted was a bunch of people getting all giddy thinking it was happening if it wasn't, especially since he works with his dad, one of his brothers, and a brother-in-law. After he left, I tried to decide if I should get myself ready and go to work. It seemed almost silly to stay home, because I wasn't in any major pain. I totally could get some work done and if it wasn't for real, then I'd just look stupid going in the next day.  After texting my mom for a while, I decided to stay home...and it was probably a good thing I did. I dried my hair and planned on going walking with my mom to see if my contractions would continue to progress. At this point, they were still pretty much nothing but a little annoying. I was just about ready, when I started to get really tired so I decided to try to fall asleep for a bit. I set myself an alarm for 30 minutes, thinking I could get in a great little power nap, but I was definitely kidding myself. I had finally fallen asleep right about the time my alarm went off so I gave up on that idea and finished getting ready. Around 9 my Mom and Natalie came over to keep me company and to go walking. Since it was February and pretty cold and gloomy outside, we headed to the mall to walk around. Sure enough, the walking around helped my contractions progress. They were starting to hurt a little bit, but still nothing more than an annoyance and they made it hard to walk when one hit. They were actually pretty close together too. I don't think Natalie and my Mom had a clue how many I was having and how close some of them were together. Had they known, we might have been headed to the hospital much earlier. I however, wasn't too worried because I wasn't completely uncomfortable and I was enjoying the shopping, and it didn't feel at all real yet, so I just wasn't worried. The one thing I was a little worried about though, was at what point I should call Tyler. The other thing that I wasn't so sure about was whether or not I should eat, the contractions could go on for hours or days...I really didn't know, so I didn't want to starve if I didn't have to but didn't want to eat if I shouldn't. I decided that it would be a good idea to eat, because I really don't function well when my blood sugar gets low. We left the mall just after 11, because I figured it was best for me to eat earlier rather than later. We stopped at Quiznos and got me a small sandwich and kept it a little more plain than usual. We went back to my apartment and hung out for a bit and I ate my sandwich. After sitting for a bit, I realized I needed to keep moving if I wanted to have my baby, because sitting had made my contractions slow way down. I decided that it would be a good idea to go to the grocery store and get some of the things I needed/wanted to have on hand when I came home with the baby. I made a list and then realized it would be a better idea if we went to Target where we could get both groceries and a few other things. I really wanted to pick up some thank you cards so I could get them sent out to everyone who came to my baby showers. We headed there and on the way there, I said I really wish I knew when I should tell Tyler to come home. I then joked that it'd be nice if my water just broke so I knew it was a definite thing and not just one big false alarm. We got to Target and being the indecisive person I am, I spent like 10 minutes debating what Thank you cards to get. We then wandered off to the baby section where we were just enjoy browsing and looking at all the things that I'd probably looked at 50 times already. We were right by the cribs and I was mid-sentence when all of the sudden I felt a contraction that was much harder and stopped me in my tracks. Instantly I grabbed onto one of the cribs and suddenly felt the tenseness completely go away mid-contraction. The combination of the intense contraction combined with the feeling of relief and the fact that this all happened in about a .2 seconds while I was talking no less, my body reacted by letting out a loud gasp! And simultanously I felt a flood of water! Sure enough, my water broke! In the Target baby section no less! I wish we would have stopped to take a picture. It was kind of hilarious. I called Tyler at 1:05pm and told him he'd better come home. I still felt like there was no rush, but when we got to my apartment my Mom said I should probably hurry. While laughing lots, because I was still leaking fluid like crazy I got together the few things together that I hadn't yet put in my hospital bag and we went and got back in my mom's car. She had suggested we go get checked in and by the time that was done Tyler would be there. She was mostly concerned that I was going to start feeling a lot of pain, really quick (that's what she did when she went into labor and had her water break). I decided I'd call Tyler to see how far out he was from the car. I called just as he was pulling in, so we decided to wait for him. I waited for him to shower and then I got in the car with him and my mom and Natalie followed with all of my stuff. We got checked in and the nurses laughed when they heard how my water broke. They said that just that day they'd been talking about how embarrassing it would be to have your water break in public. I told them it was more funny than anything...and better at Target than at work. That would have been much more embarrassing. I really hadn't had a single contraction since my water had broke, so I was enjoying everything that was happening and doing lots of laughing.

40 Weeks Pregnant!

It took me forever (like an hour) to fill out 5 minutes worth of forms. That was one of the strangest things about labor. I could not focus or remember anything and all time was a complete blur.

Tyler may or may not have gotten in trouble for tuning me out and watching tv instead of listening to me and I may or not have chewed him out for it and told him he would NOT be watching the BYU game later. Natalie so kindly was sure to document it.

I got my epidural while I still at a 2 or so ( I was at a 2 forever). My contractions got worse pretty quick and I had about an hour where I wanted to die, nothing could make them at all better and I was so uncomfortable. I told the nurse at 6 that I was more than ready for the epidural, At about 6:30the anesthesiologist came in and gave it to me. Epidurals are the best thing in the whole world! I could have kissed him! He was my very best friend in that moment. I went from thinking that I was in pure hell to pure heaven! I had a lot of people tell me how bad the needle hurt, but I think they were all full of it. I thought it felt great. I was shaking uncontrollably before getting it and Tyler helped me stay as still as possible while the anesthesiologist did his thing. He told me my legs would start to feel really heavy and that when we was done, he would help me get them back on the bed. Instead of them feeling heavy, they felt weightless and tingly so I start swinging them around. When he was done, he and the nurse put them back on the bed for me. After they left the room I told Tyler that I felt really silly having them help me when my I could totally move my own legs and they didn't even feel heavy. Then I went to show him and realized I couldn't lift my left leg at all. It was the funniest thing. I could roll my ankle all day but had no other feeling in it. I made him move it for me, and I couldn't feel him pick it up, only set it down. It was so weird. I then touched it only to realize that it felt like it was on fire, but I actually thought it was cold. And when I first touched it, I didn't realize it was my leg. I thought I was touching a pillow. It also felt twice its size, but looked the same. I didn't feel any pain from this point on. I could feel pressure just fine, but absolutely no pain. It was perfect. Shortly after my epidural though, the nurse came in and said my blood pressure was super super low. I told her my blood pressure is always a little on the low side, so I wasn't too surprised. She put me on oxygen to try to get it back up and to make sure I wouldn't cause the baby any stress. The oxygen did make me feel a little sick and I started shaking quite a bit again. I tried to rest, because the nurse told me I needed to as much as possible, because I would really need my energy later. I tried, but between the fact that the oxygen was making me feel really bleh and my mind kept wandering, I never did fall to sleep.

Don't I look really cute on oxygen?

The nurse told me that she would come and check me again at 11:30 (before this point I was at like a 3ish). Well, 11:45 rolled around and she hadn't come in yet, but Dr. Aagard poked his head in to see how I was doing. Then he asked me if she had checked me recently and I told him, she said she would but hadn't yet, so he said he would. He told me I was ready and it was time to push. He went for the nurse and I said peace out to my mom and Natalie.

My dad came in really quick (he'd just gotten to the hospital from the BYU basketball game) to give me some thumbs up. He was really excited if you can't tell.

Last family picture as just the two of us. I'm not sure if it was all the fluids they were pumping in my IV or the oxygen, but my face really swoll up my last few hours of labor.

Go time.

The nurse coached me on how I needed to push, and literally the second she finished telling me, I'd completely forgotten what she said so I had to ask her to tell me again. Once I started pushing, she kept telling me how good I was doing. In between contractions, she'd really tell me how awesome of a job I was doing. I just thought she was trying to motivate me, because time I pushed, it felt the same as the one before. I finally asked if they could get me the mirror that was sitting in the corner of the room. They did and that helped so much! I could actually see what was happening and it was the best seeing Nixon's little head, and made everything seem all the more real. Once he was close she gave told me we'd skip the next few contractions and she'd get Dr. Aagard (he'd left a few minutes prior to check on another patient.)

The absolute worst part of pushing was actually when I wasn't pushing. My arms were completely shaking and spazzing out of control. I absolutely hated the feeling. It helped to channel all that energy into pushing so once I stopped and she was out of the room, I suddenly had to vomit. Tyler grabbed the closest thing he could find (my ice cup) and I hurled, luckily it was just water, but I felt so nauseated and was a little worried about how the rest of labor was going to go. As soon as the nurse got back she got me a barf bag and told me to relax and we wouldn't push until I got it out of my system. It passed pretty quickly and by the time Dr. Aagard was back ( a minute or two later) I was ready to go again. It was so neat to be able to watch Nixon slide out (And by slide, I don't really mean, slide at all). It wasn't until Dr. Aagard said, "this is NOT a little baby, " that I noticed his size at all. He basically came out crying, which I was so grateful for. Tyler cut the cord and the nurse picked him up to bring him to me. I pushed for a little under an hour...it was sooo worth it!

I thought I would cry or be more emotional when he was born, but I wasn't at all. I just felt very calm and at peace. I was very content to just have him in my arms.

Nixon Tyler Hunsaker
9lbs. 21 in. long

His feet and hands were not the feet or hands of a typical newborn. He definitely got Schaefer feet. His hands were thick like Tyler's but long like mine. The first thing my dad said when he saw him was, "Look at those hands, this kid can already palm a basketball!"

First family picture.
I'm so in love with that little burrito.

After I fed him for the first time, we invited our family to come back. By this point, it was 2 am or so. Kevin and Bubba had been there most of the evening, but gave up on waiting and left shortly before.

I love everything about this little tiny, but his feet just might be my most favorite thing.