Introducing Mr. Hunter Jackson - The Birth Story

Quick Details: Hunter Jackson Shellhart was born at 4:44 a.m. on February 4th, 2013. He weighed 8 pounds 4 oz and measured 19.5 inches long. My water broke around midnight. I labored 4 hours and then pushed for 45 minutes. Hunter was born drug-free, although an epidural was in the plan - he just came too fast! And for those who had bets, Brandon shaved his beard AFTER the baby came.

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February 3rd was a wonderful day! I woke up and went to church at 9 am. I was feeling super uncomfortable sitting through sacrament, so I decided to head home after the first hour. I got home, crawled into bed and slept in until 1 that afternoon! It was wonderful. Then, in honor of Super Bowl Sunday, I was surrounded by the most delicious food and I ate like a queen all day. I even got a chance to skype my Dad to wish him a happy birthday. I am so grateful I ate so well and got a nice long nap. I think that really helped during the hard morning I had ahead.

I kept telling Audrie all night that I was having a TON of Braxton Hicks contractions, like almost one every 5 minutes. She kept asking me if they hurt at all and I would say "Nope! Just gets a little tight." They felt just like any other Braxton Hicks I have had, just more of them.

So that night, I write my 39 week update and as soon as I posted it ... I got up to use the bathroom and my water broke! 11:50 pm on Sunday February 3, I felt my first real contractions! Brandon was so excited!

After I confirmed my water had broke - I walk into the kitchen and complained that we hadn't even cleaned up the kitchen yet. (The weird things I worry about). As soon as Brandon heard that he was in the kitchen happily doing the dishes (he is still very excited the baby is coming) while I nervously talked on the phone with the Group Health Consulting Nurse.

I was told to just hang tight and that I was in early labor. The nurse contacted the midwife to let her know to be expecting me sometime the next day! She said to time my contractions and once they reach 5 minutes apart at 1 minute long for an hour to call back.

... So I did start timing my contractions - they were really intense already! After about 35 minutes I started getting really nervous! My contractions were never 5 minutes apart. They were consistently 3 minutes apart and about a minute long. I was so confused, so I called the nurse back to tell her my contractions were not 5 minutes apart ever. She asks "Is this your first?" Yes. "Just relax, your contractions will be irregular. Sometimes 7 minutes apart and sometimes 3 minutes apart. Just wait until they are consistent. You need your rest for tomorrow so head to bed and try to get some sleep." Ummm, I think she missed the part where I said my contractions were 3 minutes apart. And sleep? Yeah right.

So being paranoid that I was just a nervous, wimpy, first time Mom, I went to the bedroom and tried to 'relax' on the bed. Wow, I couldn't get comfortable anywhere I went! I couldn't move. I didn't want to leave the bed, but I didn't want to be on the bed either. Sometimes massage would help the back pain, but I felt pretty stuck and uncomfortable. And pretty soon nothing was helping.

Then I started getting really irritated with Brandon. (Poor guy). I wanted him to help me time my contractions, but I didn't want him to stop getting the house and everything ready either, ha ha! By 1:30 a.m. my contractions were 3 to 2 minutes apart and 1 1/2 up to 4 minutes long! At this point I was crying and I seriously couldn't get out of bed or move. All I could do was sit there and moan. Once again, I called the Nurse Consulting Service, but handed the phone over to Brandon this time. I tell him to talk to a different nurse, ha ha!

Once I get through my contraction I talk to the new nurse. She asks me the same thing "Is this your first?" I say yes. So she says "Sometimes contractions seem very intense to new Moms, but it is important to relax and take it easy in the first few hours." A contraction comes along and I hand the phone to Brandon so I can moan a cry for a minute or so. I talk to the nurse again and she asks if I'd rather labor at the hospital or at home. I say I'd rather labor at home. Finally after I moan through another contraction she says "It's very rare, but sometimes new Mom's can have fast labors. So you should just go with your instincts. At the very least, the hospital can send you home."

I hang up the phone and Brandon gets moving! He grabs the little check list I made for him and he starts packing up the dog, chargers, my glasses etc ... He tries to feed me a granola bar (as instructed by the nurse), but I try to throw it up instead. Getting me to the car was absolutely impossible. I stopped two or three times just to hold onto Brandon and cry through a contraction. Laboring in our old little Corolla was awful - every bump hurt so bad and it was so hard to get comfortable during contractions.

Once we finally make it to the hospital and walk half way to Labor and Delivery, we realize it's 2:30 in the morning and the entrance is closed! So back to the car we go and head to the ER this time. After a pause for a contraction in the ER parking lot we were well on our way to Labor and Delivery. Thank goodness for hospital pre-registration and for the nice triage nurse who didn't want a baby delivered in the ER, so he escorted us personally to L&D.

We get to L&D and the nurse casually walks over, hands me a gown and a pee cup. Tells me to head to the bathroom to pee and change. Ugh! It was awful, I managed to pee in the tiny cup (and all over my hand) and somehow get the gown on in between contractions. I had a totally different scenario in my head on how that would all go down.

So I have my stupid gown on and I think finally they'll check to see how dilated I am ... Nope. The nurse casually sets me up on the monitor and starts a test to see if my water broke. So we wait .... I moan ... we wait .... I finally get a really strong contraction and I yell "I think I have to push! I don't know what that is supposed to feel like, but I think I need to push!" She stops dead in her tracks and she is like "Really?" Apparently if you aren't screaming and crying and yelling horrible things at everyone around you, you aren't in transition. 

Finally! She checks my cervix annnnnd I am a 10 and ready to push. Go figure. The first thing I ask when she tells me this is "So that means no epidural?" ha ha! I was really looking forward to some relief! So the nurse tells me "If you made it this far, you are not going to need it!" I let the reality sink in that I need to be strong and endure this for just a bit longer. A drug free labor was what I really wanted in the end anyway - so I get to have my badge of honor after all!

So they wheel my bed into a room and like 5 nurses appear. I am then told I need to wait to push until the midwife can get there. Oh man was it hard to sit through hard contractions and not push. Brandon, of course, is amazing as ever and reminds me to breathe during my contractions. He puts a nice cold wash cloth on my face and lets me give him evil stares. He strokes my hair, tells me I am doing amazing, lots of kisses to the forehead. Everything a crazy laboring pregnant lady needs. Plus, Audrie finally arrives! There was a bit of a mix up on who was picking up my dog, but she got there in the knick of time! She took lots of fun birthday photos.

After about 45 minutes (it's about 4 in the morning by now) the midwife finally arrives. I remember the nurses lining up in the hall to clap and cheer for her! We were all pretty anxious to get going. Finally I get to start pushing!

It was a love/hate relationship. It took a lot of energy to push, but it felt good to get a little relief. Plus, pushing meant the contractions would go away and Hunter would be here soon! The nurses and Brandon were all so nice to me. Lots of 'you are doing great' and 'thanks for not yelling awful things at us' and 'you're almost there!' Apparently, I labored very quiet and I didn't complain much because everyone kept telling me they couldn't believe I was in active labor. They told me I was giggling and making jokes in between contractions. I don't know about that - during the contractions I felt like a was throwing a tantrum like a 5 year old. Labor makes you say and make noises you never knew you had in you. I pushed for about 45 minutes - thank goodness it felt like it happened quicker than that!

4:44 a.m. came all too fast! I loved the immediate relief I felt once Hunter was finally here! It was an amazing moment. Time does stop. All the pain was gone, Hunter was placed snugly on my tummy and I could finally relax. There is not a better feeling in the world then getting to hold a new, precious little child of God in your arms. I waited and dreamed and worried for 8 months about that darling boy and he couldn't have been more perfect! I loved to stroke his hair and just stare at his peaceful little face.

And of course Daddy got to cut the umbilical cord!

I was a little sad at how exhausted I was and I couldn't hold him in my arms for very long. I was freezing and had the shakes pretty bad. So I was relieved and disappointed when they whisked him away to the other side of the room to be weighed and tested. I was just too exhausted to be present. Later, I was so thankful for all of Audrie's photo's she took because I didn't get to watch him get is APAGAR score or to see him be weighed and measured. Plus, I got to see how Daddy was there the whole time to watch over little Hunter when I couldn't be there. He never left his side.

It was fun to guess the weight before they told us. I believe I said 7 1/2 pounds... He was a whopping 8 pounds 4 oz. I was almost a pound off, lol! I was the one who pushed him out, so apparently he didn't feel that big coming out.

Later that morning Brandon went home to shave off his beard he grew in honor of Hunter. He was pretty sad to see it go, but a deals a deal - right? :) There is always the next baby. Plus, I was in total shock to see him shaved. He lost about 30 pounds during my pregnancy so the extra hair off his face really slimmed him down. He is lookin really gooood!

So there you have it!

Hunter Jackson Shellhart was born at 4:44 a.m. on February 4th, 2013. He weighed 8 pounds 4 oz and measured 19.5 inches long. He also shares a birthday with his Grandma Debbie Shellhart.

Fun fact: When you reverse Hunter's birthday, 2/4 - it's 4/2... his Dads birthday! ha ha! It will be birthday hard to forget.