Announcing Paul Matthew Hunsaker!

My best pregnancy ever has ended today, July 18th, with the arrival of Little Man Paul at 1:10 AM.  He weighed in at 5 lbs 14 oz and was 18 inches long.  We were 38 weeks and 6 days along with no troubles, hiccups, or scary moments!  What a great pregnancy and what a great little baby.  He nurses like a CHAMP and is super sweet and mellow--even after the inevitable pokes and disturbances.  He's also so much fun to cuddle, I fear I'm going to spoil him early!  

Labor was fantastic and super fast.  It started shortly after my water broke around midnight and ended after a mad dash to the hospital, some hard contractions, and only three hard pushes.  It's a good thing I'm not a fan of medicated deliveries because I don't think I would have had time to be drugged, anyway.  Just at the moment when the contractions were really starting to making me wonder if I could do this, I began to feel the urge to push and thought to myself, "Surely we aren't this close yet!"  But we were...and the on-call doc was wonderful.  He let me stay on all fours, unlike the OB with Heidi, even though it made it difficult for him to catch the baby.  It was much more comfortable and I felt like I could push a lot better.  Although the pain was intense for the short amount of time I was in labor, I don't think it could have gone more smoothly.

Recovery is also less painful so far than it was for either Brynn or Heidi so all in all, I may be the only recently delivered woman you ever meet who would say, "I could do this again!"  Great pregnancy.  Great delivery.  Great recovery.  What more could a Momma want?  Thanks for being such a good little man, Paul.  You were a trooper.

I still can't believe the miracle of a healthy baby.  Even here, with my second healthy delivery, it's such a pleasant surprise when the nurses let you hold the baby as long as you want before whisking him away.  It's so nice when the atmosphere in the room is accommodating to mom and dad instead of worried about the urgent needs of a sick baby.  It's such a miracle to see the slower pace in the nurses' steps and the careful consideration of the doctors.  It's so amazing when the lungs work properly, the body fills in with healthy color, and the eyes start looking around at all the new sights and sounds.  What a miracle.  What a miracle.

I also have to express gratitude for the chance to get so much of what I wanted with this pregnancy, too.  Although I didn't make my ambiguous goal of 40 weeks and 8 lbs, I got to have a fully natural birth without needing to be induced and I got to enjoy a healthy, long pregnancy with zero complications.  I got a sweet, healthy baby boy who makes me smile no matter how exhausted I am.

I love his smell, his little grunts, and his tiny lips.  I love his hairy ears.  I love his little round face and perfect nose.  I love his long, wrinkly Grandpa fingers.  I love his chicken legs and can't wait to fatten him up with some of Momma's homemade goodness.  What a miracle.

Love to all and thanks again for all of your support.  I'll post photos as soon as I get a chance.