Hayward, Party of FOUR! - Evelyn's Birth Story

Evelyn was not due to be here until the 18th, but I'm so grateful she came when she did. Dan has been set to take the MCAT on the 13th and throughout the entire pregnancy I've been super stressed that she would come that day. Plus his birthday and Mother's Day are the 14th and I definitely did not want to be in the hospital that day either. So it worked out that she came when she did, even though it was two weeks early and I was not as prepared as I should have been.
I had my 38 week check up on Thursday and went to Costco afterwards. Walking around and then carrying it all inside made me super tired and I was cramping on and off for a few hours into the evening. It was definitely false labor and I kept praying it wouldn't turn into real labor just yet because Dan was not currently walking or feeling 100%. He developed an infection from his Achilles and was in so much pain that he had to start using his scooter again. The antibiotics they gave him also made him super nauseous on top of him not feeling well from the infection. So we were a couple of pretty sad saps. Luckily because both of us were so tired I had asked my Mom to watch Hayley that night so she was already taken care of when my cramps started returning at 2:30 the next morning and eventually turned into real labor.
I was in and out of sleep for the next 3 hours, waking up each time I'd have a contraction (which still felt more like a cramp). The only reason we were at the hospital at 6:00 was because I was bleeding and was told to go in if that happened. I would have liked to labor at home longer because my contractions were not intense, but it was probably good we went in because it went a lot faster this time. I was at a 5 and 100% effaced so they admitted us. My contractions were pretty sporadic so the nurse said if they don't progress on their own then I'd have to be put on pitocin. I did not want that so Dan scootered around with me while I walked. That helped them be more regular but still not super intense. We got put into a room, we were waiting for one to be cleaned, and my doctor came in and broke my water to get things going. I was at a 7 when she did that. The nurse checked me a little while later and I had progressed to an 8. Dan's Mom was there for a little while until she left to get him some stuff to help with his stomach.
Things were still pretty calm at this point and I was able to breathe through contractions. My Mom had arrived in the meantime and I was doing some paperwork until all of the sudden things heated up quickly. I had about 4 super intense contractions really close together and that was when I wanted to tap out. I knew I could not do that for who knows how many more hours without my coach, Dan, helping me. (He was still feeling pretty nauseous and was trying to get a hold of his doctor to give him something to help so he could hopefully help me and deliver our baby again.) So I totally asked for an epidural, but the nurse checked me again and I was at a 10 and ready to deliver. (Looking back at Hayley's birth I have no idea how I did this for 16 hours.) The next half hour, give or take - I had no sense of time, was full of me almost crying and trying to breathe in and out slowly. I could feel baby moving down and once she was close to being out I was ready to be done but Julia, my doctor, wasn't there yet (she went back to the office) so the on-call doctor was in there telling me to just hold the baby so I wouldn't tear and so Julia could be there. If I could have talked I would have had some words for him ha. Does he realize what he's asking me to do?! Ok, yes, I realize what you're saying and I know it'll benefit me, because of course I don't want to tear, BUT holding a baby's head in a 10 cm hole is no joke! Finally Julia came in the room and as soon as she was at my feet I used that last contraction to get baby girl out. Dan and I were both bummed he couldn't deliver her, but he did get to cut the cord and I think we were both relieved it was over. Evelyn Hayward was born at 10:19 AM weighing 6 pounds 11 ounces and 19.5 inches long. We are super excited to have another girl and feel extremely blessed.

The next 10 minutes were pretty unpleasant too because I did tear a little and had to be stitched up. Julia gave me some shots to try and numb the area but I could still feel way more than I wanted to. She said that was the downside of going natural, feeling all the stuff that happens afterwards, and I have to agree ha. Once baby girl was cleaned up a little and taken care of we got to do some skin to skin and I fed her. Dan and my mom held her and then Dan's parents both arrived and got to meet sweet, little Evelyn. Dan went home in the afternoon to shower and get some things we didn't have time to pack that morning. Thankfully he was feeling better because his Dad brought some drugs that he got from Dan's doctor. My Mom stayed with me for a little while until she went home so my Dad could come with Mike and Nikkole. Dan stayed until around 9:00 so I could take a shower and then he went home to sleep.
Eve ate really well right after she had been born but was struggling the rest of the day. She had been spitting up here and there and the nurse said she must have swallowed some fluid on her way out. Her glucose levels were fine so they said not to worry. When the nurse brought her in during the night she told me she suctioned out her stomach and got quite a bit of fluid out. She did better nursing after that.
Dan came back the next morning a little before 9:00. We had some pictures taken and I had my parents bring Hayley then so that we could have that moment captured. She was pretty quiet and not really sure what was going on, I think because there were so many people watching her. Eventually she turned into her Hayley self and was playing and laughing. Dan's parents came up in the afternoon and after that it was a pretty relaxing day. We had a "special" dinner that night and then watched the Jazz game. Dan stayed with me that night and we were out of the hospital by 11:00 the next morning.

Our special dinner.

The whole process has gone a lot smoother this time, super grateful for that. I have felt a lot better too. I can't believe we are a family of four! I feel so blessed and am so grateful to have two beautiful daughters! (A big thanks to  Rachel Garrett Photography  for doing a "Fresh 48" session for us! Go check her out.)

Pregnancy Number Two

I wasn't as good at documenting this pregnancy as I was the first but I still did a little. It's a little more difficult to sit down and write when there is a little person demanding your attention most of the day, and when she's sleeping you want to be sleeping too. And taking bump pictures just wasn't as fun the second time around, probably because I felt larger a lot faster.

December 30, 2016
Well here we go again! I am already half way through pregnancy number two and so I decided it was time to write about it. Dan and I were actually trying this time, and after 5 months we accomplished our goal. I came to realize during our time trying that these babies really are miracles and the fact that so many details have to align to create a human is something magical. 
I was using an app to help track my ovulation and so when the time came to take a pregnancy test I used one that took longer to show results than I was used to so I thought it was negative. I decided to wait two days and try again and that one was positive! So we found out on September 9 that we were having another baby! Baby number two will be arriving in May 2017.

I went on a cruise at the end of September with my parents and I wanted to go in before to make sure things were ok but I wasn’t far enough along. So I had my first appointment on October 6, at 8 weeks. I had some dreams that I was pregnant with twins but my doctor said there was only one, not because I asked but because she said she always checks to make sure there’s not two. Dan and Hayley were both with me and we heard the heartbeat and our doctor said everything was looking good.

We told Dan’s parents the night before I left for my cruise by giving them a box with a chocolate heart in it and a note saying, “Your 6th grandchild’s heart started beating this week.” Thankfully they believed us this time. And Dan wasn’t on the cruise with me so I told my parents by putting Hayley in pajamas that said, “Coolest Sister Ever” the first night we were on vacation. My Mom read them and asked if I was pregnant and my Dad didn’t get it. He was thinking she was a cool “sista” and so we had to explain it meant that Hayley was getting a sibling. It was pretty funny.

With Hayley I was sick from 6 weeks to 24 weeks and with this baby I was sick from 8 weeks to 16 weeks. So shorter time but I feel like it was a lot more intense this time around. I definitely would rather throw up than just be nauseous all the time, although there were few days where I couldn’t keep anything down and that was miserable with no relief after the vomiting. Before I started feeling sick I wanted to eat anything and everything. I am really surprised I didn’t gain any weight in those first few weeks because I was a vacuum. When Hayley would see my "barf bucket" she would pretend throw up into it. It was slightly funny. She is pretty good at imitating vomiting noises.

I also started showing at around 11 weeks with this baby and my bump is a little larger than it was the last time, but I’ve been told that’s normal with a second baby. I felt baby move sooner this time, at 16 weeks, because I knew what it was and could differentiate between my body and baby.
I am tired ALL the time. I take naps with Hayley every day and once I started working at night I have had to have Dan watch her while I take extra naps or sleep in or have my parents help. I am a housekeeper at the Ogden Temple and that can be tiring depending on what kind of cleaning we do and how long my shifts are. Sometimes I feel pathetic that little things like vacuuming or deep cleaning the folding seats at the tabernacle makes me tired, but oh well, at least I’m getting some exercise by running around. My anxiety escalated a lot around 12 weeks and I have been struggling with that more than usual. I occasionally get a bloody nose, not too heavy, and round ligament pain and/or sciatica. I swear my nose is more sensitive this time around because even smelling Hayley’s dirty diapers was enough to make me gag. I would have Daniel change them as often as I could, I felt like a little 12-year-old girl again who couldn’t handle poopy diapers.
In the beginning I craved candies that were fruity, like mike and ikes or starbursts, and now I am loving chocolate. With both pregnancies I have loved anything cheesy. Pizza sounds good to me all the time. My appetite has definitely slowed down, I like to eat little things more frequently and snack all day long as opposed to eating a lot less often.
I have often wondered what I have gotten myself into by getting pregnant again but too late for that! I am excited to add another one and super newborn baby hungry, but I still dislike being pregnant, that hasn’t changed from the first one. So we’ve talked about having five kids but I really don’t know if I can do this three more times. There will probably be a bigger gap between number 2 and 3.

20 weeks.

27 weeks.

32 weeks.

May 3, 2017
This pregnancy has gone a lot faster than the first, probably because I already have one kid to chase around. I will be 38 weeks tomorrow. At my appointment last week I was dilated to a 2 and 60% effaced, which my Doc said was a good start. Everything has been looking great with this baby, he/she is 6 lbs. 11 oz. I don’t feel as large with this one as I did with Hayley but then I look in the mirror and get a reality check ha.
Cravings have not been consistent this pregnancy, it’s always something different. I am still tired a lot of the time and try to take naps with Hayley every day, especially because sometimes it has gotten harder to fall back asleep after using the bathroom in the middle of the night. I borrowed a friend’s maternity pillow a few months ago, though, and that has helped quite a bit.
At about 32/33 weeks it seemed like a lot just kind of hit all at once. I was cramping/having contractions quite often. My nerve, pubic (including the “lightning crotch” I had with Hayley), sciatic pain increased a lot. I got a maternity belt to wear at work and when I’m walking around a lot and that has helped. I started feeling nauseous again here and there about 2 weeks ago, but haven’t thrown up. My lung capacity is also super limited so I breathe heavy all the time and feel like I’m not getting enough air occasionally, it’s all just super squished up in here.
Dan also ruptured his Achilles tendon on March 19, this time on the right side, and had to have surgery again on the 28th so having him off his feet has been extra challenging and tiring. His Doc said he'd be ready by the time baby comes though so that was promising until he got an infection this past week. He has had a fever, been nauseous from the antibiotics, and not been able to walk again. So it's like we're starting over but he feels crummy on top of it. It's been a rough week.
As far as baby goes he/she moves all the time, especially when I lay down to go to sleep at night. He/she also gets the hiccups frequently, like 2-3 times a day a few days a week. Hayley did too. He/she has been head down since 30 weeks and has their stomach on my right side. I can feel him/her as high as my rib cage and as low as my pubic bone, basically all over the place.
One of my favorite comments from one of the security guards at the temple was, "Ally, you are looking very Motherly," as he makes a large fake belly with his hands. It was awesome. He is my favorite security guard. All my coworkers were super awesome, understanding, and nice to me the entire time I worked. That job was a huge blessing, in so many ways!

May 4, 2017 

At my appointment today I found out I am dilated to a 3, and she didn't tell me my effacement and I spaced asking. Baby weighs 7 lbs. 8 oz. give or take a half pound. I do not want to go another two weeks at this rate. As Julia was leaving the room she said, "Who knows, maybe I'll see you this weekend." That would be fabulous. I headed to Costco after my appointment and walking around and then carrying it all inside made me SO tired. It's kind of pathetic. I have been cramping on and off all evening, false labor for sure. I also lost my mucus plug but that didn't mean anything with Hayley so I'm thinking it won't this time either. As much as I want to be done, Dan still isn't feeling super awesome so I hope it doesn't turn into real labor yet. 

Well it turned into real labor. Evelyn was born the next day!