February 8th, 2006

I woke up this morning and thought, "Four years?! Can it possibly have been that long since Hayley's debut into this world?" But it has been. And since I never really recorded her birth story, that's what you get for a post today.

Her story really begins the day before, on February 7th, 2006, three weeks before her actual due date of February 22nd. Being the responsible teacher that I am, I scheduled my Parent Teacher Conferences early, as to not have them interfere with the birth of my child. So, February 7th, I had my last conference with parents, and then headed to my 37 week routine doctor appointment. It didn't really turn out to be that routine.

On the way there I got pulled over for speeding. I admit it. I have a lead foot. He asked me where I was going and I told him I was pregnant and headed to the doctor. He asked me in a condescending voice, "Well, are you in labor?" I said no, but I so should have said yes. It wouldn't even have been that much of a lie, it turns out. I got off with a warning. Which is typical. I get warned a lot for speeding, but not ticketed. It drives Jeremy nuts.

Anyway, warning behind me, and I'm on my way. I get to the doctor's office only to be told that my doctor is not there, he's delivering a baby. So I meet with the nurse, who tells me my blood pressure is high and my ankles are ugly-swollen. (Okay, I might have said that one. But she didn't disagree.) She's also not feeling a lot of movement from the baby (I'm thinking duh, there's not a lot of room left in there) so she decides to send me up to the hospital for more monitoring.

So up I go to LDS Hospital, calling Jeremy at work on the way. I think I was in denial a little, because when he asked me, "Do you want me to come up?" I told him no, and that I'd probably be home in a couple of hours. (Or a couple of days, as it turns out...) I get to the hospital and get hooked up to all their gizmos and gadgets, and a couple hours turns into the whole evening. My thoughts, "Guess I'm missing my 'New Parent' class tonight. Crap, I missed American Idol too!" Finally my doctor comes in to see me with these introductory words, "How do you feel about having a baby?!"

Me: "Um, actually today's not good."

Him: "Wha... Why not?" (Obviously not the response that he usually gets.)

Me: "How about tomorrow after school? I go off track tomorrow."

Him: "I really think you should stay here. You could have a seizure with what your blood pressure is at." (Not true, actually. Since my pressures were just as high, and actually higher, with Jackson. But way to scare the new soon-to-be mommy.)

We argued back and forth for twenty minutes or so, and eventually he won out. Because he had some good points, and by then I was excited to have a baby!

So Jeremy came up, and I got some Cytotec to get things started down there over the night. When the doctor came back in to check on me later, I was writing sub plans. In my hospital bed. While being induced into labor. He thought I was a little crazy, and I didn't care. Because it was his fault (okay, his idea, Hayley's fault) to throw all my careful planning and calendaring out the window. I also blame it on him that I didn't have a fresh pedicure for all that pushing with my feet up in the air, but I'm not bitter or anything...

Anyway, by the next morning the Cytotec had worked it's magic, and they hooked me up with some Pitocin at about 8:00 a.m. to get the contractions going. By about 10:00 a.m. I was wimpering through my contractions, and decided to get hit up with that epidural.

It was pretty funny when the anestehologist came in. He was like, "So what are you dialated to?" Me: "One." He looked at me like I was a total wimp. And maybe I was, but labor pain is so much different from any other kind of pain, and even just having a taste of it dialated to a one, I didn't want to feel any of it when it got a whole bunch worse. Now, just some background, I was actually more scared of the epidural than I was of any of the pregnancy or birth. And it was just as bad as I thought it would be going in. It hurt. Like. HELL. It hurt more that anything in my life up to that point. (Possibly because at that point I'd never experienced a natural childbirth...) But, it was really a love/hate relationship. Because was it totally worth it? Oh, YES!

Feeling much better after my epidurhell, I continued to progress until my doctor came in at about noon and broke my water. That was fine with me, because I was feeling a bunch of nothin'. Kept on pluggin' along, until he came to check me at about 1:30, before he went to his office for a while to meet with patients. He was thinking he'd check me and come back later that evening when I was ready to deliver. He came in with his jacket on and everything, ready to go. Except that he took one look down there, and then his eyes got really big, and then he was like, "We're having a baby NOW!"

It's a little fuzzy in my memory (I blame the blood pressure medicine and anti seizure magnesium crap they were streamlining into my IV) but I know we had a head sensor on the baby and they had to use the forceps. But really it was a pretty easy birth. I think like four or five good pushes. Hayley Alyssa Bachman was born at 2:06 p.m. on February 8th, 2006. They had the NICU people all there, ready to go, but Hayley didn't need them. She was perfect. (Aside from a little jaundice, aka my arch nemesis, which also had little Hales in the hospital for another day after I got to go home. Sadness.) 6 lbs. 14 oz. 8 and 9 on her Apgar Scores.

Cracked me up that the doctor didn't even have time to take off his jacket.

After some bonding with that sweet little girl, they whisked her away for her first bath. That was okay, since there was some mending to attend to on me.

What a loved little girl. We were by no means the only ones that couldn't get enough of her.

(Notice how she's only crying in the picture with me? Nice.)

Amazing how that feeling of love and joy and pride just continue to grow.

More amazing how quickly that sweet baby turned into a sweet and sassy little girl.

Happy Birthday to you Hayley!

Thanks for changing our lives in the best way possible!