Evie Ruth Gibbs

Our beautiful baby girl finally decided to join at 4:30pm on Sunday November 27, 2011. She was 16 days past her estimated due date. We are so in love. Her birth was so different from Gracie's it's unbelievable. I honestly didn't know what to expect or do. The whole time I was in labor I kept saying "this is just so different". Duh Amanda, different kid different birth.  Anyway here is her birth story. It's been a couple of days so I hope I remember the whole thing.  I was 16 days overdue and really, really uncomfortable and unhappy.  I was ADAMANT that they didn't induce me though because I go natural when I deliver and I knew that if they induced me with pitocin it would not be a fun experience.  However, my doctor told me he couldn't let me go too far past 42 weeks so he was going to break my water Sunday morning. On Saturday evening about 9:50 I starting having regular contractions. We timed them all night and about 2:30 decided to go into the hospital because I was strep B positive and needed the antibiotic.  We text Tiffany and Jens to let them know I was in labor and Jens came right over to sleep on our couch until Gracie woke up. It was a life saver! Jens got there fast and I was a basket case because I forgot to pack anything realistic for Gracie to take over in the morning (sorry guys!) My sister Natalie was on her way up from Moab to be my doula basically. We got to the hospital around 3:00am and went to get checked in. They made us wait in the waiting room for a while than they took me back and made Beau wait. It was kind of bizarre so I asked them why and they wanted to make sure I felt safe with Beau and that it was ok with me that he was there :) hahaha.  Anyway, finally they let him come back and my sister came with him.  I got my IV with the evil antibiotic in it (it burned like nothing I have ever felt) and then we just kind of hung out. My contractions were regular but not bad at all. Finally when the antibiotic had run it's course I got to walk the halls. Nat took a nap on the couch (she had been up all night too) and Beau and I hung out.  At about 6:00 we came back to the room and I took a little nap on the bed while Beau got breakfast.  Probably not the smartest thing I have ever done. When I woke up my doc was standing there and my contractions had totally stopped.  It was about 7:00am at this point so we discussed my options. He said at 8:30 I needed my second dose of antibiotic so he could start pitocin then or, break my water and see what happens OR, do both. Beau and I both said that breaking the water was the way to go so we chatted for a while then the nurse came in to administer my second dose.  When that was almost gone they broke my water. Now, when I was in labor with Gracie they broke my water and everything went really fast, this time they broke my water and I felt fine. It was 9:30 and the contractions came back but very light. So, we were back to walking the halls. I was having contractions about every 3 minutes but I could have fallen asleep they really weren't anything. Oh I forgot to mention that when I came into the hospital that morning they checked me and I was already at a 5+. Anyway, so at about 12:30pm I had my first REAL contraction. Well, what I call a real contraction :) It hit me like a ton of bricks and I knew that this was what labor felt like when something was actually happening.  So we walked as much as I could (keep in mind I am running off of no sleep. Gracie had woken up at 7:00am on Saturday morning so we had already been up for over 24 hours). Finally we went back to the room and I told my sister and Beau that I needed to get into the tub. They administered my third dose of antibiotic and then let me get into the tub. She checked me before I got into the tub and I was at a 7. So I labored in the tub for while until the contractions were just too intense. I got out and got back on the bed. My sister and Beau would hold my arms and help lift me off the bed during a contraction and that really helped because I was having intense back labor which I had never experienced before. The Doc came in to check me around 2:30 and he said I was probably still only at a 7+ or and 8. UGH!  I was so frustrated because at this point I was SO tired that I couldn't even breathe through contractions. I just kept saying "I can't do this I'm too tired. I can't do this" Luckily my birth team was awesome again and they really helped.  At probably 3:30 Beau suggested I get back into the tub because that really helped last time so I got back in but that only lasted for probably 40 minutes before I had to get out. I overheat when I'm in labor so I was very warm. After I got out I asked for a birthing ball so I could labor on my hands and knees for a few minutes. I felt like I needed to push but she checked me and said I was only at a 9 so it wasn't time yet. I had been sitting on a rocking chair until she brought in the birthing ball. She wanted me to sit on it and I said "no way" I needed to roll. Anyway, I was kneeling on the floor with Beau on one side and my sister on the other when I told the nurse that I needed to push. She told me not to because I would rip my cervix. I told her too bad I needed to push so, I pushed.  I told her again that she better get the doctor because I needed to push again and I could feel the babies head. She she casually walks out, gets my doctor, and comes back. He comes in and looks at me on the floor and I said "I HAVE TO PUSH" and he said "ok".  I don't think at this point he was taking me seriously. So I pushed again and the head was crowning.  The doctor, who was just standing in his scrubs, not even suited up to deliver, tried to get me to get on the bed and I said "no it's not going to happen I am having this baby now" he walked around, saw the head, and ran back to the nurse to get scrubbed in. HELLO PEOPLE I KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE A CHILD IF I SAY I HAVE TO PUSH AND THE BABY IS COMING THAN GET YOUR DANG ACT TOGETHER!  Sorry, had to get that out.  Anyway the nurse pages "all available nurses we have a situation come as fast as you can" hahahah. Six nurses came in and one said "oh my gosh" apparently people don't deliver on the floor very often at Ogden Regional.  Anyway the doctor runs behind me, with only one glove on, I push one more really hard push and out comes my blue baby.  I knew something was wrong when they wouldn't give her to me.  I asked if I could have her and they said "no", had Beau cut the cord, and rushed her to the table. I still didn't know what was going on but when I saw Beau freaking out, and my sister freaking out I assumed it must not be good.  I still hadn't heard her cry so I was starting to get really nervous.  Apparently she came out very blue and was progressively turning more blue. The doctor said her lungs were full of fluid that wouldn't come out so he massaged her belly and chest until she finally coughed up the fluid and started crying.  Music to my ears. It was about 2 minutes but felt like an eternity.  Finally after delivering the placenta, stopping my hemorrhaging again (though it wasn't nearly as bad as when I had Gracie), and sewing me back up they let me have her.  She was perfect. 8lbs 4ounces 20 1/2 inches long. Born at exactly 4:30pm on 11/27/11  totally worth the wait. She nursed right away and has been eating like a piggy ever since.  We love her.  They wouldn't let Gracie come see her because of RSV and all that other stuff but, they let me go home less than 24 hours later. It was much harder than Gracie's labor. I think because I was so tired from not sleeping that I just didn't have the energy to do what needed to be done. Luckily Beau and my sister were there to hold me up (literally) and I was able to pull through.  Now, I'm a mother of two and it is crazy. :) Many are wondering about her name.  When she came out we looked at each other and knew that this wasn't our Stella girl.  We had talked about it a few weeks before that maybe Stella wasn't next but, once we saw her, we knew it wasn't her.  The name Evie had come to me a couple of weeks before as we were brainstorming other names we liked, and kids we thought would be in our family one day.  That night, after everyone had left, Beau and I looked at our beautiful baby girl and knew that her name was Evie. Her middle name, Ruth, is my grandmothers name.  She is one of the strongest, most amazing women I know and deserves to have a great grandchild named after her.  Evie means life and Ruth means friend. We know that Evie will be a life friend to all she meets.