Welcome to the world, Ruby Jane

On December 28th the Beard family grew into a family of four. We welcomed our little girl in a much calmer, smoother - and honestly easier - fashion than her big brother. I'm still in awe of what my body can do and how each and every women is so amazingly strong.

For me, pregnancy for baby number two was a lot rougher. I was sick a lot longer and just so physically exhausted all the time. I had more back pain, and our little girl didn't want to turn head down until almost 36 weeks. Not to mention the 2-year old boy I was chasing around. Shout out to my husband for taking on a lot of added things while I could barely function.

We weren't dealing with the same growth challenges as when Keegan was in utero, so we just played the waiting game on her arrival. I went to my 40-week appointment on my due date (December 27) and everything checked out great with amniotic fluid and the stress test. My doctor said she could see a few super tiny contractions, but it was pretty normal to see these and it didn't necessarily mean anything. Since I was now full term, I was put on the induction list for the following evening. Given the holidays, there was a chance it could take a few days to get me in. So, I left the office with a "plan" of sorts - aka more waiting...for a phone call.

That night, we had a normal evening with Keegan. After he went to bed, I was watched Netflix (Fuller House to be exact) on the couch. I started to feel some cramping around 9:30 pm, but I had been having some cramping off and on for a couple weeks, so I thought nothing of it. I went to bed around 10 pm, and shortly after I thought I felt a contraction. I had about 4 in one hour, but still wasn't positive I was in labor. The contractions weren't painful at all. At 11:30 pm, I got up and told Chris, who was still downstairs watching TV, that I thought I was having contractions. Naturally, he decided it was time to go to bed. It only took me 30 more minutes to realize this was it and we needed to get ready to go.

With my super fast labor with Keegan, my doctor had told me that I needed to come to the hospital when my contractions were 10 minutes apart. At midnight, I was nearly there. I called my parents who rushed over to be with Keegan. I called the doctor and my sister, did a few last minute prep things, and we were on our way to the hospital. We arrived at 1:30 am. In the less than 20 minutes it took to get to the hospital, I had gone from contractions at 10 minutes apart down to 6 minutes. I was admitted pretty quickly and my sister arrived.

Since I had already been put on the induction list, I had paperwork about epidural and pain management written up. Again, due to the fast labor with Keegan, they were ready to get things moving really quickly. I decided to go ahead with the epidural this time, so they put in the order pretty immediately and hooked up fluids, IV, etc. My mom arrived around 2:30 am, and we all chatted a bit as I managed through contractions. They were getting closer together (anywhere from 2 minutes to 4 minutes a part), and progressively more painful. Right about the time contractions were getting much worse, the anesthesiologist arrived (4 am). Having a contraction while getting injected is no joke!

And, can I just say that epidurals are completely amazing? I had one more contraction that I could feel and then nothing. Coming from a natural birth the first time, this was a dream. I wasn't sweating, I wasn't red. I could actually talk. Wow. I still only had the epidural 30 minutes before our sweet girl arrived, so I barely got it in time. In hindsight, I probably could have toughed it out but this definitely made me a lot more comfortable.

I then felt my water start to break. It was a slow dribble this time rather than a big gush. The nurse came in to check me, and I was already feeling pressure. I remembered this feeling well, but it was far less painful this time. The on-call doctor was called and we got everything ready to go. Everything was so calm. There were only 2 nurses in the room, and the doctor actually had time to put on her gown for the delivery.

The baby's heart rate dropped a bit, so they put an oxygen mask on my face. That seemed to do the trick. I pushed 5 times and our baby girl was here! Ruby Jane Beard you're perfect.

I remember thinking that she looked just like Keegan, but her hair was darker brown. We heard her sweet cry as she spread her fingers not knowing what the heck was happening. Chris cut her cord, and she was placed in my arms. I didn't hold Keegan until after he was bathed since he had some fluid in his lungs. Getting to hold Ruby immediately was so special. My little girl was here and in my arms!

Ruby's stats:
Date: December 28, 2017

Birth time: 4:31 am

Weight: 6 pounds, 6 ounces

Length: 20 inches