Gavin's Birth Story

Gavin James Rigby

01/02/2020

9:48 pm

7.7 lbs

18.5 in

My pregnancy with Gavin had been far from easy. I had an ER visit my first trimester, an ER visit my second trimester, and 3 Labor and Delivery visits my 3rd trimester. The last two visits to Labor and Delivery were for pre-term labor. After the second visit, I told myself that I wasn't going back to the hospital until my doctor told me after an appointment that he was going to deliver, or until my scheduled C-section on January 10th. This was because I was tired of being sent home after IV fluids and medication to stop my contractions. So when I started having serious cramping pain on January 2nd, I tried my best to ignore it.

James had gone to work and I was doing my best to entertain our daughter, Samantha. I had this pain most of the day but it didn't feel like contraction pain. It felt more like a constant cramping pain. The first time I went to Labor and Delivery for pre-term labor, I had this pain and they told me that if I had the pain again I needed to come back. It got to the point of being almost unbearable so I sent James a text letting him know I thought I was in labor, and called my mom to pick up Samantha.

This pregnancy was different because I had given birth to Samantha just 11 months prior. My doctor thought I'd deliver Gavin sometime in December because my body wouldn't be able to handle being pregnant again so quickly. He was worried about my incision from my C-Section with Samantha opening back up as my stomach grew bigger and that I would hemorrhage and bleed out. Because of this, he said as soon as I was dilated to a 2, he would deliver Gavin.  

James and I arrived at the hospital where I was quickly hooked up to monitors and the nurse checked to see how much I was dilated. We found out I was in active labor and dilated to a 3! My sister, Mia works in the Labor and Delivery department at Davis Hospital and been given special permission to be present at my C-Section. We called her up and she was soon at the hospital with us.

Because I had known for months in advance that I'd be having a C-Section, my entire mindset was different than it had been with delivering Samantha. I was wheeled into the procedure room in the hospital bed and given a nerve blocker (I think that's what it's called??). I handled this really well which surprised everyone considering I have the pain tolerance of a baby bird. 

I soon couldn't feel anything from the waist down and began having light conversation with my husband and those working on me. I felt a lot of pressure as they were trying to pull Gavin out, when my sister asked "Do you want to see him real quick?" and the nurse showed me my beautiful baby boy. I told James to go with Gavin and asked my sister to stay by me. I was expecting James to come back holding Gavin wrapped up but he wasn't coming back. It seemed that he had been gone for a while so I asked Mia to go see what was going on. 

When Mia came back she explained that Gavin had had several bowel movements while still inside of me. He had swallowed amniotic fluid and meconium (the fecal matter) and it had gotten into his lungs. They were trying to suction out as much as they could but wouldn't be able to get all of it. Because of this, Gavin would be admitted to the NICU.

I was actually prepared to have a NICU baby because I thought for my entire pregnancy that Gavin would be preterm. So I was mentally prepared to hear that he'd be in the NICU. What I wasn't prepared for however, was for how long.

After I was stitched up, I was wheeled through the NICU to see Gavin. He was hooked up to monitors and had a tube going down his throat as well as oxygen. We were told that he would be on antibiotics for at least 5 days and that he'd be fed via the tube going down his throat. I realized then that we wouldn't be taking him home with us when I was discharged.

The next few days in the hospital went as best they could. I was up and moving on my own the next morning and tried to be positive. My mom and her husband, Tracy had brought Samantha to the hospital to see James and I. I also had visits from my sister and her family, as well as my best friend, Kira. I received flowers from my mom's employees at HAFB, and from my awesome Tanner Clinic family. Gavin was soon able to eat from a bottle and had the tube removed from his throat. However, he was still trying to figure out how to coordinate the suck, breath, swallow thing for when he was eating. He would hold his breath which would cause his oxygen levels to drop. Because he needed more time to figure out how to coordinate everything, we were told that he would need to stay in the NICU longer than the 5 days we had anticipated. 

   

       

Gavin's NICU team made a plan that he couldn't come home until he went 5 full days without having his oxygen levels drop. That finally happened on January 15th. That night we stayed at the hospital and did a "room in" with Gavin. We got training on how to work his oxygen, how to put on his monitor, etc. It was a long night but we were able to take Gavin home on oxygen on January 16th.

Gavin was finally able to have his oxygen off on January 21st. Samantha is still learning how to be "soft" with baby brother and just stares at him when he cries but is doing well overall with the adjustment. We're so happy we have our little boy here and we're together as a family. 

Samantha's Birth Story

I was 38 weeks pregnant with our baby girl. My husband and I were at my last appointment with my OB/GYN, Dr. Miller. As we were getting ready to leave he said "See you on Sunday!" as I was to be induced on Sunday night, January 27, 2019. James and I were nervous, but so excited!

I tried to keep myself busy throughout the week and got as much rest as I could. On Thursday, Jan. 24, just 3 days after my appointment, I noticed I had a voicemail on my phone from Tanner Clinic. The voicemail was from Dr. Miller saying that there was an unexpected death in his family and that he had to fly out to California first thing Monday morning for the funeral. He said that he'd either have to ask one of his colleagues to do my induction, or that we'd have to reschedule. The original plan was to have me go to the hospital on Sunday night to have Cervadil, which is a gel that softens the cervix to prepare for labor. Then early on Monday morning, Dr. Miller would come in and break my water, I'd get an epidural, and then they'd start me on Pitocin. But I really didn't want any other doctor doing this except Dr. Miller. Legally, Dr. Miller could not induce me until I was 39 weeks pregnant. I would be 39 weeks on Saturday, Jan. 26 which is why we had scheduled everything for literally the very next day. 

I called his office back and left a voicemail saying that I'd rather just reschedule but since technically I would be 39 weeks that Saturday, if there was any way he could induce me then. The next day (Friday), my husband and I ran some errands together as I anxiously awaited the call back from Dr. Miller's office wondering when I was going to be having my baby. The call came around 3:30 that I was to be to the hospital that very night at 7:00. I was so excited! 

James and I arrived at the hospital a few minutes before 7:00, and checked in. I changed into a hospital gown, got an IV, and was asked a few questions. The nurse then checked me to see how dilated I was (a whopping 1cm. 😒). Then the nurse inserted the Cervadil which hurt like crazy. 

The rest of the night, James and I watched TV and tried to get some rest. 

When it comes to pain, I have an insanely low pain tolerance. If I get something as small as a papercut, I think I'm dying haha. I'm seriously the BIGGEST WIMP when pain is involved. I had let Dr. Miller know this a few weeks before when he asked if I was planning on and/or wanting to have an epidural. My response was "give me ALL the drugs". He laughed at this, but then I explained that I really didn't do well when I was in pain. He said he'd make sure that I was as comfortable as possible.

Throughout the night I was having the worst cramping. I couldn't get sleep because I was in so much pain. When the nurse came in to check my vitals, I let her know that I was in pain and she gave me a pain pill and a sleeping pill which helped immensely. 

It was now Saturday, January 26, 2019. Dr. Miller had already been at the hospital delivering another baby down the hall. He came into my room around 5:00 AM to break my water. 

HOLY. MOTHER. IT HURT!!!! 

If I'm in pain, I usually don't cry. The only time I cry is if I'm REALLY hurting. I was definitely crying when he broke my water. AND I was only dilated to a 2 at this point... 

The nurse anesthetist came in and introduced himself. When he saw how much pain I was in he asked the nurse "when are you planning on starting the Pitocin? Should I just stick around for a few more minutes to give the epidural?" But I wanted to know what a REAL contraction felt like so I told him that I wanted to wait for a little while. After all, I was only dilated to a 2.

6 Minutes. I was on Pitocin for 6 minutes (and had 3 "real" contractions) before I was telling the nurse that I wanted the epidural.... NOW. If this doesn't show how low my pain tolerance is, then I don't know what will.

The epidural wasn't too bad. After the epidural kicked in I literally couldn't feel anything below my waist. It was awesome!

My mom came to the hospital around 10:00 and was watching the monitors with my husband. I was dilated now to a 5 but it seemed that with every contraction I was having, baby girl's heart-rate would drop. Dr. Miller came in and said that this was something to be concerned about but that we would watch it for a little bit and see what happened. The nurse stopped the Pitocin (which stopped my contractions), and the baby's heart-rate was just fine. But then they'd start the Pitocin again and the baby's heart-rate would drop again. The nurse and an aide came in and helped turn me on my side, and Dr. Miller would watch the monitors. Then the nurse came back in and turned me on my other side as Dr. Miller would continue to watch the monitors. 

The nurse came in and turned off the monitors in my room (we're thinking this was to keep me from panicking because of how low the baby's heart-rate was getting) and said "your baby just isn't playing nice". She then said she was going to shave the lower part of my abdomen just in case Dr. Miller decided to do a C-Section. The whole time this was going on the nurse made it seem like everything was totally fine and there was nothing to worry about. But I could tell that with the look on my mom's face that there was something wrong...

Dr. Miller came into the room and explained that I had not progressed passed a 5 in the last couple of hours and that the baby's heart-rate was continuing to drop. He said that although we could continue to monitor things, that he felt that it would be best for both me and the baby to do a C-Section. 

I was really nervous about having a C-Section because I hadn't researched anything about recovery for a C-Section, or what complications could possibly occur. Luckily, because I've worked in the medical field for so long, I knew exactly what they did for the procedure. I knew that James would be able to be in the room with me, and that I would be completely numb so that I wouldn't feel a thing. I also knew that I'd get to be awake so I'd know what was going on.

The nurse anesthetist told me that he'd be in the room the hold time monitoring my pain and promised that he'd have my pain under control the whole time. James got dressed from head to toe in what looked like a bio-hazard type suit and I was wheeled down the hall in my hospital bed. Dr. Miller then introduced me to another OB/GYN from Tanner Clinic named Dr. Wheelwright who would be assisting in the C-Section. The nurse anesthetist then started some antibiotics in my IV. This burned so badly and my anxiety started to heighten. He definitely saw this and gave me quite the cocktail of drugs. 

I remember very little of my C-Section because of all the medication I was given, and I'm completely okay with that. I'm a wimp when it comes to pain, remember? 

I remember throwing up before the procedure even started. I don't know if this was because of what was in my IV, anxiety, or a combination of the two. My sweet husband held a container for me to turn my head and throw up in. My arms were spread out so I looked like the letter "t". I also remember throwing up during the procedure. I remember James having one head on my forehead reminding me to breath and telling me that I was doing great. His other hand was holding my left hand. I remember hearing Dr. Miller say "Baby's out!". And that's about it. 

I started waking up in the recovery room, and both James and my Mom were there. I asked James where the baby was and he said she was in the NICU. I began crying and said that I wanted to hold and see my baby. James let me know that he was able to hold her right after she was born before they took her to the NICU.

James then told me that our baby girl was born at 1:11 pm, weighed exactly 7 pounds, that she was 19.5 inches long, and that she had some bruising on her face. I was so confused as to why she would have any bruising but then the NICU Pediatrician came in...

The Pediatrician said that our baby girl was trying to come out face first. Usually when babies are born, they come out of the birth canal head first. Because of this, her airway was being compromised. He said that if I would've continued to try and have her vaginally that she would've died. Her little head was also wedged and stuck in my pelvis. When Dr. Miller and Dr. Wheelwright went to take her out of me, she was moving around so much that they had difficulty pulling her out. All of this contributed to why she had bruising on her face. The Pediatrician also said that her face was smooshed so her little nose was pushed up against one side of her face. He said "I THINK the bruising will go down... I THINK her nose will go back to normal..." Hearing him not know for sure was really unnerving. He then explained to me that she wasn't breathing when they pulled her out because of her airway being compromised. He told us that she'd be in the NICU for a minimum of 48 hours and that her birth was extremely traumatic for her. Because of the trauma, they weren't going to do anything other than let her rest for the day. He said that she didn't like to be touched and when she was touched her vitals would drop. He said that she was extremely tired, she had an IV, and she was also on oxygen. He said that I could see her, but that I had to be wheeled to the NICU in my bed.

James and I had discussed months before, the name of Samantha Maudell. When I asked him if she looked like a Samantha, he said yes and that was her name. My mom later told me that I really didn't look good while in the recovery room. She said the color in my face was really bad and that you could tell that I also had been through something traumatic.

The nurse wheeled me in my bed to the NICU to see Samantha. When I saw her, I smiled and cried silent tears of both happiness and worry. My little girl didn't look normal. She looked like she had been beat up. Her bruising was terrible and when I went to touch her she immediately flinched away. The nurses assured me that this was normal because of what she had just been through and that when touching her it needed to be more of a firm touch so she wouldn't flinch as badly. She had wires and tubes to help monitor her vitals and to help her recover. It was really difficult to see my baby this way. This wasn't what I had imagined at all.

I was then wheeled in my bed to a different recovery room where I'd be for the rest of my hospital stay. I was very emotional and very tired. I remember crying to James and him telling me that everything would be okay. We were told by my nurse that we could see Samantha in the NICU anytime that we wanted. Later that night James wheeled me down to the NICU where Samantha was needing to be fed. I'm so grateful for the nurse that was assigned to Samantha that night. She let James feed her and I got to hold her for the very first time.

I slept in on Sunday and was only in a little bit of pain. We had immediate family that was planning on coming to visit so I got up and got ready and headed down to the NICU to see Samantha. She was doing a lot better! She was no longer on an IV and she was on pressurized air instead of oxygen.

Later that night I was in the most pain I've ever been in. I've had kidney stones before, back injection epidurals, broken bones, etc. and I would've taken any of those over the pain that I was in. I read later that after around 18 hours, all of the meds from delivery have worn off so the pain is real and raw. It took about an hour for James to help me shower and he and my nurse got me back in bed. The nurse gave me some pain meds and James combed out my hair. After some more rest, we went and saw Samantha again.

On Monday morning the NICU Pediatrician said that Samantha was doing really well so they were going to take her off of the pressurized oxygen and see if her vitals would stay stable for the day. This was such good news! Her bruising was still noticeable but it was so good to see her without all of the wires and tubes.

She was later put under bilirubin lights to help break up the bruising and to help prevent jaundice from the bruising.

On Tuesday morning, we were informed that if Samantha passed a few tests that we would be able to take her home that day. She did really well, and we were so excited to finally be able to go home!

James and I are so grateful for Dr. Miller, Dr. Wheelwright, the NICU Pediatricians, and the nursing staff that helped us get through such a traumatic experience. To think that if Dr. Miller hadn't felt to take me for a C-Section, our little Samantha might not be here. We're also so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who we know was watching over our little family and helped answer so many prayers.

I'm grateful for such a wonderful, loving, and understanding husband. There's no way I could've gotten through this experience without James. Because Samantha was in the NICU and not in the hospital room with me, I told James he should go home and get some good rest in our bed instead of sleeping on the crappy hospital couch that was in my room. He refused and didn't leave my side. He helped me to and from the bathroom. He went and saw Samantha when I was resting. He made sure that I was eating. He helped me shower. He held me as I cried. Now that we're home I have some serious restrictions. James has done all of the laundry multiple times a day, he does the dishes, makes bottles, feeds the baby at all hours, cleans the apartment, and keeps me in line with making sure I'm following the doctors orders. Above all else, through my entire pregnancy, giving birth, and being home, he has made me feel so unconditionally loved. I couldn't ask for a better eternal companion. 

And seeing him with Samantha makes me happier than I ever could've imagined. He's already such a great dad and I can't wait to make memories with my little family. 

How We Became Us- As Told By Alicia

I had just moved to Clearfield, Utah with some friends in August of 2016. At the time, I was 25 years old and fairly comfortable with being single. My roommates and I began attending the Clearfield Singles Ward, and thanks to some awesome members, we made friends quickly.

I spent a lot of time with my roommates and members of our ward having game nights, watching movies, going on adventures, etc. I got to know quite a few guys in our ward and James was one of them. I found him to be goofy, but very loving and helpful to those around him. He was the Executive Secretary to our Bishop and was constantly at the church helping different committees, setting up interviews, and being social. I noticed this and we became quick friends. I got comfortable enough around James that I was 100% myself, and didn't care if he saw me without makeup, or without my hair done. He was the guy in our ward that I knew I could call if I ever needed anything.

Because of past relationships that I had been in, I found that I was okay being single. Although being in a relationship was fun, I thought it was so much easier being independent and alone. I had amazing roommates, a great ward, and an awesome family. I found myself thinking that I'd be alright if I never got married. I knew that I was still young, but I was just so comfortable not dating and being alone.

James and I were soon texting each other everyday. We'd text and talk about everything. We went out on our first date the last week in December which I felt was just another "hang out" with one of my best friends. He took me bowling and then we got frozen yogurt. It was so simple and care-free. It was eventually made known to me that James had feelings for me. I quickly set things straight because I "wasn't ready to get hurt again". And to be completely honest, I didn't want to mess up my amazing friendship with James. The more and more I kept telling myself that I wasn't ready, the more confused I got. I kept telling myself that James and I didn't have hardly anything in common, that we came from polar opposite backgrounds, and that we would simply never work. But that didn't stop James... he was annoyingly persistent.

The more persistent he was about me just "trying" to date him, the more frustrated I got. Our communication was so awful (as most of it was through text). I felt like I was constantly drowning in confusion and emotion so I finally started to open up just the slightest bit to him. And it felt good. We started spending more time together and I had to continue to tell him that I didn't know if things would ever work and that if they were going to work, he needed to be patient with me and take things slow. He complied with no hesitation at all.

In February 2017 I became really sick. My roommates had their own lives and I wasn't expecting them or anyone for that matter, to "take care of me". Of course during this time, I'm texting James, when there's a knock on my apartment door. I was absolutely surprised that James was standing at my door with a drink from Fiiz and some chicken noodle soup. The whole week that I was sick, he came over everyday and made sure that I was taken care of. He did the dishes, cleaned the apartment, took out the garbage, made sure I was keeping up with my medicine, etc. It was during this week that I found myself developing romantic feelings for him. This of course put me into a panic and I did everything I could to bury those feelings that I didn't want, nor was I ready for. 

One night when I couldn't sleep, I got the impression that I should pray about my relationship with James. So I prayed. I prayed to know if I should continue to be his friend or take a complete leap of faith and see if we could be more. The answer I got, clearer than ever was "give him a chance". This scared me and I actually began to argue with the Spirit. I said "No, I don't want to give him a chance. I'm going to get hurt. It'll ruin our friendship. Just, no." To which I got the answer again but a lot more firm.... "Give him a chance". 

I started to open up even more to James and saw just how much he cared for me. I tried to let most of my reservations go and just have faith that whatever was supposed to happen would happen. We talked, and got to know each other on a deeper level. On February 19, we were sitting on my couch when we had our first kiss. Our first kiss was like something I'd never experienced before. I swear there were fireworks in the background. It was the most meaningful, amazing kiss I've ever had in my entire life. It literally took my breath away. As we pulled away from each other I couldn't even speak. James had to ask me twice if I was okay. And let me tell you... I was MORE than okay.

We had been exclusive for just over a month when my dad had a stroke. I won't go into detail about this, but I will say that it was an emotional time for myself and my family. I've always been extremely close with my dad and he's always been the man in my life to "take care of me". I think a major part of my worry during this time was wondering who will take care of me now? I'll always be a daddy's girl, and although I'm a grown adult, I would call my dad almost everyday and ask him questions about life, religion, etc. During this time, I don't think I was emotionally capable of taking care of myself. This is where James came to the rescue. James took care of me. He took off work and school, he made sure that I was eating, and sleeping. He held me as I cried, told me everything was going to be okay, and even prayed with me. It was during this time of trial that I truly fell in love with James. I wouldn't have blamed him for a second if he had said "you have a lot going on with your family right now... I'm going to give you your space" and walked away. BUT HE DIDN'T! Not only did he stay... he took care of me. 

We've been through many trials together already. But at the end of the day, James is always here. When he asked me if I would marry him on May 18, 2017 my answer was without a doubt "yes".

I know that James came into my life when he did for a reason. The fact that not even a month after we became exclusive he would become the man who would now "take care of me", because my dad couldn't anymore is not a coincidence. He loves me even though some days I have crippling depression and anxiety. He puts up with my stubbornness and my sassy, sarcastic attitude. I'm a very difficult person to love. I'm not easy to put up with. And James loves me unconditionally anyway. He's the ONLY man I've ever dated, that when I wake up in the morning, my first thought it "how am I going to serve him today? How am I going to show him how much I appreciate him?".  This to me is true love. 

I spent over 10 years of dating that was accompanied with endless tears, lonely nights, and thoughts of wondering if I was ever going to meet someone who would love me for me. I had countless people tell me that I was a "catch" and that I was going to make a man very happy someday. I watched friends and roommates get married to their sweethearts and wonder when, if ever, was I going to get my happily ever after? I had to take time for myself to figure out who I was on my own. I had to be a "grown up" and learn how to do things by myself. I became an independent woman. I became comfortable just being me. And I wouldn't take any of it back because those experiences were things that I needed to be prepared for marriage. 

I feel so humbled and blessed to get to marry my sweetheart in just 2 days. He was so worth the wait. I never imagined that I'd get to spend eternity not only with the man of my dreams, but a man that far exceeded every expectation I ever had about a future husband. He makes me want to be a better person. He makes me want to have a close relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I get emotional when I think about how much I truly love him and how he makes me feel of worth.  

Giving James a "chance" was the best decision I've ever made.