Beckham’s Birth Story

Every little sweet pea has their own birth story unique as they are. If I have learned a thing or two through pregnancy, birthing, and motherhood, it is that no two stories are the same! I want to share a small snippet into our lives the past few weeks and tell you about Beckham’s birth–it was truly one of the best moments of our lives.

We knew from fairly early on Beck was breech and that having a c-section was a possibility. We didn’t stress too much about this and kept our fingers crossed that he would turn himself on his own. As the weeks flew by, he had his own idea of what he would do and that was to stay nice and snuggly where he was. We scheduled an external cephalic version procedure with our OB at 37 weeks. This is where a doctor tries to manually turn your baby to get him/her head down so a vaginal birth is possible. Our OB thought there was a good chance he would turn because it was my second pregnancy, he was a small baby, and I had a good amount of fluid. I had heard horror stories about this procedure being very painful and I almost cancelled last minute because of nerves but am glad I didn’t. For me, the procedure was uncomfortable but not unbearable, and even though Beck was a stubborn little dude and wouldn’t turn, I would definitely try it again in a future pregnancy. The weirdest part for me was the medicine they give you through an IV to relax your uterus–it made me feel like my heart was racing, sort of like I had a bunch of caffeine. I ended up skipping my Starbuck’s that day–so sad!

After the failed version procedure there was still a chance that he could turn on his own but it would be very unlikely. If I had the choice, I would have preferred a vaginal birth but Cody and I were both completely fine with having a c-section if that meant Beckham would make a safe entrance into the world. The upside to a scheduled c-section is that we were able to put a plan of action into place for Bode and Magic, work specifically with our OB, and prevent most emergency types of situations.

As the date approached, I kept trying to squeeze in “lasts” before the new baby! The week before I was able to get a pedicure, a prenatal massage (I went to Beth at Integrative Health and Wellness – she was great!), grocery shop, make some of Bode’s favorite meals to stick in the refrigerator and freezer, catch up on paperwork, organize my office, finish packing the hospital bags, make final baby preparations (thank you Amazon for a zillion Prime deliveries in the span of two days), and spend time with some of my best girlfriends. So, that was a wrap–time to meet Beckham!

Our c-section was scheduled for 7:30 am on Monday, January 15th. The evening before, our parents stopped by to say hi and wish us luck. The picture below is from that evening. I didn’t want my mom to take the picture at the time because I barely showered that day, had no makeup on, unfixed hair, and was in the only clean clothes that still fit me, but I am glad she insisted–it’s nice to have the memory documented! Real life, right? Cody’s mom spent the night that evening so she could be with Bode when he woke up–our alarms were set for 4:00 am so we could be to the hospital by 5:30 am.

I actually slept better than I thought I would on Sunday night. I did end up waking up at 3:07 am on Monday morning and couldn’t fall back asleep, but I was happy with about 5 hours of good sleep. Well, I will use the word “good” loosely because when you are 39 weeks pregnant, I am convinced there is really no such thing as good sleep–lol.

I have no shame here, friends–I showered, fixed my hair, and put on makeup before going to the hospital. I think my father-in-law thought I was joking when I told him I was going to! I mean hey, if you are going to get stuck with needles, have your stomach cut open, be drugged up, have a catheter in, and all of the other fun things that accompany surgery you might as well look your best while doing so, right?

Things moved along fairly quickly as soon as we arrived to the hospital. We went straight to our room, the nurses checked us in, checked my vital signs, started an IV, and got us as prepped as possible for surgery. The anesthesiologist and our OB both stopped in to say hello and explain what would happen over the next few hours. Once I was taken into the surgery room the spinal block was placed, I was positioned on the table, the catheter was put in, and after I was prepped and draped, Cody was able to come in. It was literally only about five minutes from the time the incision was made to the time they pulled Beckham out!

As soon as Beckham was out we heard him cry–the sound every parent waits to hear. Cody and I both started crying too–it is truly a miracle to be able to give birth and see your child for the first time. A few minutes after the nurses did their initial screen on him, they placed him right on my chest. It’s impossible to put into words the overwhelming sense of joy and happiness that I felt the moment he was placed on me. That feeling of skin to skin and the image of Cody standing next to us holding my hand and gently welcoming Beck into the world will forever be etched in my mind and heart. In that moment, Beck became everything we always needed before we even knew we needed it.

After they were finished sewing me up, we were taken to the recovery area. This whole time period is a little bit fuzzy for me, but I remember Beck’s pediatrician coming in to take an initial look, us feeding Beck, and Cody making jokes with the nurses and pediatrician. 🙂

Actually, the whole first day following surgery is really blurry for me. I felt nauseous off and on, was in and out of sleep a lot, and remember our families visiting, but am having kind of a hard time remember details of conversations. I think it was a combination of previous anxiety leading up to the procedure, exhaustion from lack of sleep due to pregnancy and nerves, surgery itself, the spinal block, and pain medications. That first night, Cody was a champ. He was up almost the whole night tending to Beck’s needs while I rested. He is so good with our boys and is such a hands-on dad. I can’t imagine raising kids with anyone else. I love him so much and am so thankful for him and his patience.

We were in the hospital for a little over 48 hours. By the time we were able to go home, we were definitely ready! It was hard to get sleep in the hospital and Beck wasn’t comfortable in the bassinet which made sleeping even more difficult for Cody and I. Plus, we missed Bode. There is currently a visitor ban at the hospital to help control the flu virus from spreading and visitors under 18 are not allowed. I was actually glad to keep Bode away from hospital germs–I didn’t want him transferring any germs from the hospital to home!

It was fun to walk through our door and watch Bode’s first reaction to Beck. He squealed with excitement when we first set Beck’s carseat down and introduced them. He put his hands on it and would look back and forth from Beck to us with a look of wonder in his eyes. Seeing our boys meet for the first time was another one of the best moments of life so far. It is so fun to dream about all of the fun things we will do together as a family. The main hiccup Bode has had so far is not understanding why baby Beck can have pacifiers and bottles when he, for the most part, can’t. A few times, he has pointed to a bottle, looked at us, and started to cry. You almost can’t help but laugh! Cody and I have both commented that Bode looks so old to us now! The first time Cody changed Bode’s diaper, he said it was like changing a grown man’s diaper. Lol.

All in all, the transition home has gone well. Cody was able to be home this first week and our parents have been taking turns visiting, dropping off food, and spending the night with us for extra hands. It truly takes a village and I am so thankful our parents are here and want to help us. The recovery from the c-section is a little bit more intense than I thought it would be, but I am trying to be a good patient and rest while I can and accept all of the help that is offered.

I hope you enjoyed reading Beckham’s birth story. Here are a few more pictures from his first week of life. If reading through this prompts memories from your birth stories or makes you think of any advice you think I would find helpful, please share below in the comments. Xoxo.

Here is a link to Bode’s birth story–it was fun for me to reread it and compare the two!