The Story of Beckham

I haven't really taken the time to write down about my labor and delivery with Beckham yet and decided I better while the details are still fresh. So if you like Labor and Delivery stories, read on...

I woke up around 4:00 knowing they wouldn't be calling until about 5:30 but I was to excited to go back to sleep so I got up and showered and got all ready. Right at 5:15 they called and we called our neighbors the McNamees to let them know and Nate came over to be here with our kids until they woke up. We checked in and they got me hooked up to the contraction monitor and the baby monitor. She checked me and was like, "Oh, your cervix is like butter, oh and you are dilated to a 5, and 60% effaced!" (She looks at the contraction monitor at the is point and sees that I have had a contraction) "Did you know that you are already in labor!" I wanted to scream yes! Ive been telling everyone that for weeks!

She gave me my IV and my first dose of penicillin. She waited 30 mins to start the pitocin at a level 2 because I had gone so fast with Caleb and Davis at the end and she didn't want me to go faster than the 4 hours we thought I needed. It was probably about 7:45 at this point. John set me up with the show Numbers and we started waiting...

Dr Fagnant came at about 9:15 and told them that I didn't have to wait for the 4 hours for both doses of the Penicillin since the meds were for me and not for the baby. He broke my water (and there was a ton...it even made the Dr jump back) and they put the Pitocin up to 12. I also got my epidural at this point because I was a 6 and thought it would be like another hour before I delivered.

The epidural hurt to get this time and I hate getting them and cried the whole way through. This may have caused the Dr to think I'm a wimp because it was a HEAVY epidural! Funny thing was my right side didn't want to go as numb as my left. So they pushed me back and forth trying to get it even but my left side was dead. At one point I remember hitting my leg thinking it was the bed and then I realized that I was touching my own leg but just couldn't tell.

More Numbers, more Numbers, more Numbers! I was not dilating fast at all. By about noon I was a 9 and bored and hungry and getting a horrible headache! I thought for sure it would happen fast now but his head was turned just a little bit to the side so they rolled me from side to side again trying to get him to go face down completely. At around 1:30 I was fully effaced, he was at a +1 but there was just a little anterior lip that wouldn't go away! Finally at 2:00 I could tell that it was time and they got the Dr there and I was able to start pushing at 2:10. With Davis I didn't have to push him out, he just kind of fell out and that was with my epidural wearing off. This time my epidural was still really heavy and I did that first push and thought I was going to die! I pushed 3 times through that first contraction. On the second contraction his head came out on the first push and all you hear is a bunch of people go, "WOW, look at that head!"

On the next contraction I was able to push him all the way out and it felt so good to just get some relief on my bladder! Like Davis, he took forever to cry which scared me to death! They put him right up on my belly after he started breathing so I could help clean him off and he was covered with the white stuff! We scrubbed him off for a bit but you could hear the fluid rattling in his lungs so they took him and cleaned him off some more and sucked out his nose and mouth more and put a diaper on him.

While they were cleaning him off the nurses were all talking about how big he was and making guesses as to how much he weighed (8 lb 15 oz). He was really good and wasn't crying much.
They gave him back to me so I could lay him on my warm skin and help warm him up. He immediately wanted something to suck on so he latched right on and nursed for 30 minutes before I switched him sides and then he nursed on that side for another 30 minutes.

Poor John didn't get to hold him until he was like an hour old!After Daddy got to hold him I sent John for food! I was so hungry and they offered me a turkey sandwich but I sent John to Carl's Jr for a burger, criss cut fries, and a shake! I was starving! Beckham nursed the entire time he was gone and I was so excited because I was sure he was going to be a great nurser! He had grey eyes like Caleb when he was born and we cant tell if they are going to go blue or go darker and go brown. He had a lot of black hair, the longest finger's and toes, and a huge head!

I just remember being overwhelmed that he was finally here! Knowing that this was probably our last baby made every single second with him those first few hours so much more meaningful to me. There is something amazing about a newborn and as the cost has gotten higher to get them here safe, it has made everything seem so much more miraculous.