Welcoming Beckett Jett Reece

6 min read

I had the picture perfect pregnancy.

From an outsiders perspective…

OK let me back up. I have an insane amount that I’m grateful for. I was able to avoid 99% of the common pregnancy “symptoms”. No face swelling, hand swelling, or foot swelling. Zero heart burn. No back pain. No headaches, muscle aches, or trouble sleeping. I didn’t have any morning sickness in my first trimester and I was able to workout up until the day I went into the hospital. Aside from that one time I fell and cracked my face open  (Click here if you missed the story) —it was relatively uneventful. It was the behind the scenes stuff that REALLY sucked.

At the twenty week ultrasound they announced “It’s a BOY”!! Ben and I left the hospital ecstatic- already planning and dreaming about our little guy. The next day our doctor called and said they needed some better pictures and sent us to a specialty doctors office for a more advanced ultrasound.

That is when the chaos started.

We were sent to different doctors almost weekly. And each one had something different to say. One confirmed that our baby would have a cleft lip and palate. One said it was possibly just a cleft lip, another said that there’s a good chance it was just a shadow on the ultrasound. One said that it’s hard to predict anything based off the pictures and one even told me my baby would be disturbing for me and others to look at (No, I didn’t punch her, but yes-I wanted to).

Every doctor had a different opinion. Every doctor had some sort of conflicting answer to a question. One doctor required I deliver at a bigger more advanced hospital while the other laughed at the idea and said “it didn’t really matter”. One told me I was a high risk pregnancy and the other said that there were no added risks to my pregnancy or delivery.

SO. Freaking. Confusing.

I cried a lot these past nine months. I just wanted everyone to be on the same page.It wasn’t until I finally came to the understanding that the doctors couldn’t give me what I needed. They weren’t in the game of making new moms feel good or feel peaceful about what was to come. They were trained to give their professional opinions and move onto the next patient. As soon as I stopped waiting for them to give me the comfort I needed, I felt a lot better. I decided that no matter what happened- I would be OK. I knew that much about myself.

The last few weeks of pregnancy were truly peaceful. I had decided I was going to deliver naturally and I was finally getting excited.

ANYWAYS. I will speed through the long boring details of labor and get to the good stuff. Delivery.

• I had minute long contractions all day on the 15^th. Each one was 5 minutes apart and I felt alllllll of it in my back. Eek.
•  I checked into the hospital that night. Some crazy doctor told me that “I wasn’t in labor” and that they were sending me home (with contractions 2 MINUTES APART). So that was silly. And when my water broke a few minutes later, I said- I TOLD YOUUUUUU.
• They had me on a fetal monitor to track Becketts heart rate. I had to sit still during contractions…which was TERRIBLE.
• The fetal monitoring was showing Becketts heart rate take a small dip with each contraction. They said if the dips come more often and I wasn’t dilating, they would need to do a c-section.
• I was still breathing through my contractions. My mom was holding my hand, Ben was pushing on my back to relieve some pain, and my dad was counting as the contraction would peak and then gradually decline.
• Finally at about 4AM – an epidural. Ben jokes that I became possessed. But I’m PRETTY sure it’s just because there was one little poke and I was no longer writhing, sweating and shaking. I’ve never been in regular labor- but dang guys… Back labor is no joke.
• At about 9:30 am I still hadn’t dilated past a 3. They told me I would have to have a C section. I bawled. It had never even crossed my mind that I would end up in the operating room.

OK now the good stuff.

The energy in the room suddenly shifted. I was unhooked from monitors, Ben was given his scrubs, and I was told to say my goodbyes. (Sidenote: They should use a different term for this…I was already emotional and they told me to say my goodbyes! How scary!)

They tossed me on the operating table, filled my body with A LOT of drugs, and then cut me open. Ben got ushered in and as soon as I saw him I told him that I would be fine if we only had one kid. (I was drugged—but I am pretty sure he will still use that against me in the future) He got to watch as they pulled our baby out of my belly. I couldn’t see over the curtain, but I heard him cry and I lost it. It’s the kind of thing that you feel in your whole body. Benny stayed close to make sure I was ok until I told him to go be with Beckett. Ben came back a few minutes later and kissed me on the forehead. I will NEVER forget looking at him, seeing his glassy eyes, and hearing him tell me that Beckett was perfect. It was the most amazing moment. To see Benny instantly overwhelmed with love for our little guy made me love him even more. Which I didn’t think was possible.

They closed me up and wheeled me into recovery. Ben was waiting for me, holding Beck, looking into his eyes and talking to him like they were old friends. That’s another sight I’ll never forget. And to this day Beck will open his eyes and look for his Daddy when he hears his voice. He doesn’t do that for anyone else…so I’m convinced it’s because Ben was Becks very first conversation.

FINALLY they laid Beckett on my chest. I felt full. Like the missing piece to the puzzle was finally in place.

So there we were, a brand new family of three. I thought I was maxed out in the love department, but hearing and holding Beckett for the first time and seeing Ben meet and instantly love our baby made my heart grow in ways I can’t explain.

It seems that life has thrown Ben and I some serious curveballs this past year, this pregnancy process and delivery story are no different. But life has also blessed us with the sweetest love story, the silliest romance, and now the most perfect baby boy. So curveball or not- it feels like another home run.

Keep up to date on the latest news right HERE