Meet Beckham

• Baby Saves

• 10.13.21

“I had a rough pregnancy with Beckham. I had Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), which is a pregnancy condition that causes extreme nausea and vomiting that often causes weight loss, malnutrition, dehydration, etc. With Beckham, I was sick from shortly after my positive pregnancy test, at three and a half weeks, until I delivered him. This isn’t normal morning sickness; I had many ER visits, hospital admissions, a medication pump in my belly 24/7 and a PICC to give myself IV medications and daily fluids at home. I had a home health nurse out multiple times a week, etc. 

It is extremely hard to work, impossible to eat, and mentally challenging to say the least. With all of this going on, I couldn’t do much; I couldn’t work or go out. All I could do was lay in bed most days. After Beckham began kicking regularly, I knew I needed to start tracking movements but didn’t pay as much attention as I should have. I would use the Count the Kicks app occasionally and count that as good enough. 

When I was around 37 weeks, I noticed a lot of hiccupping but not a lot of movement. I did what any first-time mom would do and Googled and, of course, came up with some reassuring articles along with some scary ones. When asking friends and family, I was met with almost the same answer that babies run out of room, so their movements change. I believed them, but after it continued more, I realized it wasn’t normal at all. I used the app more and was again reassured the change was not normal. 

I went in for my 37-week appointment and told the OB my concern, and they said if I wanted to, I could do an NST to check on him. I was nervous, but luckily, I agreed, and I firmly believe that’s why he is here. 

Shortly after I was hooked up and I was talking to my mom, the alarm started going off. I didn’t know what was going on but was quickly greeted by midwives and nurses running in telling me to turn on my side. Beckham’s heart rate had dropped significantly low and was in a critical range. After a while, his heart rate returned to baseline. The midwife told me to go to the hospital, and I would be having a baby very soon. 

I remember that ride being so terrifying and filled with so many questions. What if he died while I was on the way? How long had that been going on? Is he going to be okay? The list went on. 

After arriving to triage, I was put back on the monitor, and he looked great. We were thinking I could be induced, but that was short-lived. Shortly after the nurses left, I heard a bunch of running and the curtains to my room flew open. Everything happened so fast, and I was again told to lay on my side. Oxygen was placed on me, and my OB was in the room with an ultrasound. 

He told me he was going to look at Beckham and see if he could see anything going on that was contributing to his non-reassuring fetal heart tones. He quickly placed the probe on my belly and measured on the screen and said he had almost no fluid left. I didn’t leak, and my fluid had been normal at my 20-week scan. I was so confused and scared, and I just wanted him out safely. 

My OB then proceeded to tell me that the best option would be a C-section right then, so they began prepping me. Luckily, my mom was with me during everything, but just in time for them to wheel me back, my husband came into the room. He was at work when all of this was happening. 

After being wheeled back into the OR for the first surgery of my life, I was terrified, shaking, crying — every emotion. They finally began the procedure, and Beckham was born on May 31, 2019. He had a little trouble at first, but after what seemed like forever, the nurses had him stable, and he was in my arms. 

I firmly believe if I didn’t speak up, he wouldn’t be here right now. Trust your mom gut — it’s there for a reason. I want you to know that the providers are there to take care of you, something my OB told me was they would rather see me 100 times for nothing than for me to not go in and something really be wrong. Count the Kicks, and when in doubt, be seen. It just might save your baby’s life.” -Taylor N., Beckham’s mom