On Monday, January 16th at 8:14am our third baby and first son, Skipper Augustine, came earth side. We had a scheduled Caesarean and I’m not going to lie, it was so dreamy. I would do that morning over & over for fun, which is something I never thought I would feel about birth. If you have read my past birth stories you’ll know that my previous births were not easy experiences {Poppy’s Birth Story – Goldie’s Birth Story}. When we were making the decision to try to get pregnant again last year we talked to our OBGYN and said we felt like we could only face it if we could have a scheduled C.
This pregnancy was rough, my body was in a lot of discomfort since the start of the second trimester, and our anxieties about complications with this baby since our last pregnancy were very present. Even though ultrasounds were showing a healthy baby we still had that weight on our shoulders, so January 16th couldn’t come soon enough for us.
What a strange (and awesome) sensation it is to be completely present mentally for birth, and to not feel a dang thing. David sat behind the curtain with me during the operation and as our OB started pulling Skipper out he told David to stand up and take a photo (it’s a pretty epic photo of Skip fist pumping his way out of my stomach, but maybe a little graphic for the blog…). They handed us our healthy boy and tears of joy & relief burst out of me. He looked up at us and that really was probably the greatest moment of my life.
Our 7lbs 8oz squish has been a such a joy to us. Skipper was born just down the hall from where Goldie spent her time in the NICU and the room where we said goodbye to her. There was something very special and spiritual about it all being in the same hospital, a place where God has met us intimately a number of times in different ways now.
Here we are laying in recovery, feeding, texting our friends & family and completely amazed at how quickly and easily we made it to the other side of this pregnancy, we played it in our minds a million times and never expected it to go so smoothly. A huge weight was lifted off our shoulders and we can breathe a little easier now.
When Poppy came to meet Skip she was pretty overwhelmed with the whole hospital experience and quite timid with her little brother. On her first visit she was a bit too nervous to hold him or kiss him, but when she came back with my Mom (Who is also Skipper’s birthday buddy) the next day she felt a little more comfortable and held her baby brother that she has been very excited about for the past 9 months.
The pride in that grin, so sweet.
And all of a sudden we look like a family! We went home 2 days after and it was a fairly smooth transition at home, I have had an easy and quick recovery so far which I am very thankful for. We also want to say thank you to everyone who was praying for us through the pregnancy & birth, it truly means so much to us. We feel so much joy through Skipper joining our family and it has been only a positive experience, which we are so thankful for as we never know what events grief might attach itself to.
This is so beautiful. I have been following you since your pregnancy with Goldie and I remember being really sad for you guys with all you had to go through. To see Poppy’s pride in that photograph – it’s so lovely. Perhaps it’s weird to feel this genuine joy for someone you don’t know but I really do want to give you my best wishes and congratulations to your wonderful little Skipper. (Sorry about my English, I come from Sweden so it’s not my first language :))
This is so beautiful. I have been following you since your pregnancy with Goldie and I remember being really sad for you guys with all you had to go through. To see Poppy’s pride in that photograph – it’s so lovely. Perhaps it’s weird to feel this genuine joy for someone you don’t know but I really do want to give you my best wishes and congratulations to your wonderful little Skipper. (Sorry about my English, I come from Sweden so it’s not my first language :))
Beautiful story. Beautiful pictures. I’m so happy everything went well. You look absolutely amazing. I cannot believe you just had a baby in those pictures! Congrats
Beautiful story. Beautiful pictures. I’m so happy everything went well. You look absolutely amazing. I cannot believe you just had a baby in those pictures! Congrats
Congratulations Bethany & family! Praise God for the smooth delivery. I wish your family all the best! 🙂
Congratulations Bethany & family! Praise God for the smooth delivery. I wish your family all the best! 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience. We just found out our little babe is in breech position and we’ve had to schedule a C-section a week from now. I’ve been feeling very sad and anxious about this change in our birth plan but reading your experience has given me some peace of mind. Congratulations to you and your family!
Dear Bethany,
I am so happy for you and your family! I have been following you for a while now and was thinking a lot of you lately.
You deserve this.
Congratulations from Austria
Congratulations from France <3
So amazingly happy for all of you! God bless!
So amazingly happy for all of you! God bless!
So much love for this beautiful story. I am over the moon at the joy your family is having. Very much deserved. Enjoy those fresh, beautiful, best thing in the world, new born cuddles. Much love to your family xx
So much love for this beautiful story. I am over the moon at the joy your family is having. Very much deserved. Enjoy those fresh, beautiful, best thing in the world, new born cuddles. Much love to your family xx
Thank-you for sharing such a special moment. Congratulations, wish you all the best!