‘Miracle’ baby born weighing just two POUNDS after mom suffered car crash at 27 weeks pregnant
A boy in California defied all odds by celebrating his fourth birthday – after being born under the most tragic of circumstances.
Little Beckham Hughes, from Southern California, was born via emergency c-section after his mother blacked out behind the wheel of their car in 2019.
Her body slumped forward and her foot pressed hard on the gas, sending the car off the road at 55 mph and crashing into a stone wall.
Doctors warned that the boy may not survive if he is born weighing 2 pounds. He had to stay in hospital for more than three months and was intubated and fed through an IV.
When he was six months old, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy – a neurological condition in which patients have difficulty moving and communicating. He still can’t walk, but has learned to sit, stand and pull himself around with his arms. He also has trouble speaking, with doctors saying he will probably need to learn sign language.
When he was six months old, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, which doctors said happened because of damage to the blood vessels in his brain.
Rachel Hughes, 24, from California, required an emergency c-section after she was found to have a ruptured placenta following a car accident. She is pictured above holding her son Beckham, who was born at 27 weeks when he weighed just 2lb 8oz
Beckham is shown above being held by his father Hunter and with his mother Rachel and younger sister Blakely, now three
Mrs Hughes said: ‘I carry a lot of guilt and often wonder if I have done enough to protect him.
“There are days when the weight of it all feels unbearable.
“But then I look into Beckham’s eyes and see his resilience, his beautiful spirit shine through, despite the pain. And in those moments I know I have to keep going and be strong for him.’
Rachel Hughes, then 24, was driving to work at 10 a.m. in June when she suddenly realized she had forgotten her laptop and turned back.
But as she reached a crossroads, the then-mom-to-be, who was 27 at the time, suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous — and passed out “before my brain could even communicate with my body to hit the brakes.”
Before she knew it, she was being carried from the wreckage of her car by a passerby who had called emergency services.
Doctors aren’t sure why the mom-to-be passed out, but said it may have been because her placenta had ruptured, causing massive internal bleeding.
Placental abruption — when the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus — happens in about one in a hundred cases, estimates suggest.
The cause is often unknown, says the Mayo clinic.
Ms Hughes was flown to a hospital in Utah where scans showed she had no broken bones, only bruises.
But there was great concern for her unborn son, whose heart rate began to slow.
He was immediately delivered via cesarean section weighing just 2 lbs 8 oz.
Mrs Hughes said: ‘The doctors warned us about the possible loss of our baby, brain damage, cerebral haemorrhage, infections and cerebral palsy.
“It was without a doubt the most terrifying moment of my life.
“Nothing can prepare a parent for the roller coaster ride of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), but the love I felt for Beckham was stronger than the fear and uncertainty.”
Her son was kept in the NICU for over three months as his internal organs matured before he was allowed to go home for the first time.
He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was six months old, which doctors say was caused by massive bleeding in the brain that damaged neurons.
The boy also had trouble speaking, but at the age of two was helped by a speech therapist to say ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’.
Mrs Hughes said: ‘The first time I saw my baby I was filled with love. He was absolutely perfect and unbelievably small.
‘The doctors’ warned us about the possible loss of our baby, brain damage, cerebral hemorrhages, infections and cerebral palsy. It was without a doubt the most terrifying moment of my life.’
The crash happened when Mrs Hughes passed out, driving her off the wall at about 55 miles per hour and into a stone wall
Beckham spent about three months in intensive care after his birth (pictured) before being discharged
He is pictured above in hospital where he had to stay for more than three months before being discharged
He is pictured above with his sister, who was born about a year after him
Mrs Hughes and her husband Hunter had a second child the following year, a daughter named Blakely.
They are now blogging about their experience raising a child with cerebral palsy on social media, with their TikTok alone gaining over 200,000 followers.
Ms Hughes added: ‘Instagram feels like I’m opening up and showing everyone I’ve ever met my most sacred thoughts and feelings and it’s terrifying.
“It took me two years to share with anyone outside of family and literally two or three friends that Beckham was diagnosed with cerebral palsy because it came with so much grief. Sadness I can’t even describe. Then I look back at these videos.’
She added, “The day they told me he was dying, they let me hold him for the first time to say goodbye.
“I see more grief and sorrow than my heart and mind can comprehend, but I also see the literal wonder that he is.”
About nine in 10 babies born between 27 and 30 weeks survive, doctors say, because many of their vital organs are already well developed.
This includes the lungs, which mature at about 24 to 28 weeks, allowing youngsters to breathe outside the womb.
However, more than half of babies born at this time are later diagnosed with a neurological disability. About 20 percent of these have serious neurological problems.