Introducing… Lydia Jane Bean
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…”
Jeremiah 1:5, NIV
Lydia Jane Bean was born on 17th January 2026, weighing 7lbs 9oz. We are so excited to welcome our beautiful daughter to the world, and so we have written a little something about her journey so far and why we chose the name we did. (If you haven’t already, you can read the story about Jonathan’s arrival here!) It’s a long story, but one we hope you enjoy reading.
The Pregnancy
As many of you know, our journey with pregnancy hasn’t been easy. After eight miscarriages (four before Jonny and four afterwards), we weren’t sure our family would grow beyond three, even though we certainly wanted it to. Once again, I was grappling with lots of questions about why this was happening to us and struggling with the heartbreak and physical toll of successive miscarriages. As I wrote back when we announced the pregnancy in July, “I thought it was time to leave my longings for a second child behind and focus on being content with what I did have. But, once again, God had different plans.” On 1st June, we saw the first positive pregnancy test of this pregnancy: the beginnings of little Lydia.
I prayed in hope that this pregnancy would last. And, by the grace of God, it did. But that doesn’t mean it was smooth sailing. I suffered with hyperemesis gravidarum (severe sickness in pregnancy) until week 19, meaning I was vomiting and nauseous for over three months. Even though the sickness subsided (which isn’t the case for everyone), things didn’t necessarily get easier. Pains similar to those I had with Jonny emerged around 24 weeks, and I discovered I had a condition that randomly triggered light bleeding, a scary thing for someone with a history of pregnancy loss. Around 28 weeks, we learned that Lydia was going to be a big baby… like 93rd percentile big. Two weeks later, she’d jumped up to the 97th percentile. Andrew calculated that her projected weight (if she made it to full term) was close to 10lbs… I wasn’t sure I would be able to cope with that! I thought Jonny was big, and he was 8lbs 7oz two weeks early.
Everyone told us to expect an early arrival. At the beginning of December, I began to sense that this may be more imminent than I felt ready for. I was filled with anxiety for weeks. On the final Sunday before Christmas, we attended the carol service at my sister’s and brother-in-law’s church. The pastor began his short message by talking about the miracles we associate with Christmas - often small things like the turkey being cooked right or finding the perfect gift. I was struck as he progressed to talk about the greatest miracle: the demonstration of love found in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if our own miracle baby came at Christmas as a sign to us (and hopefully to many more) that God loves the world so extravagantly.
Because it’s not just that God loves the world as one big entity - he loves us deeply and intimately as individuals as well. There have been many moments in the lead-up to Lydia’s arrival that have demonstrated this to me, but I’ll share just one for now. When my first sister was born, my parents bought me a fire engine. As a toddler, this was apparently the thing I most desired. I had always dreamed of buying a fire engine for my firstborn if/when our second was born. It was a small thing, but something I was excited to do. In the midst of our journey with secondary infertility, I placed an order online for some wrapping paper; it was almost Christmas. I was feeling depleted and disappointed, not knowing if I could hold on to the ‘reason for the season.’ I prayed for a sign that everything would be okay. The box of wrapping paper arrived. Inside was a fire engine I had not ordered. I burst into tears. To the store, it was an honest mistake. To me, it was proof that everything would work out someday. It didn’t happen immediately; I had another miscarriage shortly afterwards. But we gave Jonny the fire engine anyway, believing in faith that one day he would share it with a sibling. It is a rather loud fire engine, so it’s not always my favourite thing when he chooses to play with it, but it is a constant reminder to me that God knows and cares for the little things we desire as well as the big things we ask for.
The Birth
Lydia didn’t arrive on Christmas Day, as I had begun to suspect; she came almost a month later, on 17th January. Earlier in the month, I had a difficult and relatively traumatic five-day stay in the antenatal ward. It was becoming clear that my mental health was beginning to decline as the physical challenges increased. A very understanding professor came to visit me on 12th January, and together we made a plan for Lydia to be delivered via elective Caesarean section two weeks later at 38 weeks. With both Jonny and Lydia, it has been the kindness of very senior female doctors that has enabled me to deliver ahead of schedule. I am forever indebted to their willingness to advocate for me.
However, Lydia didn’t want to wait! On 16th January (36+4 weeks), after very little sleep and hours of increasingly intense contractions, I went to the hospital where I was told I was finally beginning to dilate... a centimetre or two. As I was high-risk and still wanting a caesarean section, the doctors arranged for me to deliver when I reached full-term and I was admitted to the hospital for monitoring. But that didn’t suit Lydia’s timeline either!
At 4.18pm the next day, I called Andrew and said he might want to make his way back to the hospital as I thought we might be entering active labour. Two hours later, we were in a delivery room on the labour ward. I went from 3cm dilated to holding a baby in less than three hours. The operating theatre was busy and there were no anaesthetists available for an epidural. Gas and air (and Andrew’s poor hands) were my only friends! After all the pain I experienced during pregnancy, I am stunned and honestly so proud of myself for making it through a speedy vaginal delivery. The midwives, Florence and Dannie, were absolute stars. I am so thankful for them and all the staff at University Hospital in Coventry who supported us over the last few months. It’s amazing also that I was born on the same hospital site too and weighed the exact same… even though Lydia was over 3 weeks early and I was 2 weeks late! And, despite being born early and against the odds, Lydia is already a very happy and healthy little girl.
Naming Baby Bean
We thought from the beginning that this baby would be a girl, but that didn’t necessarily mean we knew her name right away. After much deliberation and prayer, we are overjoyed to have named her Lydia Jane, and we’ve shared below the significance of that for each of us.
Andrew: As you may have guessed, we started by looking through lists of biblical names. Lydia was one of the first Christians in Phillippi, appearing in Acts 16. Through her description is brief, I think there is evidence to believe that she was a righteous, capable, and confident woman, as we hope that our Lydia will be. She is first described as someone who “worshipped God”, and brings her whole household to be baptised. She is also merchant in her own right, and hosts Paul and Silas in her home, as well as likely being part of the Philippian church that continues to support Paul’s missionary work throughout his travels.
I wanted to give Lydia a middle name after her mother, herself a righteous, competent, and confident woman. As you may know, Stephanie’s middle name is Anne, not Jane. However, on one of our very first dates, I asked Stephanie what she wanted to be when she grew up, and she said she wanted to be a mother like her own mum, Jane. Now that this dream is being fulfilled with Lydia (and Jonny, but I’m pretty clear she was talking about having more than one), giving her the name Jane reflects Stephanie’s strong familial love both for the four of us and for our whole family. I’ll let Stephanie tell you more about her mum specifically, but anyone who knows our family knows that Lydia has many strong women on both sides of her family who we hope she will learn from as she grows. A final thought, my mom pointed out (unknowingly) that Jane and Jonathan are both from the same Hebrew root, “the LORD has given”. It seems only fitting to recognize that the LORD has continued to bless us with Lydia and in many other ways, and we are ever thankful.
Stephanie: Lydia, when derived from Greek, has a few possible meanings, one of which is ‘beautiful one.’ Even before we met her, we knew she would live up to that in every way possible! (And she certainly does!) When I was struggling with negative self-image in my early adulthood, I remember reading or hearing something about cultivating a family culture that promotes self-worth. I didn’t know how to fix myself, but I knew I wanted to have a more positive vision of myself before I ever had children. I never wanted them to feel the way I did. Declaring Lydia to be ‘beautiful’ is not about the picture I envision in my head of her physical appearance. It’s about proclaiming positivity over her and committing to showing her that beauty is found in many different places - not simply outward appearances. In Psalm 139, we read King David’s words: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” I want Lydia to know and believe the same is true for her every single day of her life. God looks at Lydia and sees a ‘beautiful one,’ a daughter he lovingly created and knows deeply already. Whatever life may throw at her, I pray that she remembers how cherished she truly is.
Lydia is also a strong and significant woman in the New Testament, as Andrew has already shared. The Biblical Lydia shared the gospel with her household, and their lives were changed because of it. We eagerly anticipate the ways that Lydia will point our family more towards Jesus and how she will change our lives for the better through all that she teaches us. Even as she has developed in the womb, she has moved me to a greater dependence on God. The pregnancy, in some ways, has felt like one long trial. But, as I sit and reflect now before she is even born, I am reminded that she is already the answer to so many of my prayers.
Jane, Lydia’s middle name, is also a name of great significance. Throughout this pregnancy, multiple people have prayed that I would experience the joy of the Lord as I navigated various challenges. When considering names for our daughter, I was mindful of how those prayers had been answered and wanted to find a way to honour the journey of faith we have taken in anticipation of her arrival. In Nehemiah 8:10, we read the amazing words: “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” - words that have been spoken over me countless times amid the trials of pregnancy. Nehemiah didn’t feel like an appropriate middle name for a girl (!!) but it seemed fitting to give Lydia a middle name that would serve as a reminder of this truth. My mum is always the first person I think of when I’m asked what it means to have joy in the Lord amid trials, and so we have decided to honour her courageous and infectious joy by giving Lydia her name. Furthermore, as Andrew said, Jane also means “God is gracious” and is derived from the same Hebrew word that Jonathan is derived from. Like her brother, Lydia is living proof of God’s provision and faithfulness to us. And well, when we asked Jonny what he wanted to name his baby sister, he said “Jonathan”, so he somewhat got his wish!
With love and thanks
We are so so grateful for everyone who has supported and helped us on our journey so far, and we look forward to introducing you to little Lydia very soon.
