Clay's Birth Story--guy safe

Clay was due the 14th of September and I was convinced he would come before that. After all, he was my second baby and my first one had been born 3 days before his due date. But I guess he wanted to start out his life on his own terms so he did not make his entrance "on time." I was a little apprehensive toward the end of this pregnancy. I had been borderline pre-eclamptic and I had some concerns of the condition going into full blown status. I was so swollen and hot and uncomfortable and I wanted my little guy on the outside already! I also wondered how labor would start this time around. With Raley, I had minor contractions for about 18 hours before labor really showed up. Would that happen again? My water had not broken with Raley until they broke it at the hospital. Would that happen again? Would he be face up like Raley? Would he get stuck like Raley? Would he have the cord around his neck like Raley? Would I be able to go without pain meds again like with Raley?
My mom had been with us for about a week but she had a meeting she could not miss so she went back home with plans to return on the 17th. In the meantime, Jayme's mom came up to stay with us and in the event that we headed for the hospital, she would stay with Raley at the house. Just before midnight on September 16th, I was hit with my first labor pain. No fooling around with minor stuff this time around! It didn't take long for them to be 5 minutes apart either. Jayme told his mom we were headed out and we reached the hospital around 1 am September 17th.
At that time, at that hospital on base at Fort Hood, you were seen and delivered by midwives, unless there was a need for a doctor to come in. The midwife I had that night had a very strange accent and kept telling me to "huff and puff" which would have made me laugh if I hadn't been in so much pain! I had just started to push when Clay's heart rate started dropping fairly low with my contractions. It was only about 3 am by this time. My labor had progressed fairly quickly and they had broken my water almost right away. With his heart rate dropping, the midwife called in a doctor to take over.
In walked the largest person I have ever shared a room with! He was like a giant. Well over 6 feet tall and that isn't just my perception, Jayme said it too. He wasn't fat at all but bulging muscles stood out all over his frame. His skin was so dark it was almost blue and I remember thinking he was the most beautiful thing I had seen when he said to me, "Why don't we just see if we can get him out with forceps real quick?" Sounded great to me!!
The forceps were all in the surgical suite though so I got wheeled out in all my glory down the hall and into a very hot, bright room. They made Jayme put on a gown and it was so hot in the room he started to sweat pretty badly. They thought that meant he was going to pass out so they taped a smelling salt capsule to his gown. He was so mad! While they hunted for the right forceps, I tried pushing a few more times. Once they found them the doctor put his full force into getting Clay out. Jayme later told me it was kind of scary seeing that huge doctor with his muscles popping out all over the place straining mightily against the forceps while knowing that on the other end of them was our little baby's tiny head. But in just a couple minutes Clay was out and squalling. He HAD been face up like Raley but no cord issues this time.
My sweet little boy was healthy and perfect and from start to finish had been born about 4 hours after my first labor pain. No time to even think about pain meds, much less ask for them.
The neat thing about Clay's birth was that 3 out of his 5 grandparents got to see him that day! Jayme's Mom was at our house with Raley. She had called Papa when we left for the hospital and again when we called to tell her he was here shortly after 3:30 am. Papa headed to Fort Hood that morning. My Mom had been planning to come back that day in any case so Clay being born only made her drive a little faster than usual. (It was probably the only time my sweet Mommy has ever broken a speed limit!)

Clayton Wayne Sims

Born on September 17, 2003

at 3:28 am

weight: 7 lb 14 oz

length: 20 1/2 inches

Darnall Community Army Hospital, Fort Hood, Texas