Clive's Birth Story

I told myself after Clive was born that I would NEVER EVER forget that experience.  Some of those moments are still clearly engrained in my brain as you will see from my story, but some of it's starting to fade a bit, so I decided I better get it down before it's all gone.  I think with Jack, since his was a long and calm induced labor, his birth story was more about him.  With Clive's birth, well labor was more eventful, so it's more pre-Clive.

So they say second babies come a lot quicker...and wow they weren't kidding!! 

Well, let's start with my OBGYN.  We went to a practice where you didn't just have one doctor, you saw them all.  Which was great because you weren't disappointed baby day when your doc wasn't on call.  Point being is that I saw multiple doctors and midwives within this practice. For nine months they ALL told me I didn't have to worry about this babies size because he would definitely be smaller than Jack (who was 8 lbs 9 oz).  Still worried, I brought the potential size of this baby up at every single appointment.  I also secretly hoped that if they thought baby #2 was going to be big, that they would schedule me an induction.  Jack's delivery wasn't that long ago, but it was long enough to where I really didn't remember how big I was.  I do remember in the final days I had to hold my belly up when I walked around because he was so heavy.  I didn't have to do that with Clive, so I believed this smaller baby nonsense.  

Stay Puft Stacey before Jack's delivery

I was due on Sunday and everyone was excited for baby to arrive.  I was preparing myself to still be pregnant after my due date.  Aunt Jenny had been staying at our house, so that just in case baby came in the middle of the night she would be there to help out with Jack.  Little did I know HOW HELPFUL this one little thing would be because it saved us some much needed time.  

So Saturday morning Jacob's family all arrived into Austin to hang out, hoping for a baby delivery.  We let everyone know before they made the trek down from Dallas that the braxton hicks have totally stopped and nothing, I mean NOTHING is happening.  We've been spoiled a bit with Jack's delivery and  Kori's because they were all induced so it's much easier to plan to have everyone there.  When you're just waiting around for it to happen it makes things a little dicy.  So we all get together at Kay and Renees to have a fun family day.  Every move I made that final week I think everyone around me was ready to load me up and take me to the hospital...but Saturday came and went and still no baby.  

Sunday, I wake up at about 3 in the morning and feel a significant contraction.  Still I think it's probably nothing, but woke Jacob up just so I have another person to confirm that I have nothing to worry about and to go back to sleep.  I very gently shake Jacob's shoulder and say "babe, are you awake?" and he says "NOPE" and rolls over.  HA!  Okaaay...guess I'll just start timing this one on my own.  I manage to get back to sleep and wake up at around 3:45 and am very positive this thing is happening.  I wake Jake and tell him it's time.  Luckily this time he is up and attam with the iPhone timer in his hand.  The contractions at this point were totally manageable while we were upstairs getting everything together, but they were already 1 minute long and 5 minutes apart, which is the sign to call the doc and head to the hospital.  I texted Aunt Jenny on the third floor and let her know she was on duty so we were able to quickly sneak out of the house and not wake Jack up.  Ten minutes later as soon as I lock the house door the contractions were *painful...bad enough to where I couldn't walk with them.  I had to just pause and breathe breathe breathe until they were over.  WOW, that escalated quickly I thought!!

We get on the highway and about a quarter way to the hospital it *hurts so bad that I push the hazard lights button as hard as possible and tell Jake I don't care about a (insert colorful word) speeding ticket, just drive as fast as you can!!  We get to the hospital and I check in with *really really painful contractions.  WOW, that escalated REALLY quickly.  A nurse takes me back to get my gown on and I immediately tell them I want an epidural.  The nurse is moving at the pace of the slowest snail on this earth.  I think she thought I was faking.  She checked me and I was at a 6cm dilated.  So at least she could tell the other nurses I was in active labor, but she still moved really slow.  We walk down to labor and delivery and the nurses check me again and now I'm at an 8.  It's literally been NO time at all.  The nurses (still moving at sloth like speed) start to tell me how long it can take to get the blood work back which has to be done in order for me to get an epidural.  I then yell at the nurse who just took my blood as if she was my star track sprinter that had to finish the race and was just lacking that motivation...I screamed "GO GO GO!!!"  My doctor was STILL NOT at the hospital yet and I had progressed to 9cm dilated.  At this pace, that pretty much meant labor was only a few contractions away.  The on-call doc comes in and tells me that an epidural is not happening and I am going to have to do this thing au natural.  I then think in my brain...how can I punch all of you people in the face all at the same time!?!  I really am a lovely person, just not in this moment I wasn't.  Jake told them to please act like an epidural was going to happen and try really hard to get the blood work back and the anesthesiologist in my room.  At this point it was *so painful.  I was bracing myself before the contraction even came. (This is where I recommend to every woman about to have baby #2 that even if you plan to have an epidural that you should probably take a birthing class so that your prepared just in case you're ever in this situation)  Anywho I tell the doctor that I'm ready and lets just get this over with - thinking my baby was going to be so much smaller than Jack was.  I can do this!! Jake knows me all to well and says - NO you cannot, and nicely yells at everyone in the room a little more to get me an epidural.  They all still seemed to be moving at the slowest pace on earth, as if someone hit the slow motion button in the room.

Then in walks my OBGYN Dr. Schmitz...wait, who??  I've never seen this woman before.  Of course in a practice that makes you rotate doctors I happen to get the one random doctor that works like once a week.  But little did I know she would be my miracle worker and savior.  I tell her I still want an epidural and she kicks it into gear and kicks everyone else's butt into gear too.  I heart her!  She get's the anesthesiologist to skip a patient or two and finally he walks in the door right as soon as my blood work results do too.  They usually don't give people epidurals this late in the game because they can't sit still for them, which is pretty important when you have a giant needle going in your back.  She tells Jacob to leave the room and holds me down super tight over a pillow so that the anesthesiologist can do his thing.  An epidural usually takes about 15 minutes to take affect so they had to put in something else too so that it would start working right away!  And it did...PRAISE JESUS!  As soon as I feel the pain go away my body relaxes and everyone else in the room relaxes too.  The staff then went from 7 nurses and doctors to 2.  As they leave I apologize to each and everyone of them for being such a wuss and for saying not the most ladylike things in their presence.  :)  And I tell my OB and new best friend how much I love her.  And then I tell her I love her again! 

From here on out it was nothing but amazing and wonderful!!  Clive was out in no time and they immediately put him on my chest.  He was such a cute little thing.  Lot's of people asked me if I was shocked that he was a boy.  Not at all.   I was too freaked out that he was 9 pounds 7 oz and that I almost tried to do that with no drugs...are you kidding me?!?!  Look at this guy.  He came out with biceps and a stomach with a couple fat rolls already in place.  I think Clive enjoyed all those Reses Peanut Butter Cups as much as I did!!

Clive went to the nursery a little early due to faster than normal breathing.  They just wanted to take extra precautions, but he was fine, thank goodness!!  

I am soooo happy everyone came into town that weekend and got to meet Mr. Clive.  He is an amazing dude and has been a really great baby.  We are beyond lucky to have two fabulous little boys!!!  I love our family of 4.25!

*DISCLAIMER: Please know that I am the biggest wuss EVER when it comes to pain.  I almost pass out from a hangnail or any thought of blood, and toothpaste burns my tongue because it is way too hot.  So for those women reading this who may be pregnant or are wanting to be pregnant...I'm sure it really doesn't hurt that bad for a normal person and I bet you could do it with your eyes closed.  But maybe get an epidural and/or camp out at the hospital just in case ;)  xoxo