By Jimmie Covington
The Commercial Appeal
ARLINGTON, Texas — A happy Saige Williams dropped a piece of her birthday cake on a table at Arlington’s fire station on Wednesday but grabbed it and continued eating.
With her mother and emergency personnel who helped with her birth a year ago gathered around, it was a great first birthday party.
On Feb. 11, 2008, as Shenell Williams’ husband rushed to get ready for a trip to the hospital, Williams reached a point where she couldn’t move and realized she was about to give birth.
A quick 911 call brought the emergency crews rushing toward the home within about three minutes.
Several Arlington firefighters and two Rural/Metro paramedics arrived at 3 a.m. They knew immediately that Williams was about to have her baby.
First in the bedroom was fire Lt. Len Beardsley, who called for paramedics Adrienne Strickland and Stefanie Harris as they took their equipment from the ambulance.
Harris was at Williams’ head following the procedures she had been taught and Strickland was the “catcher,” taking the baby as she came out still in the amniotic sac.
Strickland was briefly concerned when the baby did not immediately begin moving, breathing or crying. She had been taught to rub newborns who are not immediately active in order to stimulate them. To change her grip about 15 or 20 seconds later, she laid the baby on Williams’ stomach.
“The minute she touched Shenell’s belly she started breathing,” Strickland said. Everything was fine.
During the birth, the Williamses’ sons, Roland, now 10, and Roshan, now 8, were in their room at the home and her husband watched from nearby, Williams said.
Williams has brought the baby by the Arlington fire station several times during the year. Strickland and Harris said they will be at Saige’s high school graduation.
Williams said Saige will have another birthday party on Saturday at the Memphis Fire Museum.
At Wednesday’s party, Saige watched with wide, happy eyes as she ate her piece of cake and Williams and emergency personnel reminisced about her birth.
Williams told how she had screamed in pain as she felt the baby move down the birth canal before the emergency help arrived, but was pain-free after the delivery.
“I’d have her at home again in heartbeat,” Williams said.