Wright's Birth Story

I know this isn't for everyone, but I wanted to write down Wright's birth story for my own memory before I forgot the details.


At my 38 week appointment I had no progress, so we were prepared to be at due date or later - even though I know those things can change overnight - clearly.


Monday, February 3, my boss said he looked like he had dropped again and I should head home early. My replacement had already started working so things were really slow at work, so I took her up on it. I got home, fixed a snack and sat down on the couch for some Andy Griffith. I started cramping immediately and was excited since Tuesday was my 39 week appointment, and I hoped that meant I would see a little progress. By the time Matt got home around 6, I was having contractions and thought maybe I should start timing them. Just for my own information. I was surprised when they were about 8-9 minutes apart. I assumed they would slow down or stop by bedtime, so we ate dinner and went on with life as usual.


The night before, Matt had decided he would let me have the bed for the remainder of the pregnancy so I could be sure to get some good sleep while I could. Around 10 I went to bed, with my iPhone and contraction timer app in hand, but thinking if I could just go to sleep, I would try to move my appointment to the morning and see what was going on. Contractions suddenly became so intense I would jump out of bed to get through them. I decided to take a Tylenol PM to just get through to the morning. Because Tylenol PM is great for labor pains...cut me some slack, I'm new at this. I did finally doze off, but consistently woke up with every contraction about 7-8 minutes apart. I've always had an irrational fear of going to the doctor sick and them telling me there is absolutely nothing wrong, and running to the hospital seemed like the epitome of this, so I really tried to hold out. But when it became clear they weren't going away, and the thought of going to work was a joke, I decided to at least call the doctor and ask. I put the call in at 1 am and asked Matt to come sit with me and wait for the call. Dr. Hudson called back and when I let him know what was going on, he told me it was probably best to come in and just get checked. Matt started packing his bag, and in the spirit of being prepared, I decided it was a good idea to take a shower, just in case we ended up staying. I still felt like we would probably be sent home.


It seemed really surreal and dramatic to be packing up and heading to the hospital in the middle of the night. I'm not sure what I pictured, but since this was so sudden and a little cliché, I don't think this was it. It didn't really click we were most likely in labor and coming home with a baby.


We were sent to a triage room at 2:45 to wait on Dr. Hudson to make rounds. The nurse checked me on arrival and I was just at 1 cm. I thought for sure this meant we would be going home after our 4 hour obligatory stay, but my contractions were strong and so consistent, I just couldn't imagine we wouldn't be back sometime the next day. We talked about the possibility of just inducing at this point, depending on what the doctor recommended. I took the nurse up on some pain meds, which relaxed me, but really helped none with the contraction pain. Matt and I watched the local news. Read: the same 4 stories over and over and over. 4 am TV leaves something to be desired. It boggles the mind labor and delivery doesn't at least get Lifetime. I digress.


At about 6:45 Dr. Hudson made his rounds and checked me again. 4 cm! We were getting a room and having a baby today! Absolutely surreal. I was also thrilled he would have a nice even number birthday - 2.4.14. I never liked his uneven due date:) We called our parents, I texted all our friends - it was Wright's birth day!

The minute we got to the room I asked about the epidural. KUDOS to those who go natural. I can't even wrap my mind around that and felt NO desire, so I was ready to get the party started. Our sweet nurse Haley told me he was on the floor and headed our way in mere moments. That is when she became my favorite person in the world. Second to the moment she told us she lived next door to GianMarcos. Dr. Heaton came in to break my water first, and then we went straight into the epidural. Both were super easy and it was smooth sailing the rest of the day. Mom and Dad came up to the hospital and we just watched TV, and waited to get to 10 cm. Everyone told me to eat before you go in, but I didn't because I didn't feel like we would be staying. Rookie mistake. Eat before you go, friends!

I progressed pretty quickly for a first baby and by 2:15, it was go time. We cleared the room, and it was just me, Matt and Haley. Matt was surprised how calm everything was - not the circus you see on TV. We seemed to be making good progress, but suddenly, Wright's heart rate started dropping with each push. Haley had us sit out a few contractions to see if he would "get happy". The 10 minute break turned into 20, and she thought it would be a good idea to go see what Dr. Heaton wanted to do. It made me a little nervous, but she was so calm, it helped us stay calm. She came back and said Dr. Heaton was coming, and we were probably going to need forceps to avoid a C-section. Dr. Heaton arrived and explained how it would go down - let's try a few pushes without the forceps and see how it went. After one push, she made the call to use the forceps while everyone was calm. She knew I really wanted to avoid a section, and let me know I was going to have to give it my all so she didn't have to work too hard with the forceps. We had just a few minutes before we would be moving to a C-section. One of the things I've loved about her as a doctor is how calm she is and quick and practical to make decisions - labor and delivery was no different. I gave it all I had - praying those months of running would please pay off.

At 3:49 p.m. Wright Thomas Searson made his appearance. Life hasn't been the same since.

The minute they placed him on my chest I said, "Oh, he's so small!" The nurses laughed. He weighed in at 8 lbs., 5 oz. Bless his heart. He came during our scheduled appointment time - a gentleman already.  He also had a head full of hair! We thought for sure he would have blonde hair, but he had a mop of dark hair, like I did when I was born. I'm certain it will fall out and be blonde - but we are loving his luscious locks.

Matt cut the cord and they started working on getting him cleaned and taking care of me. It took about an hour before we had our first attempt to feed. I knew how important that first feeding was, and he did amazing. The nurse said he was the best eater she had seen in years. He's gotten gold stars from day one and has made me so proud!

We let the grandparents come back before his bath, because I knew they were chomping at the bit. How special to see how excited they were for his arrival. He's so loved.

Wright Thomas, nothing could have prepared me for how much I love you and how much I enjoy taking care of you. You have brought your dad and me so much joy and deepened the love we have for each other. What a blessing you are!

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him.

Psalm 127:3

We are so undeserving of the gift of being your parents. We love you more than words!