And Then There Were Three...

The birth story of our sweet boy, Tatum Jack Wright

Hi! We finally meet again after a long hiatus since moving back to Kansas in October 2024. I guess you could say we have been pretty busy since our last blog post on the Wandering Wrights. As we made our trip home back in October, we were keeping our wonderful news of pregnancy a surprise from the rest of the world, to be able to share with our families in person. The next 8 months were full of a new set of “firsts” for us. Our first time owning a home, updating a home, hosting our first party to share our baby’s gender, first baby showers, and of course the first time experiencing pregnancy.

Pregnancy

While pregnancy was not a breeze (thank you 30s), it was beautiful experiencing the growth of an actual human inside of my belly. It truly is a miracle. Being able to bring new life into this world is a magical experience that God has given us women. I loved hearing baby’s heartbeat at my appointments, looking at my pregnancy app for daily updates on what size of fruit or vegetable baby was, and daydreaming with Tyler about every detail of our baby and our new life to come. I learned during pregnancy that I am stronger than I think I am and that God intricately created my body to be able to create new life.

Towards the end of my pregnancy, around week 36, I was physically very ready for our little boy to be out of my belly. Working was becoming extremely taxing on my body, fatigue was at an all-time high, and oh did I mention the 6+ lbs of pressure on my bladder 24/7? Your girl was counting down the days for baby boy to be here!

Early Labor

We had an OB appointment on Tuesday May 20th in which my OB mentioned that she would be on-call the coming weekend if we wanted to have her deliver our baby. Wishful thinking (as I was just 1 cm dilated the week before and 50% effaced), or so I thought.

On Thursday May 22nd, I left work after only 3 hours into my day as my back was hurting significantly and I was feeling very overwhelmed and emotional. I got home, had a good cry and rested in bed the entire day. I remember telling Tyler that I felt like I would need to start my maternity leave earlier than planned, and would discuss with my boss the next week. We also talked about possible induction dates if baby were to be past his due date of June 4th. As a Type A, I had planned my induction date for June 9th, I would just need to let my OB know ;)

On Friday May 23rd, Tyler and I woke up around 6:30 am. I got up to go to the bathroom as usual as he got ready for work. I got back into bed and as I started to fall asleep I had a short daydream of me snuggling blissfully with a baby. I remember feeling so joyful and happy in this brief dream. I was quickly woken up by feeling a small puddle of liquid near me in bed - oh no - did Lucy pee the bed? DID I PEE THE BED?! I got up and rushed to the bathroom where I discovered more of this liquid leaking as I walked and stood. I told Tyler and we both started questioning if this was my water breaking. It couldn't be - I was still 12 days away from my due date. So, we asked our trusted medical professional friend, Google, what was going on. Google told us that this very well could be my water breaking. I called my mom and then my OB office to see what to do next. We were told to come into the hospital where they would test the fluid to see if it was truly my water that broke. As we were packing up to leave, we both felt VERY calm. This was one of the most interesting parts of the day for me - I typically prepare and plan for hours/days when it comes to a trip and usually feel frantic and anxious the morning of while trying to prepare myself. This, the morning I found out that I potentially was going into labor, I felt such an overwhelming sense of calmness and peace. Tyler did too. God was so present in a tangible way that morning, providing two Type As with peace that only HE would have been able to provide in that moment. While packing for the hospital, I also began to experience light cramping - were these contractions? We were too busy to time them as now we were on the way to Chik-Fil-A for possibly my last meal of the day.

We got to the hospital around 9:30 ish and checked into triage. There, they monitored myself and baby and tested the fluid to see if it was amniotic fluid aka to see if my water had actually broke. Well, after about 40 ish minutes the Midwife confirmed that my water had broke and that we would be admitted to the hospital and moved to labor and delivery. We were told that labor and delivery was very full and that an extra nurse was being called in for us, Agnes, due to short staffing. As soon as Agnes got to the hospital they sent us to our new room with her where my laboring would officially begin.

Active Labor and Delivery

Agnes was our nurse for the entire day and one of the biggest blessings of our birth story. We immediately connected. She was smart, warm, and comforting. Who my care team would be was something I had been praying about my entire pregnancy. I asked God to give me a really good nurse, someone who would make this experience comforting and not as scary for me. God went above and beyond with Agnes - Tyler and I absolutely adored her. Throughout the day, Agnes and I chatted as quick friends while she also provided us with education and coaching for what was to come. My first contractions were manageable as I was death gripping my labor comb. My body was doing what it was designed to do and dilating appropriately from a 3 to a 4, but slowly. I received a small dose of Pitocin (human made oxytocin) around 11:00 am. I received my epidural around 1:00 pm when my contractions were becoming so intense that I could not speak. After the epidural life was good again and Tyler was allowed to speak to me :) Around 4:00 pm, labor began to progress further and I quickly dilated from a 4 to an 8.

When my OB first arrived, Tyler said my face lit up as soon as I saw her enter our room. It was so good to see a familiar face. I ended up switching OBs mid-pregnancy as my former had to step away for her own maternity leave. I was placed with my current doctor solely based on availability. This was another God-thing. My new doctor radiated warmth, calmness, and intelligence. She was exactly who I needed to deliver my baby. I asked her if I would be having my baby today, and she said yes!

With Agnes’ and Tyler’s help, I started pushing around 5:00 pm. My doctor came back in shortly after and continued to provide coaching and encouragement as I pushed. This stage of labor was truly the hardest thing I have ever experienced and the most vulnerable I have ever felt. It was so physically exhausting. There was no room for privacy or modesty at this stage of labor, and yet it did not matter. We were all in the room for one purpose. I had Hillsong United playing during labor which brought me back mentally in between the pushes to the fact that God created my body to be able to do this! He had already provided me everything I needed to deliver the baby He had graciously given me.

At 6:08 pm on Friday May 23rd, our precious baby boy, Tatum Jack Wright, entered the world at 7lbs, 4oz, and 20 inches long. The immense wave of emotion took over both Tyler and I as I held my baby on my chest for the very first time. It brings me to tears again just writing this. We were truly in love at first sight with our baby boy. Everything about him was absolutely perfect. I still cannot believe that God gave us this beautiful gift. I see God through a new lense now - the lense of a mother who loves her child unconditionally. If I already love this little baby boy so much, how much more does God love all of his children. Carrying a baby and giving birth to a new life is so beautiful and wonderful and puts absolutely everything into a new perspective.

Post-Birth Thoughts

When Tyler and I were dating, I noticed right away how he talked to and interacted with my dog, Lucy. When Lucy was younger she behaved as if she chugged a Red Bull every hour. She was uh... very energetic to say the least. This behavior did not seem to bother Tyler (or maybe he just really liked me). Very quickly into dating Lucy became “our” dog. He cared for her, took her out to potty in the winter for me, talked to and sang to her, and loved her as if she was always his to begin with. These interactions with Lucy were how I knew Tyler would be the best dad one day. He never needed to tell me how he would be a good dad, he showed me daily in the simplest ways. If Tyler acted this way towards my dog, I had no hesitations on how he would parent his future children. Growing up without a father has allowed me to dream over the years of what kind of father I would have liked to have had and what kind of father I hoped my future kids could have. In a way, watching Tyler become a dad over the past 8 days has slowly began to heal my own inner child wounds. I know that little Angel would have absolutely adored having a dad like Tyler. Now, I get to watch my sweet Tatum grow up each day with the kind of dad I only dreamed of having and I could not be happier for my boy. Tatum has the best dad in the whole world. Part of deciding on Tatum Jack’s name was to use the same initials as an ode to his dad, Tyler James.

We now have a one week old! Each day with Tatum has been so sweet and special. My love for him grows by the minute. I still cannot believe he is ours. We could stare at his face (and do) for hours. He loves to snuggle with us and is just the best, sweetest baby. Tyler and I are learning how to divide and conquer when caring for Tatum which has made this transition into parenting easier. We knew we were a good team before, and becoming parents together has only solidified that. I love Tyler more now than ever.

With love,

Angel