With only two hours and 25 minutes remaining in the first day of 2022, Schneck Medical Center’s first baby of the new year was born.
Kaden Daniel Wright weighed 8 lbs., 4 oz. and was 21 inches long.
The first child for Rachel Blake, 20, and Jacob Wright, 24, of North Vernon arrived at 9:35 p.m. Jan. 1.
“My due date was the 2nd, so we kind of expected a new year baby,” Rachel said.
“We kind of thought we might (have the first baby born in the new year), but we never thought it would really happen,” Jacob said. “That was a pretty amazing thing.”
All along, the couple, who have been together for a little more than two years, knew they were going to have a baby boy.
They arrived at the Seymour hospital at 6 a.m. Jan. 1 to prepare for his arrival.
“My water had broke at my house, and when I got here, I was still at 2 cm dilated,” Rachel, a Seymour native, said. “Then I was at 4½ for quite a bit, so they broke my water the rest of the way. After that, it went by pretty quick.”
More than 15½ hours after arriving at Schneck, the couple was able to hold their baby boy for the first time.
“Oh, I can’t even describe the feeling I got,” Rachel said. “It was just like he has my heart, instant relief that he’s healthy and they said everything is good. That’s just the best feeling.”
Meanwhile, Rachel said Jacob was bawling.
“He just loved the whole experience, really, cutting the cord and everything,” Rachel said. “It was just me and him in there. We wanted that special moment for us.”
Jacob, who is originally from Commiskey, said it was special seeing his baby boy for the first time.
“You really can’t describe it,” he said. “It was just one of those things you’ve just got to experience yourself, I guess.”
Jacob said once he and Rachel found out they were expecting their first child, they wanted a boy.
“Now that he’s here, it’s all we ever wanted,” the proud father said.
In terms of choosing the baby’s name, Rachel said, “No meaning or significance behind his first name. We both just loved the name Kaden when we came across it and knew it was what we wanted to name our sweet boy. As for his middle name, it is also his dad’s middle name. We wanted him to have his dad’s middle name, and it sounded perfect with his first name.”
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the new parents were able to have a few visitors after Kaden arrived, which Rachel said was nice.
By late Monday afternoon, they were packed up and ready to take their baby boy home.
Meet Schneck Medical Center’s first baby born in 2022
Name: Kaden Daniel Wright
Born: 9:35 p.m. Jan. 1
Weight: 8 lbs., 4 oz.
Length: 21 inches long
Parents: Rachel Blake, 20, and Jacob Wright, 24, of North Vernon