I have three children, all born via emergency C-section, and I can tell you that their births were an adventure every single time. Today, I can laugh at some of the funny moments associated with each of these new arrivals. I’d like to share a few of them with you.
First, when I was 38 weeks pregnant with my first son, I felt my first contractions while painting the ceiling in my basement. Yeah, I know, not exactly ideal with a huge belly, but that’s what I was doing. Not knowing if labor had actually started, I took a bath. With contractions coming every 5 minutes, I texted my boyfriend, who was in the basement, to let him know we’d be heading to the hospital soon. I don’t know why, but he didn’t quite believe me. He wanted to make himself a pizza because he was hungry—can you believe it! I gently reminded him that a human being was about to come out of my vagina and that we had to leave if we didn’t want that to happen in the living room. After a seemingly endless shower, we set off. We were both a little stressed, and we hit the road late in the evening. Not yet knowing how to breathe properly during contractions, I was screaming while clinging to whatever I could in the car. That’s when my husband decided that his empty stomach took priority and pulled over at a rest stop while driving the Burger King. While he was placing his order, I started screaming even louder. Poor 16-year-old girl, working her Friday night shift, who must have been wondering why someone would order chicken nuggets with a crazy passenger like me! Seriously, my guy didn’t have his priorities straight. We zigzagged our way the 30 kilometers to the hospital because he insisted on dipping every piece of chicken in spicy sauce.
You know what I mean?
During my second delivery, labor was taking a long time, and they suggested I go for a one-hour walk to help things along. Since labor was still progressing slowly, they told me that another hour of walking wouldn’t hurt. It was at that exact moment that the dad-to-be decided to leave to eat a big poutine at the cafeteria. At Ben's ! While I was walking around the hospital alone with my big belly, my dear husband was devouring my favorite meal, while I was only allowed to lick some ice cream.
Finally, I had my third C-section. A tiny premature baby and postpartum hemorrhage for Mom—the C-section lasted several hours. When I returned from the recovery room to my room, the father of my now three-year-old was waiting for me, with coffee from the Tim Hortons disheveled and with traces of cinnamon brioche on the corner of his mouth. He’d had time to go out and buy something to eat—he’d had a rough night, or so he said!
This is clearly about how important food is to the person I share my life with. Don't worry, I love him just the way he is.
What about you? What funny moment did you experience when a new member joined your family?