My pre-birth story that stole the show…

You know how you listen to some birth stories and you cup your mouth with sheer disbelief! You’re not sure whether to thank your lucky stars it didn’t happen to you, or to half wish it did because it’s such a good story. I have got one that will make you giggle a little, just at the thought. Let me start by saying these birth stories are not only reserved for movies!

It’s pregnancy awareness week (12-16 February) and Valentines Day *insert soppy music*, My Daily Cake’s post earlier about Antenatal Classes this week spurred me to share our little amusing story, another reason to add to why I love my husband!

A little background…

My husband is a little squeamish, and by this I mean – he doesn’t like the sight of blood. Grey’s Anatomy is too gory for him (the horror!), which is problematic in our home but we get through it. With this in mind, we already knew that Daniel’s birth was going to be a little nerve wrecking for us both. Many an obstetrician visits were spent asking questions, articles were read and YouTube clips watched. We were as prepared as one can be in these types of situations. Our fears of Daniel coming before his due date were fortunately never realised, which possibly added to the pressure of the “Big Day”.

The Big Day…

As with planned c-sections, we arrived at the hospital at 6am. I hadn’t eaten and neither had Ian, we were due for theatre at 10am. We settled into our room and said our prayers. It was all going well. At around 8:30, the husband decided he was going to the cafeteria just to get some sugar, as he felt a little nervous. This should have been a sign but I was nervous too. There was enough time – I thought.

He hadn’t been gone for 5 minutes before nurses came in to collect and prep me for theatre. He was as you can imagine – unreachable at this point. After some stalling we left, as we entered the elevator, I caught sight of him on the other side of the passage… Hooray! He ran to meet us, chocolate in hand.

Pre-op…

I don’t recall whether or not he ate the chocolate, but when we got to “pre-op” he was pretty flushed. By the time he was dressed in his scrubs, looking all doctor-like.. He had already gone to the bathroom twice, and had some water. Then our anesthetist came to see me. Dr So-and-so (the name escapes me now) explained calmly exactly what he was going to do – this included needles, how I would feel, and exactly how it would all happen. Maybe a little too much detail retrospectively. I remember being a little frightened, as this was my first experience and I didn’t know what to expect. I think I even might have been sweating. Dr So-and-so asked Ian if he was okay at some point during his explanation and I laughed it off with a “Oh shame, he’s fine – just a little squeamish”. Are you laughing yet?

In a few minutes we would be up… such an important moment was within reach. We were feeling all the feels. I hadn’t even noticed the little sweat beads that had developed on Ian’s forehead at this point. Or even that he had gone a little pale. I just continued to babble as I do when I’m nervous. Then without warning (or maybe there was a little warning that I just didn’t see) …

He fainted.

There was not a nurse in sight at that moment. Heavily pregnant woman in a cot like bed, screaming next to a man who was balancing his body on a bar chair with his bum. Head flush to the ground on one side, legs on the other. I am not sure how long I screamed, cried, squealed before someone came.

After placing him on the floor, they (a lot of nurses were around us at this point) lifted his legs above his head. (This is a good tip for when someone faints around you.) A few minutes later, he opened his eyes and said “Oh hello..” there were possibly 10 wide eyes staring back at him.

It was really funny – for every one in the theatre. One of those moments that they get to see once in a while that makes their day/week/month. We on the other hand, didn’t think it was so funny at the time. I imagine Ian was pretty embarrassed at the time, but he kept it together throughout the c-section. Next to me bowing his head low enough to not get a single glimpse of what was happening on the other side of sterile sheet in front of me.

He went on to surprise me and cut the cord. One of our proudest moments. A day we will never forget. The day our little boy was born. Of course this was the last thing on our minds for weeks thereafter. We still laugh about it today though – as scary as it was in that moment, it’s my favourite story.

P.S. He gave me implicit permission to share this story! Another reason why I love him so dearly!

In the Meantime – do you have a funny similar story to share? Do these things happen to you too? Let me know in the comments.