Partner Blunders in the Delivery Room: What to Avoid
My husband was instructed to change into scrubs when I was getting ready for my C-section. While the anesthetist was running an ice block down my legs to see if the epidural worked, I wasn’t aware that a group of nurses were laughing outside.
Where are your pants?” “Where are your pants?” a nurse exclaimed when my man appeared in front of her wearing only his scrub top. He wore a scrub top that looked like a mini-dress, and he paired it with Vans sneakers.
He was there (in pants) a few minutes later, but it wasn’t till that evening when we were cooing about our new baby, that he told me of his mishap.
“I was so worried about you that I put on the top because I thought it looked like a gown. I was surprised that it was so short. “Ha, I’m glad to have made the nurses laugh!” said he.
He’s not alone in his partner’s lack of clarity of thought during the birth of their baby.
Babyology and my mum’s friends were asked to share their funny moments with partners at birth. Let’s read, laugh, and be understanding. It may seem insensitive, but a parent-to-be is likely to not think before speaking because they are scared or shocked. Take note, new fathers-to-be.
“I’m so exhausted”
This new mother was not happy when her partner said he felt “exhausted”, after her 18-hour labor.
“I said ‘You’re exhausted? “I said ‘You’re exhausted? “At least I had a mattress to lay on. You were sitting on a bed.”
He almost went nude
After the nurse told the partner of this new mother to watch her closely in the shower because she felt dizzy after delivery, he began to undress.
He was ready to jump into the shower in his grey Y fronts! The nurses explained that they meant for him to just keep an eye on me and not jump in the shower too.
Dinner and a Show
Jokes are appropriate at certain times, but not right after a woman has given birth.
Mumma: “I needed stitches for a second-degree tear.” “While I was in the stirrups and my legs were raised, my husband watched, eating his meal, and said, “dinner and show”.
Angry Birds = angry mom.
Remember Angry Birds? This game was popular when the mother gave birth.
My husband wouldn’t stop playing Angry Birds on his phone when I was in labor and my waters were all across the floor. I was also slipping over. The game was not yet released and he became obsessed. I told him he had to stop or I would throw his phone through the window. “I was the angry bird on that day.”
He took selfies!
All of us want the first photo, but some are not for us.
“I asked my wife to take a picture (of our baby being born), and she took three selfies while pushing. The third photo shows me looking cross, pointing to the baby as it was being born.
He didn’t just say it.
You could write a whole book about things partners shouldn’t say to each other at birth.
“After giving birth like a boss without any pain relief for 12 hours, my husband said to me ‘I don’t know why women fuss so much.’ Labor is not difficult. ‘”
Why don’t you come over to dinner?
You are naked from the waist down, and your partner invites you to dinner because he knows the doctor who assisted in your c-section operation.
“As my obs performs the Caesar he leans over to say, ‘We could invite Paul (doc), and Emma (his spouse) over for dinner.’ I stared at the dope, uh, the dude saw my junk. That’s a no!
It’s time for tea and toast!
The dad-to-be did not get the memo about what to do while your partner was in labor.
“Made my rage me insane. It could have been that the birthing of a child was the cause. The mum says, “Either way, it’s not the right thing to do!”
The same as having your tonsils extracted
The partner of the new mother compared his pain during birth with having his tonsils extracted, in reality:
After her birth, he told the midwife and angry mother that removing his tonsils hurt worse than that.
Maccas run!
Many hungry fathers stopped at McDonald’s on their way to the hospital.
One mum, who tagged her partner on Facebook for this story, laughed: “I had to hide my contractions when you were ordering.”
It wasn’t just her. Several others said that their partners did the same thing.
He fell asleep right in front of me.
Although some labors may be long, partners should try to avoid falling asleep.
“My fiance fell asleep while I was in the hospital during labor. I was too in pain at that point to care lol! He said he was exhausted because he’d been with me all night.”
We mean pictures when we say “labor picks”
There are moments we’d rather forget than record.
I agreed to let him photograph me during labor (as nicely as possible) and he took only one photo before the midwives laughed at him before he stopped. “The one he took of me was me naked on the toilet, chugging gas.”
Parking ticket worries
The poor father was not thinking clearly when he suggested that he leave the birthing room to move his vehicle from the 15-minute parking zone.
The midwife and I were screaming at him to not go anywhere. He was so afraid of getting fined that he missed the birth!
The playlist is a mess!
Even dads have plans, with one of them wanting to create a perfect playlist for their partner.
My husband was sitting in the corner of the living room, on his phone, trying to find the perfect playlist. I didn’t care about music, I wanted him to be by my side.
He played the Lion King Song.
This one is not so stupid but certainly sweet and funny:
When we presented the baby to my parent, he played The Lion King.
The poor arm
You should never complain about your discomfort during the birth of your child.
After our baby was born, he said that his arm hurt after rubbing it for four hours.
Six moms share their experiences of postpartum depression and how they sought help.
It’s perfectly normal to experience a variety of emotions after the birth of your child. You’re excited to see this tiny person that you’ve carried around for nine months. You may be nervous about the role of mother. You may feel a little sad, anxious, or overwhelmed.
Up to 80 percent of women will experience the ” Baby Blues” in the first two weeks following the birth of their baby. This includes weeping, irritability, and exhaustion, as well as difficulty sleeping. It’s normal to experience a slump after the birth of your baby when your hormones have adjusted and you are settling into your new home.
If these feelings persist for more than two weeks or become so intense they affect your ability to take care of yourself or your child, you could be one of the estimated 15% of women who suffer from Postpartum Depression (PPD).
You may dismiss your feelings of sadness, believing that there is no need to be sad and that you will be able to work through them on your own. Talking to your doctor will help you get the support you need, for your health and the safety of you and your child. Six women with PPD describe how it affected them and what they did to overcome it.
“I felt in a fog most of the time”
PPD was something I first experienced after having my first child. For me, the PPD felt like a feeling of dread, coupled with anxiety over most things, including sleep. My baby, like all babies, woke many times during the night to eat. After that, I could not sleep again and I was unable to nap during the day. I often felt as if I was in a fog. As the sun began to set, I dreaded the long night that lay ahead. I felt like I wasn’t myself but I had no idea what was going on.
My symptoms didn’t quite fit. I’m pretty sure I was in denial. My symptoms were well hidden from my family and friends. He was as confused as I was as he watched helplessly as his wife fell apart. He tried to speak to me but I didn’t want to ask for help. At my six-week check-up, I told my doctor that I was anxious and couldn’t sleep. She said that she did not know why I felt this way, but hoped that I would feel better. After that, I thought I was on my lonesome. I didn’t get treatment and I didn’t tell anyone about my situation. I was ashamed to tell anyone. It took me over a full year to feel like myself again without treatment.
I immediately knew what I felt after the birth of Aaron, my son. When I looked back at my first child, I realized I had PPD. I didn’t want to admit it. The symptoms were the same when I felt this way again. My new doctor was a great help. I started taking an antidepressant and felt better within a few months.
PPD doesn’t mean that you are flawed, or don’t love your baby. You are simply having trouble getting your body and mind back to normal. Everyone adjusts differently, but you’re still a wonderful, caring mother. The hardest thing is to ask for help, but it’s the right thing to do.
I worry about everything.
Since my 20s, I have struggled with depression and was treated with medication and therapy. I stopped taking my medication before getting pregnant and hoped the happy hormones of pregnancy would continue to be present after birth. But it wasn’t true.
Previous depression increases my risk of PPD. I was afraid that my family and friends wouldn’t be able to understand PPD. Because I didn’t know why I was depressed, I felt confused. My baby, my husband, and my new home were all reasons to be happy. I didn’t care to be told how grateful I was. I’ve always wanted to be a mother, but I was never happy. What was wrong?
My husband noticed I was still irritable and weeping after my baby had been born for a month. We both knew the depression that I had suffered in the previous years was returning. When my doctor asked me how I felt, I broke into tears. It was hard to explain why I was crying. There was a deep sadness, but no clear reason. Then I realized it wasn’t just the baby blues. She prescribed antidepressants. I felt better after a week. I felt like the brain chemicals had leveled out and I began to feel more myself again.
