Irrational behavior from expecting father.
 

A couple of hours ago I was called to attend the delivery of pre term twins (15 weeks too early). Standard procedure to have a pediatrician at such risk births. So I come into the delivery room and it strikes me that I can not see the expecting father. On questioning I am told he has been called and is expected any minute as they live just five minutes from the hospital.

Well, this is a rather young mother to be, 24 years old, and not surprisingly the twins are in no hurry coming out of their warm and cosy home. After another twenty minutes it is however pretty surprising the father has yet to turn up!

Ten minutes later he comes barging into the delivery room, out of breath, looking both lost and excited. The mother sees him and demands to know where he has been seeing as it should not take half an hour to transport himself from home!

The poor guy, also in his early twenties, now looks even more lost and guilty and starts to explain. Apparently they had a brake in into their car yesterday, braking the rear window. He had rushed the car to the hospital parking, but as he starts to get out of the car it starts to rain. He ponders the situation a few seconds, then decides he probably has time to run into the next door store and pick up some cardboard paper and tape in order to make sure the otherwise rather new station wagon was not getting all wet in the back seat during delivery!!

Well, if I ever saw a guy feeling more stupid amongst all the midwives, the obstetrician and us from the Neonatal care - and in the middle his wife on the verge of having their pre term twins - mad as hell in all her delivery pain. She tells him to come closer and out of nowhere she lifts her left arm with the IV hanging from it - and wacks the poor guy over the head! Then she pulls him closer and whispers - I love you stupid SOB!

Well, in closing, ten minutes later she gave birth to two little healthy babies - and all was well, with a story to tell their grandchildren.

Hum. My X wife used Violence as the first option also.

I'm glad they are both alright.

Hey, its like going to the movies. You never know when the movie is exactly going to start. He made it to the beginning, and skipped all the coming attractions.:)

Doesn't seem so irrational! Just untimely.

That was actually what I thought too. Clever guy! Timing the delivery so he did not have to endure the crying and screaming of his wife the hour before. :D

I find his behavior quite rational. What could he have done in the room? You were there, and all the needed staff was there. He made a decision to do something he has control over to prevent more damage.

I could say the wife was irrational, but then I think I would be being redundant.

She probably *****ed about the soggy ride home, too.

This is why guys should stay in the waiting room and smoke cigars and go nowhere near the delivery room.

Personally I think I'd be grossed out anyway. All that stuff flyin' out of places - spare tires, kitchen sinks, and god-only-knows what else comin' out of there. I got no interest in seeing that. I'd probably yak. Better that I stay in my element, so to speak.

In my humble experience, the delivery moment is one of the most important minutes in a woman´s life. It is absolutely paramount that the father shares this moment with them. Finding out that the guy was more preoccupied with the welfare of the car does not sit well, I assure you. :D

What a clot!
Why did he wait until the last moment to sort the rear window? He deserves another smack for that.

Sounds like this fella would fit right in at PPOT. :)

It does, doesn´t it!! :D

I was there during the delivery of both my children but I was just a spectator. I didn't deliver the kids, I was only in the way. It wasn't beautiful. It was disturbing.
I can't understand why our society has made it manditory for ther father to watch. To me it made more sense the way they used to do it, with the father and family sitting in the waiting room.

You can tell more about a womans character by her behavior in the delivery room than at any other time in her life.

I've seen some bizarre stuff to be sure. Mostly though, I'm impressed with the dignity and grace women carry through these events.

but they want you there for that part at least as much as when the bun(s) pop out of the oven.

He had time to fix that window before taking those kids home if they were 15 weeks early, but I would not want my car rained in either. Neither party is thinking too clearly or rationally when the gal is in hard labor.

When my wife was due I made sure I always had the bag packed and the car filled with gas. Well not on the morning that we headed to the hospital. I looked at the needle and it was on "E". I had to stop for a splash of gas but we made it. My wife still rags on me about that 12 years later.

Would have been less appropriate if he arrived intent on slapping some cratch. Since that wasn't the case, I'd say he was a stand-up chap!

When Kathryn's second grandchild was born, I was in the lobby entertaining the older sis. Kathryn was in the delivery room standing behind the Doctor with a catcher's mitt just in case........

He was thinking ahead. Honestly, what was he going to do in the delivery room? Get yelled at by his wife.

My advise to young dads to be is to just shut up and stand there, do not try any of that coaching BS they teach you in the parenting class, it just infuriates her and the nurses get annoyed by it as well.

I think the guy did the right thing, he was thinking of the drive home wiht the twins and thinking the car needed to be dried in asap.

+1 as far as why the dude needs to be in the delivery room. I nearly passed out for the 1st kid and knew better than to look for the second.

"as he gets out of the car, it starts to rain..."
There were no other moments. You could absolutely destroy the interior of a new and expensive car by letting it get soaked w/ water. It would ruin the upholstery and then smell like ass for the next 5 years until you trade it in and get nothing for it because it stinks.

I have absolutely no doubt that his wife would have blamed him for the stink in the car for the next five years. Poor, henpecked little twat this guy is. :(

But then again, what's a new car to a 24 y..o. having twins in a country with 70% taxation?? He probably has a bunch of rigs and a snowmobile or two. Maybe a ski-boat. :rolleyes: