After working six years as a labor and delivery nurse Holly, 30, has heard a lot of inappropriate remarks made by men while their partners are in labor. “Sometimes the moms think it’s funny—and if they think it’s funny, then I’ll laugh with them,” Holly told TODAY Parents. “But if they get upset, I’ll try to be the buffer. I’ll change the subject.”
Some of the comments are so wrong that she did something creative with them by turning them into “inspirational” quotes and setting them to “A Thousand Miles” by Vanessa Carlton on TikTok.
“Some partners are hard to live up to!” she jokingly captioned the video.
The first video featured the following facepalm-inducing quotes:
“I think you should just get a C-section. This is taking too long.”
“How long is this gonna take? I have plans this weekend.”
“Are you sure you want an epidural? My mom didn’t have one. Before you make a decision, we should talk about it.”
“Sew an extra stitch down there for me, doc. We want everything just the way it was before all of this.”
@hollyd_rn Part 1: Some partners are hard to live up to! Get you a good one #laboranddelivery #labor
It’s unbelievable that anyone would make such selfish comments while their partner is in the throes of giving birth. Anyone who would ask, “How long is this gonna take?” definitely isn’t prepared to raise a child.
Some TikTok users thought that these women should have left their partners right there in the delivery room.
“LOL immediate divorce, I’m not joking,” Rig wrote. Little_n_often agreed saying, “I’d be getting the divorce papers ready.”
“I would sign the divorce papers while in labor and pushing,” another commenter wrote.
The video was a massive hit on TikTok, receiving over 10 million views. So, the nurse followed it up with a sequel where she shared more “inspirational” delivery room quotes from men.
@hollyd_rn Part 2: some partners are hard to live up to! Get you a good one! #laboranddelivery #babydaddy #labor
“Wake me up when the baby gets here I’m tired.” (Rolls over, puts cover over head and slept thru the birth of his baby.)
“Can you move to the birthing ball so I can sleep in the bed?”
(As the patient is pushing) “Do you guys do DNA tests here? My mom wants me to get one before we leave.”
“Call me when you’re about to have the baby. I’m gonna go with [name redacted] to the bar and watch the game.”
Holly also told TODAY Parents that men should also keep their thoughts on pain medication to themselves and to stop looking at the contraction monitor and making comments.
“She can feel it!” Holly said. “You don’t need to ask her if she felt it. Trust me, she did.”
Holly’s public airing of men’s bad behavior had to be therapeutic, because, as a nurse, she can’t tell them off in the delivery room. But it’s also a warning to men out there on how not to behave when their partners are giving birth. If there was ever a time in the world to stop thinking about yourself, it’s while your partner is giving birth.
Remember guys, think before you say anything in the delivery room, the nurses are listening.
This article first appeared on 09.23.22