One of the hardest parts about pregnancy is that you have no idea how it'll end. Hopefully, in a hospital safe and sound. But there've been stories. When a woman's body is ready, there's a chance it won't wait. While it can often lead to a fun story later in life, it's a lot scarier these days with different hospital procedures.
Just ask David and Sarah Rose Patrick. The couple had been anxiously awaiting the birth of their child, who was due on May 17. Yet since these things are unpredictable, Sarah started experiencing severe labor pains on May 9.
Sarah isn't new to the idea of pregnancy, so she was likely on high alert. According to People magazine, the couple already have two children, and David's parents came to watch them during the birth. The couple then went to Louisville’s Baptist Health Hospital but found that the entrance wasn't open.
"I tell my wife, 'We need to just go back to the car and go to the emergency room because we know they'll be open,'" David said. But before they got to the car, Sarah's water broke. With nobody else around, David tried his hardest to take on the role of doctor. But how he handled the umbilical cord is like something you'd see on television.
David didn't paint a very pleasant picture of the scene. According to People, Sarah was letting out "groans [that] crescendoed into blood-curdling screams." The parking lot at the time was empty, and it was go-time. David called 911 to try to get some extra assistance. At the time, it was pretty much all he could do.
Luckily, the dispatcher who talked to David helped him deliver his new son, named Navi Bond Patrick. Navi arrived into this world safe and with one of the most outrageous stories of all time. But there was one detail that David was truly unprepared for — the umbilical cord.
Typically, a woman's husband, wife, or partner cuts the cord, if they so choose. It's one of the ways they can have an involvement in the birth (since most of them aren't put in a position of delivering the baby themselves). But David didn't have the supplies he needed to cut the cord safely.
He did, however, have his wife's face mask. His wife was fully prepared to deliver in the hospital, where masks are required. While it seems a little gruesome, it apparently did the trick. "I rolled it up tightly like a tortilla and tied a knot around our son's umbilical cord," he said. "The dispatcher congratulated us."
People also reported that the hospital made a statement in regard to the doors being closed. Even though things worked out well, and an ambulance arrived for the parents shortly after Navi's arrival, surely the hospital knew that people would have some questions. Hospitals have interesting policies for patients who arrive at night.
"Patients who come to Baptist Health Louisville, who are pregnant and in labor, can always enter the hospital in the middle of the night through the Emergency Room or enter through the entrance to the Labor and Delivery department which is located in the front of the building at 3900 Kresge Way," the hospital stated. "Both entrances have signage and both entrances are open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Other entrances to the hospital are closed after 7 p.m. until 5 a.m."
The experience likely just made the relationship between David and Sarah Rose even stronger. "We are extremely grateful," David said. "Everyone is happy and healthy. We consider this the mother of all blessings in our life." They also noted that Navi was given his name for a reason that somewhat applies to his situation.
Supposedly, he was named after James Bond. "He does all his own stunts clearly!" Sarah Rose said. While likely a little terrified in the moment, David truly had a bonding experience with his new son that'll stick with him forever. He got to experience the miracle of life in an unlikely place.
Giving birth during this crisis has been an experience for many couples. While most of them at least get to the hospital, many women are doing it without their partners nearby. To try to keep as many people as safe as possible, some hospitals allow birthing mothers to include their partners through FaceTime.
It's not the way any of these women initially pictured the birth of their children. Many didn't expect they'd be pushing with a face mask on. But since hospitals are a hotbed when it comes to the virus, it's the best way for the mom and child to be as safe as possible.
However, women are doing it — and they're proving that it's possible to welcome a new life into such an unpredictable climate. With more people staying home, at least that guarantees them more quality time with their newborn. That's one way that families are putting a positive spin on the situation.
If you're still scared, here's another story that'll shock you. One pregnant woman who had contracted the virus had to be put in a coma during the birth of her child. She was just 31 weeks pregnant at the time when she started having health difficulties.
"We are pretty confident the virus circled through our entire family," Alicia Kappers' husband, Ziad Razzak, told CNN. This was definitely not the birth story they imagined. However, both the mom and baby are safe, even though Alicia wasn't around for the first five weeks of her son's life.
Women like Sarah Rose and Alicia faced their fears and proved that, even with complications, things can find a way of working out. For women who are pregnant and worried about that next step, there are countless numbers of women out there who can serve as guides and mentors that can ease their mind.
