The only time I ever heard anything similar was nearly 40 years ago, when one of my classmates ran into the music room, excitedly shouting, "Mr. Spencer had a baby!" Of course everyone knew that our science teacher's wife was the one who actually had the baby, but excitement sometimes makes people say odd things.
Yes, this is true.
But, I can well understand any woman, especially one whose been through a pregnancy, feeling annoyed by the presumption inherent in 'we're having a baby'. In the Bill Cosby pilot Cliff/Bill is lecturing his son Theo on responsibility and sums it up with a funny tag about being Theo's father and he brought Theo into the world and will take him out if the kid continues to be irresponsible. It's a very funny routine but really it was the wife who did the heavy lifting.
Probably not. But unfortunately I have heard spouses say things like "we're having surgery" and "our neurosurgeon".
This thread has inspired me to be deeply sarcastic to the next man who says it to me
I'm thinking.. "OH that is lovely, hey did I tell you that we had a prostate exam the other day?"
Now I'm starting to see the difference in how people see it. Those who oppose it think of pregnancy as a medical condition and nothing else. The statement doesn't make sense because the man isn't the one with the medical condition. Those who don't mind it or like it see the statement not as a ridiculous statement that the man is also carrying a child inside, but as a statement more akin to "We're about to add a child to our family and we're both excited about it."
Cliff was a obstetrician. Maybe he really did deliver Theo.
Oh, please.
I don't know a single person who gives the man anywhere near as much credit for bringing children into the world. I've lived in two countries and three states, everywhere from way out in the country miles from town to cities of several million, very religious/conservative to practically communist communities, so I've met a wide range of people. Among all of those, I can't think of a single one who gives the man more credit.
You make it sound as if bringing a child into the world is only challenging for the mother and for the father it's no more difficult than eating a chocolate chip cookie. Of course the father doesn't experience all of the physical stuff the mother does, but it's no walk in the park for him either. It's not easy for a man to watch the woman he loves go through all the things you describe and be powerless to do anything about it, and know that there's a possibility she could be gone forever because of it. It's the hardest and most emotionally draining thing I've ever done, and I've done it six times. The thing is, every time we started down that road, we were in it together. It was a partnership, with each of us giving all we could to the endeavor. We each had our roles: her role was the stuff you described; mine was holding her hand and supporting her through it all--being the strength and support she needed. I didn't just get her pregnant, tell her to let me know when the baby was ready to go to college, roll over and go back to sleep. No, I was there by her side every step of the way. I was there for the ultrasounds, all through every delivery and C-section and recovery. I was there when the AFP test came back positive and we had to wait for an agonizing week for more tests to find out whether our child was okay. I got her antacids when she needed them for heartburn. I was there holding her hand in the ER during her one miscarriage and comforted her (and I didn't get drugs to block my memory of it like she did). I took time off work to go to prenatal checkups with her or to watch the other kids so she could go. I was there and involved as any man worth his salt would be. Please don't discount the role fathers (should) play in bringing children into the world. If your husband wasn't there for you during your pregnancy, you have my sincerest sympathy.
