Babies and Sports

So last night a dear friend had a baby. She went in for a well check up on Monday and ended up going to the hospital for Preeclampsia. They decided it was time for the baby to come - so the 'game' began.

Another friend of mine - had a friend having a baby at home. She was in labor since Sunday- and for her the 'game' was on as well.

I realized last night that birth is like a World Series to women. Even though we might not personally know a laboring mother, we become 'fans' in the end and want the play-by-play of the birth.

So we check our emails, Facebooks, Forums, Twitter, etc to see how the 'game' is progressing. We know that ultimately it will be a winning game - but there is still so much left to chance.

Will the mother or baby have distress? How long will the mother labor? Will medical intervention be needed? Will the unthinkable happen and will there be a loss?

We, as women, get involved - we worry, we fret, and we rejoice when the baby is finally born. Even if it is not ours and we will never hold it. Another victory!

We reminisce about our 'games' and what the process was like. The fear, the pain, the ultimate joy. And if the unthinkable DOES happen, we grieve along with that mother and family as if they were a part of our own.

We cheer as the game progresses. 9 cm dilated? Awesome! Crowning? AMAZING!
We boo when the game does not progress. Still laboring - 10 hours later? BOO. Baby isn't budging? Oh no!
And we compare stats at the end. How much did they weigh? How long? Pictures??

We become active participants in the final game. We check in with other women to share the excitement. We post impatiently on the new dad's facebook page. We wish we were present at the game to witness the event and share in the true excitement.

And when the baby finally makes its entrance?


We rejoice.



PS: Both women gave birth to gorgeous, healthy little babies last night. *in case you were keeping score*