Photo: TikTok
Many people took offense to her husband being absorbed in watching a sports game while his wife was laying next to him in labor.
By Nia Tipton — Written on Apr 29, 2023
Being in labor and getting ready to give birth is definitely no easy undertaking. While women spend hours in pain, men have usually been delegated the role of sitting on the sidelines and watching.
However, one woman and her husband have gone viral after she filmed him watching a game on his laptop while she was sitting in the hospital bed, most likely in labor. The six-second clip immediately started a debate, with many people going back and forth on whether or not her husband should have been more attentive.
Her husband was watching a sports game while she was in labor, and now people are accusing him of being unsupportive.
In a short TikTok video, Amber, a first-time mother, filmed herself lying in the hospital bed while she was in labor. Next to her, her husband wasn't paying attention to her, and was instead, watching a football game on his laptop.
"When I joked about going into labor whilst his football team was playing the entire pregnancy and I actually did, so this was our setup," Amber wrote in overlay text. She panned the camera, and true to her word, her husband was sitting next to her, completely absorbed in watching the game.
While watching the game, he also appeared to be inhaling the gas and air pump that is provided for women while they're in labor to help with the pain. When some viewers pointed this out in the comments, Amber clarified that the gas and air were turned off, but he apparently needed some relief anyway from how stressful watching the game was.
Other people were unimpressed by her husband's lack of attention while she was laying right next to him.
"I would never do this to my wife bringing me a child," one TikTok user wrote. Amber, clearly not trying to take any backlash on behalf of her partner, defended him, replying, "Good for you. However, he enjoyed his 10 [minutes] before turning it off and I was happy watching Storage Wars. [You] do you."
Another user agreed, writing, "He's in for a BIG shock when you get home with the baby."
Other people attempted to defend the husband's choice to stay busy while waiting for his wife to start giving birth.
A few people defended the husband's decision, pointing out that labor is a long waiting game and it'll sometimes take hours before a woman is ready to start pushing.
"I don't see anything wrong with this," one TikTok user remarked, while another user added, "Some of these comments... My partner was the same, labor can be long & a waiting game! I have an amazing partner and he’s such a good dad too."
When a third user asked Amber if she was mad at her husband for watching a sports game on his laptop, she replied that she wasn't and had actually set it up for him. "I was making TikToks. We are super chill."
She added that when it came time for her to start pushing, he was right there by her side holding her hand and being supportive. "It wasn't that deep," she acknowledged.
Many experts have spoken about the positive impact women receive by having their partners present and attentive while they are in labor and giving birth.
While speaking to HuffPost, study researcher Lisa Hinton explained, "We are not suggesting that fathers should be less involved in childbirth, but [we are] calling for a greater awareness of the impact that these births can have on both the mother and the father."
While it's understandable why some women would be upset if their partner was being inattentive and absent while they're in labor, for others, all they care about is their significant other being right by their side as soon as it's time to start pushing.
Nia Tipton is a Brooklyn-based entertainment/news and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.