We have seen some truly low bars set for partners on the internet. We thought the guy who brought his gaming system to the delivery room was the bottom of the barrel. We were wrong. Folks, grab your pitchforks because we have found a new contender for the title of Worst Birth Partner in History. A man on Reddit just admitted to walking out on his wife while she was pushing out twins because his daddy called him into work.
The OP (Original Poster) starts by setting the scene of what sounds like a grueling labor. His wife went into active labor at 6 PM on a Sunday. She was in agony, squeezing his hand so hard it cut off circulation, and nearly vomiting on him. You know, standard “bringing human life into the world” stuff. She was vulnerable, scared, and physically suffering while trying to deliver two humans at once.
Then, at 3 AM—the witching hour of exhaustion—the phone rang. It was the OP’s father, who also happens to be his boss. You would expect a grandfather-to-be calling to check on the twins or offer support. Instead, he called to tell his son that he needed him for a client presentation that morning. He literally told the OP that seeing the baby come out was “overrated,” that people don’t prepare you for the “gore,” and that there was nothing he could do to help anyway.
The father told his son to go home, “rest up,” and make himself presentable for a meeting. And the OP actually listened. He looked at his wife, who was midway through a difficult labor with twins that was progressing slowly, and decided that a PowerPoint presentation was more critical than her medical event. He told her he was leaving. She screamed so loudly that nurses rushed into the room, likely assuming something catastrophic had happened. But the only catastrophe was her husband walking out the door.
While the OP was busy impressing clients and making his dad happy, his wife was enduring a traumatic delivery. She gave birth at 10:30 AM, an hour before he even checked his phone. It wasn’t a smooth ride either; the doctors had to use forceps, which is a terrifying and painful intervention that can leave lasting physical and emotional scars. She went through that trauma alone because her husband was too busy being a “good employee” to be a decent human being.
The OP is now asking if he is the ahole because he feels he had “responsibilities.” He claims his dad has given him everything in life, so he couldn’t let him down. Apparently, the woman pushing his heirs out of her body doesn’t rank as high on the loyalty chart as the man who signs his paychecks. To make matters worse, his mother-in-law is siding with him, calling the wife “emotional and overreacting.” If getting abandoned during a forceps delivery of twins isn’t a valid reason to be emotional, we don’t know what is.
The wife is currently screaming that she was alone while the birth “destroyed her body,” and she is absolutely right to feel that way. She told him that she doesn’t even consider him her husband right now. She even mentioned that her family would disown her for divorcing, but she is considering it anyway. That is how deep the betrayal cuts. When she needed him most, he proved that his father’s approval meant more to him than her safety or their children.
There is no coming back from this. You miss a birthday? You buy a nice gift. You miss the birth of your twins because your dad thinks gore is gross? You lose your family. The OP chose his father over his wife and children in their most critical moment. He essentially told his wife that her pain was inconvenient for his career.
So, is the OP the ahole? We think that is the understatement of the century. He abandoned his partner in a medical emergency to play business tycoon. He better hope that presentation pays enough for child support.
What would you do if your partner walked out during labor? Would you ever forgive them, or would you change the locks before you got home from the hospital? Let us know in the comments if you think there is any redemption for this guy!