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China Elevator Stories
“Oh My God, I’m Going To Be A Father!”
It takes my husband a few weeks to realize he really is becoming a father.
04/03/2014
Ruth Silbermayr
Author
After being told by a physician in Shenzhen that I’m pregnant—before we can even do the first ultrasound—my husband is anxious. The doctor has explained that we need to monitor the progress, as there’s still a chance the egg might nest in the wrong place. This, along with the fact that the risk of miscarriage is highest in the first trimester, makes us both nervous.
This is my first pregnancy, and we don’t know what to expect. But unlike my husband, I can feel my body changing. Even the most pessimistic thoughts about what could go wrong in these early stages cannot change the fact that I simply feel and know I am pregnant.
At seven weeks, we visit the hospital for our first ultrasound. We had received a positive pregnancy test two weeks earlier. When I get the ultrasound prints, we both look at them. To a layperson, the image might not mean much, but for us, it’s enough assurance: the egg has found the right spot.
While waiting at the bus stop afterward, my husband suddenly realizes: “Oh my god, I’m going to be a father!” He starts singing, jumping around, and laughing. His joy is infectious, and I can’t help but laugh along with him.
For my Chinese husband, the hospitals in Shenzhen are a familiar occurrence, and he knows how to navigate the system. But for me, as an Austrian woman, the way Chinese hospitals operate and how pregnancy checkups are conducted are quite different from what I’m used to in Austria, making me feel a bit more nervous about undergoing checkups in China.
Have you ever become a parent?