[READER STORY] “We are going to need a bigger car…”

When DAD reader John Beard and his wife discovered they were pregnant again, they couldn't wait for their little family of three to become a fantastic four. In this post, John shares the story of their first scan, and the unexpected events that followed...

Careful what you joke about when she's pregnant

Ever had one of those days where you just feel like saying, “You are joking, aren’t you?” Like when you take the car to a mechanic for a minor service, only to get a phone call saying they’ve found a problem with this or that, stuff you don’t understand anyway, and it’s going to cost you four times as much…

My wife and I had found out that we were pregnant again, and after a few weeks of keeping it quiet, we were getting our first scan. I always enjoyed going to see the ultrasounds of our first baby, it’s cool seeing a little person grow from a blob into something resembling a human.

After sitting in the waiting room for what seemed like an eternity (disclaimer: almost everything except sleep feels like an eternity when you have a two-year-old with you) they called us in.

My wife had been worried about this pregnancy; she had suffered from a lot more morning sickness this time round.

While she was hugging the toilet bowl, I thought it was funny to suggest she was getting so sick because we were having twins. According to my wife, it was not funny at all. I laughed.

Back to the scan.

We were comfortable knowing that we were seeing the same obstetrician, even the midwives remembered my awesome sense of humour. Winning!

As the midwife began the ultrasound we explained how sick and worried my wife was, then I threw in the ‘twins’ joke… I got a laugh out of the midwife and one of those ‘would you shut up’ glares from my wife.

Suddenly, the midwife stopped what she was doing and said, “I’m just going to get the doctor” and left the room.

My wife and I looked at each other. Why did she need the doctor? What was wrong?

I tried to stay calm, keep our daughter occupied, telling my wife it would be fine, whatever happened.

The midwife returned with the doctor who quickly took control of the ultrasound machine. I took my wife’s hand and she squeezed it tightly.

Finally, the doctor turns to us and smiles…

RELIEF!

“Congratulations.”

MORE RELIEF!

“You’re having twins.”

PANIC!

“You ARE joking, right?”

Another smile and “congratulations” from the midwife…

Oh right, she’s serious…

The drive home

I was pretty quiet for the rest of the appointment; my wife could tell something wasn’t right.

As we drove home she asked, “Aren’t you happy?”

I wanted to tell her I was over the moon; to match the excitement and joy I could see beaming through her eyeballs.

But truth be told, I was terrified. How were we going to provide for two babies at once, as well as our two-year-old?

She went on, explaining how very special she felt… “Not everyone has twins” she said.

Then she asked what was the first thing I thought when we found out.

I wish I could tell you it was something profound. That I was overwhelmed with joy or love. But in all honesty my first thought was, ‘We are going to need a bigger car.’

We already had all the gear we needed for one baby. Now we would need so much more stuff; an extra one of, well, everything! It was like we were starting from scratch all over again.

And then there was time. I love the time I spend with my daughter and wife; now I would need to make time for not just one but TWO extra babies.

And sleep. SLEEP! My long lost friend and I had only just become reacquainted, now very soon it would be yet another distant memory.

It took about a week for the shock to wear off. And sure enough, as it did, those profound feelings of joy, love and excitement began wiggling their way in.

Things are now getting back to ‘new’ normal, but I’m a lot more selective what I joke about nowadays, let me assure you.

Having said that, let me tell you a funny story about a family-sized car…