As much as we love Netflix and watch it way more than cable (why do I even pay Comcast again?), I will always harbor a little twinge of bitterness in my heart for the movie streaming giant.
Netflix killed Blockbuster.
Now my kids will have no idea what I am talking about when I say that “my water broke at Blockbuster.”
Six years and 11 months ago, the Hubs and I were having dinner at a Japanese restaurant near our house. I was HUGELY pregnant with our first child. When I say “hugely”, I mean that I had gained 75 pounds during this pregnancy. Seventy-five pounds. Never once, did my OB chastise me for the weight gain. He should have. Remember Violet Beauregard? me…like that…….yeahhhh
GIFSoup
It was a balmy Friday night. The temperature that week, and the two preceding weeks, never dropped below 95 degrees and 1,000,000% humidity. After a nice dinner (during which my husband ate a bunch of sushi that I really really really wanted to eat but couldn’t because I was knocked up), we decided to walk across the parking lot to Blockbuster to rent a movie.
As I was walking out the door, I felt something strange–and I told my husband that we had to go home immediately and call the doctor.
He might have freaked out a little.
Pregnancy does all sorts of strange and wondrous things to a woman’s body. In my case, I figured I had grown to the point where my bladder couldn’t handle the weight on it and broke.
It kind of seemed like an emergency so I ran to the restroom when we got home, sat there, and called the OB/Gyn.
“Is this an emergency? Do you think you’re in labor?” asked the on call nurse.
Ummm-I think it is an emergency. I started peeing in my pants ten minutes ago while leaving Blockbuster and I haven’t stopped yet. I can’t make it stop. I tried. It won’t stop.
“Ok, I will page the doctor. It sounds like your water may have broken. Head to the hospital.”
Do you remember that scene in “Looks who’s talking?” (Please, please tell me I am not the only one that remembers Kirstie Alley’s water breaking.)
Yeah, it didn’t happen like that.
My biggest pregnancy fear had come true and it was nothing like I expected.
I had extra pants and underwear hidden in a drawer at my desk. Two of my work friends knew where they were in the event that I had to text one of them from the bathroom to bring them to me. I had another extra set of clothes in my car in case I wasn’t at work.
And when my water broke, I was at blockbuster and thought I was peeing in the doorway.
The flood that I was frightened of didn’t come until the labor and delivery nurse summoned it in the hospital room…and.that.was.horrible.
But what really sucks is that when my kids are old enough for me to tell them about it they are going to ask, “What is Blockbuster?” Thanks, Netflix. You totally screwed up my birth story.
I am reminded of that night every time I sneeze or cough a little too hard. You other mothers know just what I am talking about. That time I wasn’t really peeing but pregnancy did a number on me and there have been several other times when I wasn’t going into labor…I think I had issues the entire time I was pregnant with my second child!
That is why I am happy the folks at Depend are sponsoring this post so I can help spread news of their Drop Your Pants for Underwareness social movement and charitable cause campaign. Depend will be donate $1, up to $3 million, over the next three years to charities that advance the research, education and awareness of bladder leakage for:
-Every pant drop, photo and video shared Using #Underwareness and #DropYourPants; and
-Every personal video made about what Underwareness means to you that is uploaded to YouTube and tagged #Underwareness and #DropYourPants
With each pant drop, photo, and video you will not only be helping fund bladder leakage education and research, you will also be helping eradicating the stigma associated with this very common problem facing women. Please take a moment to learn more here.
Did your water break? I am surprised by how many women tell me their water never broke until they got to the hospital. Have you heard about the underwareness movement? The next time I am expecting, I am not going to keep clothes stashed everywhere. I’m just going to grab a Depend near the end. They are now nearly undetectable!
photo credit: Thomas Hawk via photopin cc
Sylvie says
Your birth story is so funny! My hubby and I joke a lot about stuff that will soon be obsolete that we’ll need to try to explain to our kids when they’re older. I really worried about the water breaking thing too, but especially during my second pregnancy. With my first, it happenned at home and it was a huge gush – so much so that I slicked up the whole hallway floor trying to make it to the bathroom. And of course with my second, my water would not break and 9 hours into labor (and 15 minutes before my daughter was born!) my midwife had to break it for me!
Stacey @nursemommylaughs says
Nothing like making a grand entrance! Wow. What DVD do you rent for water breaking? lol!! At least you didn’t birth in their threshold.
Stacey @nursemommylaughs recently posted…MONDAY MUNCHKIN ROADS: Ugly Cry on the First Day of School
Herchel says
Lol we rented the entire first season of heroes which my husband watched on the laptop in the hospital 🙂
Kristi Campbell says
I carried extra pants and underwear around with me, too, and sadly, they had to break my water at the hospital. But I remember my friend Julie when her water broke as she was tying her shoes. She thought she’d peed in her pants, but it wouldn’t stop so she asked her sister to smell it!!! Also that Blockbuster thing??? YES it’s so so sad that our kids will never know what it is. Sigh.
Kristi Campbell recently posted…It Is With This Body
Herchel says
I complain about commenting from my smartphone because my comments always get “eaten.” I replied to your comment from my phone when you originally visited and my own site ate my comment! :/ #bloggerprobs
My sister would hit me if I asked her to smell my wet pants lol! I didn’t even smell them myself haha. We walk by the old blockbuster and I explain to my kids that it used to be a big red box but instead of the machine giving you the DVD a person would! It’s still empty which is sad to me.
Kam Kay says
Seriously, what are the chances of water breaking when you are planning to pop in and out of certain place lol. It is quite a story though!
Kam Kay recently posted…7 Stylish Ways to Transit your Summer Wardrobe to Fall
Herchel says
Unlikely mishaps should be my middle name 🙂 I was so scared it would happen the entire pregnancy!
Tamara says
It wasn’t like “Look Who’s Talking” for me! And yes, I saw that movie. My water didn’t break with my daughter until they broke it at the hospital. With my son, it did break but it was a VERY slow leak for over 24 hours. I honestly had no idea. And that can actually be life-threatening, they say, and it did lead to him being in a NICU! Boo! Anyway. This is a great story.
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Herchel says
Thanks Tamara! My husband may be mortified when he reads it though lol. I am glad I am not the only one that didn’t realize their water had broken. I had so many misconceptions about mothering back then. Mine didn’t end up in the NICU (I’m happy Des is doing so well today) but it was close. Pork Chop was one day past bring a preemie and five pounds. I had gained so much weight and he was only a teeny baby lol.
Sandy Sandmeyer says
What s great story! How embarrassing, though. And I’ll never have a water breaking story because the hospital had to break mine.
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Herchel says
I pretty much have no shame anymore lol. Technically, my water didn’t break all the way. They broke it at the hospital and that was horrible. I am grateful THAT didn’t happen at Blockbuster!