Woman In Active Labor Sends Video From Hospital Bed Letting Boss Know She'll 'Wrap Up Some Emails' But Is About To Give Birth
"This is so depressingly American."
mikumistock, NicoElNino / Shutterstock A dedicated worker made sure she let her boss know that she was aware of some unsent emails — despite the fact that she was just hours away from becoming a mother.
The woman sent a hilarious video to her boss right from her hospital bed to let her know that even though she was in active labor, she would stay on top of her work.
The laboring mother sent a video to her boss informing her that she would ‘wrap up some emails’ as she was about to give birth.
Tamara Drpić posted the video in question on her TikTok account. As she lay in a hospital bed in active labor pumped with painkillers, she thanked her boss for informing her about some unfinished emails she had to send out.
However, the emails would likely be a bit late due to a slight emergency Drpić was currently facing. “I’m actually going to have a baby tonight,” she said. “Right now, I’m drugged up on fentanyl because of the epidural.”
Despite going into labor a week earlier than anticipated, Drpić assured her boss not to worry, as she would wrap up some emails before her baby arrived.
“I think a simple ‘baby’s coming!’ Slack message would have sufficed,” Drpić wrote in the caption of her video.
People online found Drpić's dedication to her work, even while in labor, to be hilarious, if not a little concerning.
“Stop this is too funny,” one TikTok user commented. “Please do not send emails while on fentanyl,” another user joked.
Other moms revealed that they too did work while in labor.
“This was me. I was hospitalized at 35 weeks, a week before my maternity leave. I was dictating emails to my husband because the meds made my hands too swollen to type,” one user shared. “This is basically how the phone call to my boss went from the hospital when I was giving birth,” another user wrote.
Photo: Natalia Deriabina / Shutterstock
Others were horrified by the reality that work is too often prioritized over one’s health and important family matters.
“So depressingly American,” one user noted. “I hate it when people act like this isn’t horrifying… it’s not quirky. Just stop. This is so sad,” another user wrote.
Not only do many mothers like Drpić feel pressured to get work done while welcoming a child, but they also get very limited time off to care for their new little ones.
While maternity leave time varies by industry and state, most parents receive up to 12 weeks off, per the Family and Medical Leave Act. Paid maternity leave is optional depending on the company and determined by one’s employer.
According to the advocacy group, Paid Leave U.S., one in four women in the U.S. return to work within two weeks after giving birth. Many of them feel as if it is the only way to make ends meet.
Thankfully, Drpić's boss was completely understanding of her situation, encouraging her to hold off on the emails.
She shared their text exchange in a follow-up video. “This is so exciting… Just enjoy the moment and share pics,” Drpić's boss wrote to her in a text, urging her to let her know if she needed anything.
Drpić admitted in another video that she is a “workaholic” who strives to get work done no matter the circumstances.
She revealed that on the day she gave birth, she arrived at Labor and Delivery with her laptop in hand, asking the nurses if she would be able to work from her hospital bed.
Hopefully, the new mom was able to delegate and put at least some of her emails on hold to enjoy uninterrupted quality time with her new baby!
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.