The birth of Luke Epplin’s first child, Ava, was epic to say the least. From fainting, to getting staples in his head  and doing a mad dash through the hospital trying to get back to his wife, this is a story he’ll be telling for years to come.

The writer shared the crazy birth story on X, in a hilariously entertaining thread, along with photos of the proud new dad (complete with bandaged head) holding his newborn daughter.

All right, here’s my wild story of the birth of my daughter, Ava. My wife started going into labor on Friday, so we spent that night at a hospital in Upper Manhattan. I slept little that night and then not at all the next day. Finally, on Saturday night I dozed on a couch.

— Luke Epplin (@LukeEpplin) March 26, 2024

He says the birth started out uneventful enough, but in a split second, turned into something straight out of a movie.

“My wife started going into labour on Friday, so we spent that night at a hospital in Upper Manhattan,” he explained. “I slept little that night and then not at all the next day. Finally, on Saturday night I dozed on a couch.

“I was awoken at four in the morning on Sunday to active labour. I got on my feet, threw on my clothes, and then was thrust in the middle of the action. Whether because of exhaustion, lack of food, or having just gotten up, I don’t remember anything else. I fainted.”

When Luke woke, he was on the floor, bleeding from the back of his head, after knocking it on the edge of a metal table as he fainted.

“It was serious. They called the EMTs, had a stretcher come up and whisked me to the emergency room.”

“Originally, they were going to give me a CT scan, which means that I would’ve missed the birth of Ava. Luckily, they checked me out, did some tests, treated the wound, and then plugged six staples into my skull. It took maybe an hour. I was then free to go.”

But here’s where the story takes another turn. The hospital is huge, and connected by a series of tunnels. Luke had ended up on the opposite end to his wife.

“A nurse walked me down numerous hallways, through various departments, and then got called back for an emergency. She gave me some quick directions and sent me on my way.

“I thought I followed them correctly, got an elevator to the 10th floor, and ended up in a bone marrow centre. Granted, I’m in the clothes I slept in, with a massive white bandage wrapped around my head, like something you’d see in a World War I movie.

“I flagged down a nurse and said rather frantically, “My wife is in labour! I need to find her!” She took one look at me and said, “I think you need to see security.” I said I didn’t have time, but she escorted me out and firmly but politely dropped me off with a guard.

“I told him the same thing: “My wife is in labour!” Again, he looked at me, bandage and all, patient tag on my wrist, and said, “Sir, I’m gonna need to see some discharge papers.” I had no ID, no visitor’s badge, no cellphone, nothing. Suddenly, it dawned on me: I’m in trouble.”

Luke then explained to the security guard that he had fainted, had sustained an injury, was treated and then got lost. He says while the guard was skeptical of the story, he let Luke leave. He was now on the street and rushed around until he found a parking valet.

“This time, I didn’t even try to explain. I simply asked where the maternity wing was, he said two blocks down, and I sprinted in my bandages and slippers. Again, my old nemesis greeted me: security. I’d learned at least that I had to explain everything first.

“I told him my wife was in labour on the 10th floor, gave him her name, and he called up. They took a picture of me for a new badge and I’m staring wild-eyed into the camera with my head wrapped. My last name is spelled Epplyn. It was perfect.

“I dashed into the maternity ward, the attendant looked at me, and said, “Oh, you’re the guy everyone’s talking about.” I came back to my daughter not yet born. My wife asked how it went. I said, “I’ll tell you later.” An hour later, this photo was taken.”

Luke says he wasn’t allowed to take off his head bandage for 24 hours.

“So every picture of me during Ava’s first day on Earth looks like this. I hope that she has a good sense of humour about it some day.”

Luke’s wife Jane says the trio were a sight to see.

“I feel like we all got pretty bruised up that first day,” she told TODAY. “Luke got staples, I’ve got stitches, Ava had a bruise on her cheek. We all looked like we were in a fight.”

What an amazing story!

Did you have anything this crazy happen during the birth of your kids? Share your story in the comments below. 

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