"You are not the father" isn't just a notorious quote from scandalous day time television.
A lack of relation between baby and dad can be visually obvious, and unwitting medical professionals are sometimes caught in the middle of family disputes regarding who a newborn's biological father is.
Redditor u/user_7061 got doctors and nurses to share some paternity scandals when they asked:
"Have you ever witnessed a couple have a child that was obviously not the fathers? What happened?"
Yeah, fun times...
"I worked the L&D floor of a big hospital although not as medical professional. We had two dads come to blows when the mom was there in labor. She had no idea which was the dad and wouldn't till she pushed that kid out. One 'dad' was white (with red hair - REALLY white), one was Nigerian. Neither knew about the other till they both came rushing into the area to be with their baby momma. Fun times."
Colliemom4
People can be awful...
"This very white couple came in with obvious relationship tensions and long story short the baby came out somewhat darker than white if you get me. Well the couple not having the means to support a child yet put the baby up for adoption and very quickly got a response. The next day a couple flew 9 hours to get their baby. They arrived and somehow missed the memo that this baby was black and were absolutely furious when they saw it. They refused it and then flew back home. Later on another couple adopted the baby."
D_Shwimm
Glad it worked out
"Obligatory not a doctor, but my family has a story sort of like this.
My grandparents were separated and my grandma started dating another man. She got pregnant and the other guy bolted. My grandparents got back together and my uncle had my grandfather's last name. My grandparents eventually divorced and my grandfather didn't really raise any of his kids. My grandma got remarried and my grandpa stepped up and was the dad they all needed."
rant7268
Is this a soap opera?
"Small town family drama. My uncle is obviously the father to a girl from my highschool. Close family friend, he had been fighting with my aunt around the time she was conceived, she looks just like him. My cousin is a month younger than the girl. I don't know if my aunt knows, but she's a bitch so I dont think anyone cared to tell her if she was that oblivious."
be-ar_boi
It's not the nurses fault!
"My friend from nursing school used to work in L&D. She said that after one of the patients told her boyfriend he wasn't the dad, he was furious and stormed out of the room. My friend had tried to help and talk to him but he ended up punching her in the stomach. She said security was immediately on him in seconds."
cakejukebox
Oh no, not the best man...
"Not me but a family friend of mine was at the hospital when it was time for his wife ( let me repeat WIFE of just over 4 years) to have their baby. When the baby was finally delivered... Well lets just say he was not too happy. It ended up being his best man in his weddings son. It was very awkward for everyone. But for what ever reason he stayed with his wife who cheated on him and raised the son who obviously wasnt his"
wasteofpasta728
He probably came back to get stitches on his hand
"My girlfriend's mom worked in the OBGYN section of the hospital and she said two Caucasian people came in and when the baby came out he/she was Hispanic and the father freaked out and punched and shattered a decorative picture on the wall and left and never came back."
The_Big_Ugly
She'll figure it out eventually
"Yeah, the daughter is blonde and blue eyed, looks an awfully lot like the guy her mom dated right before 'dad' who is Mexican. It is clear but mom refuses to tell her. With dna testing so common I'm just waiting for the bomb to drop."
LoriTheGreat1
A multitasking papa
Giphy"A nurse at the hospital I work at said when she was in nursing school there was a guy whose wife and girlfriend were giving birth on opposite ends of the same floor of the hospital. He was going back and forth between each room during the entire process."
Jg23kc
The blood tells all
"I had delivered a baby and the bilirubin (a byproduct of blood breakdown) was high. I was explaining to the mom that it may be due to the fact that mom was O+ and baby was B+. The dad said 'but my blood type is A'... cue uncomfortable doctor. For the baby to have B type blood when the mom is O dad either needs to be B or AB, oops. The mom just said 'it's okay it's okay, we'll talk later' and I took my signal to back out of the room as fast as possible."
dr_butt_er
Infidelity led to tragedy
"A hospital where I was a Med student had a baby born with Hydrops, which is where a baby gets two bad copies of a red blood cell gene, one from each parent. Baby died shortly after birth. Parents came in for genetic counselling and testing revealed the woman's husband did not carry the alpha thalassaemia gene. The couple asked what was the chance another baby of theirs would have this condition the doctors were honest and told them 'zero percent'. They left it at that."
inityowinit
Daddy roulette
"Had a mum to be who had narrowed the options for baby daddy down to her top three. She was having a c-section and didn't understand why all three potential dads couldn't come into theatre. She then asked if we could rotate them through, and maybe she'd let the one that was there when baby came out be the 'real daddy'. Took all my professionalism to smile politely."
mnohc
The most scandalous town
Giphy"Not a Doctor, but my wife grew up in a really small town, but wasnt born there. When she got her first crush on a boy and told her best friend, the friend was like 'Did you talk to your Mom yet?'"
"Apparently, adultery was so wide spread in this area, it was common practice for girls to talk to their Mom about crushes and who the crushes parents were so they didn't end up dating their half sibling...."
tdabc123
The fall out was probably bad
"A nurse friend of mine told me about helping with a vasectomy when the Doctor saw that the patient, a married father of two children was clearly infertile and would have been all his life. Due to the man taking Valium before the local anisthetic the Dr made the guy come back for a follow up where he had to explain the mans medical condition to him. No idea what the fall out was."
patfreebird
Awkward...
"I'm a midwife. I once had a woman come to my clinic unannounced (she wasn't my patient but I'm NHS so saw her anyway) She had a man with her, she knew she was about 3 months pregnant but hadn't come for any antenatal care."
"I asked if she'd had sex the night before (she'd come in because she'd had a little bleeding) I looked at the partner as mum said yes and he said 'nothing to do with me - I'm just the baby daddy' Turns out she had a new boyfriend at home, this was just the guy she'd been with 3 months before."
"I popped her up on the table to examine her and straight away had to tell her that she was actually about 5 months along but I would arrange a scan to confirm. The dude just got up and walked out."
"Turns out there was a third guy 5 months ago."
LaSageFemme
He did some detective work
"A friend of mine had been hearing rumors that his wife was cheating on him. He refused to believe them until he found out one day that there was trait that is passed from parents to children. (I wanna say cleft chin but it's not important.) Anyways he went and got a DNA test done as he and his wife did not have the trait and it turns out it wasn't his kid, they tested their other two kids and he was only the father of the middle child The first and Third child were from two different guys."
LennyComa
A family drama unfolding in real time
"When I was a student nurse there was this one couple, mother was Asian and husband was White. The husband had a brother (African American, he's adopted from what I remember). The mother had been in labor for around 12 hours and they were very excited to see their baby."
"However, when the baby came out then came the rough part. He was a normal healthy half African American boy, around 3kg. I just looked at the baby then looked at the father and watched his face go from joy to puzzlement to horror in around 10 seconds."
"I didn't get to see much of them for the next 2 hours but I was there when the mother was brought to her room. Her husband and his brother were there as well and she was talking to them. From what I saw she was trying to console her husband and his brother was trying to hug him."itsJohnnyRain
It's so awkward for everyone
"Our NICU does not allow paternity testing to be done inpatient and some of our babies stay with us for 3-6 months depending on their gestation. We've had a few looooong and awkward waits for babies to get discharged before we could find out who the dads are. The two most recent cases were babies born at 23 and 25 week gestations both kids with 3 possible dads. None of the potential dads stayed involved in the 3+ month hospital stay waiting to find out if they're the father. It's so awkward for the staff."
kyelmo
Who do you think you're fooling?
Giphy"I worked in adoptions. A couple showed up wanting to discuss adoption. She was so obviously pregnant."
"The catcher, she and he both insisted that they had never had sex of any kind."
"I don't know what happened because they never came back."
Gutinstinct999
This genetics surprise
"My husband is a surgical technician. Years ago he helped deliver a baby via emergency c- section. The baby was black and born to two very white parents. The dad freaked out and left the hospital with the mom in tears. The doctor convinced him to get a paternity test and he did end up being the father. Genetics is weird."
alate9
Did they teach these doctors about this in Med School?
Do you have similar stories? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.
While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.
Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.
Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.
For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.
Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:
"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"
The Tiny Issue Of Water...
"Absolutely not."
"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649
Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...
"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."
"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."
"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."
"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep
The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...
"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."
"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3
Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap DierenartsenGiphyWhat Do You Mean Allow?
"I have no choice."
"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412
"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle
Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way
"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show
Hug GIF by The BarkPostGiphyWho Needs An Alarm Clock?
"I let my two cats sleep with me."
"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."
"And so do I."
"We've all developed a lil routine."
"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_
Whose Bed Is It Anyway?
"Yes."
"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."
"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor
"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."
"Would not come out."
"Got some food and some water in dishes."
"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."
"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."
"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."
"She was too busy eating."
"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."
"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."
"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."
"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."
"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."
"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."
"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."
"She would not go."
"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."
"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588
sleepy kitten GIFGiphySleeping Is A Prerequisite...
"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."
"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."
"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle
Saying No Just Isn't An Option...
"'Let'."
"Lol."
"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren
Felines Only!
"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz
Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang OfficialGiphyIs That My Hair On That Pillow?
"My dog is perfect."
"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."
"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."
"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester
It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.
Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...
The old wives' tales.
They are the stories of legend.
I think we all need a big DEEP Google dive though.
Where did they originate?
WHO ARE THE OLD WIVES!
You don't hear about them as much anymore.
It's like science and logic are suddenly a thing.
But they sure are a good way to keep your kids and their behavior in line.
Redditor the_spring_goddess wanted to discuss the tall tales we've all been fed through life, so they asked:
"What is an old wives tale that people still believe?"
"Wait an hour to swim after eating."
What a crock!
So many summer hours wasted.
I want revenge for that one.
Say Nothing
Giphy"An undercover cop has to tell you he's a cop if you ask him."
LonelyMail5115
"Pretty much most advice when it comes to cops are old wives tales. I’m not even a cop but most of the advice you hear is pretty off."
I_AM_AN_A**HOLE_AMA
Say Something
"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing."
Severe_Airport1426
"I really think this one is important and should be the top regardless. As it’s a piece of advice that needs to be relearned and the only way to do that is through awareness."
crappycurtains
"This used to be true. I think they changed it after some guy named Brandon went missing back in the '80s or '70s. You used to have to wait 24 hours if the missing person was an adult because they had 'a right to be missing' and then everyone realized that was stupid and stopped doing it."
AlbinoShavedGorilla
Body Temps
"That drinking ice cold water after eating oily foods will solidify the oil and permanently remain in your body. I informed my coworker that if your body temperature ever reached that point, you’d have bigger problems than weight gain."
chriseo22
"Oh, I have a cousin who 100% believed this. One of those guys who believed every early 2000s internet rumor and old wives tale. One night I chugged a big glass of ice water after dinner and he started freaking out and saying my guts were gonna harden."
"I sarcastically told him to drive me to the hospital if that happened. Obviously, nothing happened and the next morning I said something like 'Thanks for being on standby in case my guts filled with hardened oil.' He just walked off muttering under his breath."
apocalypticradish
Arms Down
"When I was pregnant, I was told by young and old alike that I should NOT raise my arms above my head or exert myself in such a manner because it could cause cord strangulation to my unborn sons and daughters."
Fatmouse84
10 Years Actually
Unimpressed Uh Huh GIF by Brooklyn Nine-NineGiphy"Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years."
"I remember accidentally swallowing a piece of gum when I was a kid in like 1995 and just accepting my fate like welp, gonna have this in my stomach til high school I guess."
Gecko-911
I was so afraid to sallow my gum when I was young.
This tale is haunting.
High/Low
Hungry Debra Messing GIF by Will & GraceGiphy"You can tell the sex of the baby by how you carry."
LeastFormal9366
"Pregnancy certainly wins awards for the most old wives tales. So much absolute BS was repeated to us by everyone we talked to."
IllIIIlIllIlIIlIllI
The Cursed
"If you’re a woman and you wear opal jewelry but opal is not your birthstone (October), you’ll never be able to have children, or will be widowed, or just generally have bad luck or something. You can counteract this by having a diamond in the same piece of jewelry as the opal, though."
"I have a nice opal ring that my parents gave me years ago, and I’ve had other women give me this 'advice' unprompted more than once when I’ve worn it. I have absolutely no idea where it started, but I’m pretty sure this little chunk of silicate rock has no concept of what month I was born in, let alone of how my reproductive organs work."
SmoreOfBabylon
Stay In
"Going outside with wet hair will make you get pneumonia. Or an earache. Or maybe arthritis. Depends on which old wife you listen to."
"Jokes on them - I haven't blow-dried my hair in decades and usually leave the house with wet hair in the morning. On winter mornings, the tips of my hair get frozen. No ear infections or pneumonia or arthritis yet."
worldbound0514
Dreams and Facts
"You never make anyone up in your dreams you've seen everyone in your dreams somewhere else before and never make anyone up entirely."
"How would you possibly prove that to be true? My partner adamantly believes this and tells me this 'fact' whenever I have a dream about someone I've never met before."
mattshonestreddit
"My late wife used to tell me that before she met me she would have dreams of standing at an alter on her wedding day but could never see the guy's face, no matter how hard she tried. After meeting me the face was filled in with mine. Don't know if it's true but one of those things I like thinking of every now and then when I miss her."
Darthdemented
Cracked
Getting Ready Episode 2 GIF by The OfficeGiphy"Some people still believe cracking knuckles causes arthritis."
Choice-Grapefruit-44
"There's a doctor (Donald Unger) that cracked his knuckles a couple of times a day for 60 years, but only on one hand, just to prove it. Both hands remained exactly the same."
MacyTmcterry
I love my knuckles.
Do you have any tall tales to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
