Black Woman Gave Birth To A White Baby. Then Her Husband Saw Him And Cried Uncontrollably
“It came as a total shock to the whole world when this black woman had a white baby boy. What left everyone more speechless was that her husband cried very hard when he saw the baby.
Catherine Howard was in deep agony; her body red, uncontrollably, and she wanted to pull her hair out. The nurses had to forcibly braid it back to reduce the discomfort she felt. They knew Catherine was thrashing around this way because her baby was about to come.
Katherine’s husband, Richard Howth, was right there by her side, but she didn’t seem to notice him, too lost in her own world of pain. But out of the blue, she called his name and held onto his hand tight, squeezing it forcibly so much that he winced. He knew that she wasn’t deliberately trying to hurt him; he understood that it was out of physical pain that she was grasping onto him so firmly. It wasn’t necessary though because he didn’t plan on leaving her side for one second.
Richard was fully white and Catherine was the opposite; she was a black woman. They had been at home when Catherine’s water had broken and instantly the contractions had followed. She had tried to be brave through the first few ones as Richard speedily drove to the hospital, but on arriving there, she had started howling in anguish. The medics had rushed out and prepped her onto a wield stretcher and started making their way to the labor ward.
Once they got there and were about to wheel her in, a midwife asked Richard a few questions, and when she heard his replies, she gently asked them to remain outside because it would be more beneficial to Catherine. Catherine shook her head, vly, when the nurses asked her to let go of Richard’s hand; she wanted him with her wherever she went. But when they told her that Richard might panic if he saw what was to come, she reluctantly released his hand. A look passed between the couple as they were separated, as if saying ‘I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere,’ and they both believed it.
Although Catherine had taken antenatal classes prior to this day, every single one of them grew wings and flew out of her head under the extreme duress she was under. She was 32, and this was her first pregnancy and childbirth; deep down she felt it was somehow her fault that her labor was so painful.
The midwife saw that she wasn’t present and that her mind was wandering, and she snapped her fingers repeatedly to get Catherine’s attention. She instructed her to stay with her, to breathe, and countdown. Katherine did her best to follow these instructions, but her body was screaming in protest. She would barely get through two instructions before she started howling again.
The midwife was experienced, then patient; she’d seen many wild cases of childbirth, and Katherine’s wasn’t unusual. However, she knew better than to compare one birth scenario to another because every case was unique.
For hours, she kept speaking firmly but kindly to Catherine as many contractions kept sweeping through her. At first, they were far and few in between, but 3 hours later, they were occurring every few minutes.
The entire time, Richard was right outside the room, and he was praying for her and their unborn baby. He could hardly remain still and pace the floor, and when he got tired of doing that, he sat and bobbed his knees subconsciously. His nervousness couldn’t be hidden; he kept his eyes on the set of doors that led into the labor ward, expecting the midwife to burst out any minute and announce the good news that he eagerly wanted to hear.
In the delivery room, Catherine’s strength was fading, and she wanted to fall asleep. She was sweating profusely, and under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t dare sleep until she’d taken a shower, but she didn’t care about that anymore; she just wanted to rest.
But as she was about to drift off into Dreamland, the nurse’s snapping her fingers returned to her vision in full force. ‘Catherine, your baby’s head is visible; this is it now, push hard as if you’re trying to expel a hard dump,’ the midwife instructed, leaving no room for argument. Catherine sighed, disappointed that she couldn’t just fall asleep; her motivation was low, and what was left of her strength was little. But she wound her hands around the metal railings on each side of the bed and pushed hard with everything in her; she was rewarded with shrieks of joy as the nurses celebrated the arrival of her baby.
The baby didn’t cry out to meet immediately, but the moment that the midwife cut the umbilical cord, his piercing cry filled the room. The nurses rejoiced at this, explaining to Catherine that her son had healthy lungs. They brought him to Catherine, who called him Jonah the instant she saw he was a boy. ‘Jonah’ was the name that they had decided on many months ago.
Catherine still remembered that day like it was yesterday; she had been 10 weeks pregnant and nearly at the end of her first trimester. It had felt like an oasis in the desert after being subjected to morning sickness, bouts of dizziness, and extreme tiredness; her energy had been returning, she felt more like herself, and had suggested to Richard that they have a picnic at the park.
Encouraged by her high spirits, he had agreed, and together they had enjoyed a rare sunny day surrounded by nature and families. The families had come with their children, and some families had brought their pet dogs. Katherine and Richard had a swell time watching them.
Richard had asked Katherine what they should call their child if he turned out to be a boy. ‘Jonah, I love that, it represents peace,’ she had replied. Richard had liked the name too, and so it was set. If it was a girl, the couple had decided that they would call her Deborah.
Catherine held her son close, her heart filling up and running over with maternal love; it was the strangest realization, knowing she would die protecting a small bundle in her arms, but the feeling was completely wholesome.
However, she noticed something was wrong; Jonah was white with no trace of black. His ears, his neck, his knuckles, and even his knees showed no signs of his biological mother was a black woman; his eyes were sea blue, and in Catherine’s opinion, they were dreaming. She stopped herself before she got too carried away; her son was white, not mixed, and that was a cause of worry because it wasn’t possible.
‘Was the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck when he came out of my womb? Is that why he’s so pale?’ Catherine asked the nurses. She remembered that he hadn’t cried immediately and wondered if it was because he was too occupied with trying to breathe. The nurses told her that Jonah was born without any complications. Catherine believed them, but she was concerned for her son; why did he look that way? It made no sense.
She grabbed the midwife’s arm suddenly and pleaded with her to conduct a thorough checkup on Jonah; she couldn’t shake off the deep dread in her gut that something wasn’t quite right. The midwife sighed, instinctively knowing there would be nothing wrong with the baby, but she agreed to Catherine’s heartfelt plea; a thorough checkup was run and at the end of it Jonah was confirmed to be fine.
Catherine remained doubtful. She was a woman of Nigerian heritage; her parents had immigrated to the UK decades ago and had raised her and her siblings there. Katherine’s family was close and loving; her parents had exemplified what it meant to love one another at the worst and to love unconditionally. They had encouraged Catherine and her siblings to be open to love, marry early, start a family, and go through life with a steady partner. “Life is tough and filled with challenges, but the right person by your side makes it all worth it,” her parents had often said. Catherine wholly believed them, especially since they had a track record of being married for 50 years.
However, when she had gone into the world, she had faced harsh realities; love like the type her parents had taught her had eluded Catherine. At some point, she believed that when it came to love, she was unlucky and it just wasn’t for everybody. She had put herself out there with her best foot forward, but the men that she had crossed paths with were usually shallow. They made this grand declaration of their love to her, but they performed only the bare minimum, never being there for her when she needed them and constantly trying to control her life and choices. She had even caught one of them cheating, and another was so inattentive that he had totally forgotten her birthday until 3 months later when his rolled around.
After numerous heartbreaks, Catherine had decided that she was done and would focus on her career. Her parents hadn’t liked it, believing that there was someone out there for her, but they had supported her regardless. Catherine was smart, and in a short time, she had reached the apex of her career as a financial analyst.
To unwind, she had often visited a bar close to her workplace for some drinks and the live band performance. She hadn’t been aware that Richard had been watching her until one evening he had come over to her dressed in a simple t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He smelled nice, and his manner of approach had been respectful. As someone who had been watching Catherine for some time, he had taken note of what she preferred and had asked the bartender to bring it over. In Catherine’s mind, it had been her first time meeting Richard, but he confessed that they actually met for the first time at a corporate meeting with the board of directors at the hospital where he worked as a medical recruitment consultant.
She had realized that she’d done a presentation that day that turned out to be successful. She had apologized to Richard for not remembering his face, but he had laughed it off. It had dawned on Catherine that Richard must have helped her get that job. The more they had talked, the more engaging Catherine had found them; he was witty, attentive, and kind.
When she had been ready to leave, he had hailed down a cab for her, opened the door for her to get in, closed it for her, and watched the cab drive off. For months, they had chatted, talked on the phone for long hours, and hung out. Catherine had felt that Richard was too good to be true. In line with her fears, a woman had walked up to them at the restaurant when they were on a date and introduced herself as Richard’s ex-fiancée, claiming he had canceled their wedding because he was seeing someone else behind her back.
Catherine had been so upset, believing that Richard had been fooling around with her and not taking her seriously. She had run out of the restaurant, and Richard had given chase, too distraught to look at where she was going. Catherine had almost been run over by a delivery bike, but Richard had dragged her back in time. Her heart had been pounding in her chest, scared at what could have happened to her, but Richard’s eyes had been wild with anger, and he had scolded her for getting herself in harm’s way over nothing. This had sparked Catherine’s anger, and it had led to a passionate quarrel.
Richard had explained that the woman was someone his parents had wanted for him, but he’d never been in support. He could see that Catherine had been struggling to believe him; he had tenderly cupped her face in his hands and had sworn to her that she was the only woman for him and he wouldn’t give her up for any reason. He had leaned in for a kiss, and she had surrendered to it; her heart told her that Richard was for real, and she had chosen to believe in his sincerity.
A few months later, they had gotten married after Richard proposed because he had insisted that he couldn’t wait any longer. They had both wanted a large family, and with him being 34 and she 32, there had been no time to waste. Fortunately, they had soon discovered that they were going to be parents and had made preparations for the baby.
Richard had been informed right away that Catherine had given birth, but he had been asked to wait for an additional hour before entering the ward to see his wife and newborn son. The instant that Richard’s eyes fell on Jonah, he was shocked and began to cry uncontrollably. He had been expecting a mixed child; he and Catherine had often joked about how their future home would be filled with black people, with the exception of him, who was so pale.
He looked at Catherine, a question in his eyes, but she shrugged, not knowing the answer either. He voiced his concern that something might be wrong with Jonah, but she calmed his fears. Thankfully, the doctors looked into this matter because it was such a rare incident. They informed the couple that Jonah’s case was a startling result of a one-in-a-million combination of his parents’ genes. He wasn’t albino, and he looked the way he did because it was possible Catherine had recessive white genes that showed up in him. It was 100% likely that other kids the couple would have wouldn’t look like Jonah.
Many weeks passed, and Jonah’s white skin persevered. He was so beautiful that whenever the couple stepped out with him, people admired him and asked if Katherine and Richard were his actual parents. He quickly became a celebrity in their neighborhood, and many of their friends predicted that he would become a child model. At 3 months old, this came to be because Elizabeth Smith agency, one of the top five in the country, scouted Jonah, and he became their child model. They said he had a lovely shaped face, beautiful complexion, and was very photogenic. He looked to have a bright future.
