History Main / MaternityCrisis

[[folder:Fairy Tales]]

-->--''Literature/{{Wicked}}''

* ''ComicBook/SpiderWoman'': In ''Shifting Gears'', Jessica Drew gives birth to her son while the alien hospital she’s visiting is invaded by Skrull. Surviving the situation and the emergency c-section is somewhat justified, given she IS on a hospital and is stronger with better healing abilities than most people thanks to her Spiderwoman powers, but still.

* [[ComicBook/SpiderwomanShiftingGears Jessica Drew]] gives birth to her son while the alien hospital she’s visiting is invaded by Skrull. Surviving the situation and the emergency c-section is somewhat justified, given she IS on a hospital and is stronger with better healing abilities than most people thanks to her Spiderwoman powers, but still.

-->'''Dave:''' I don't want to ''think'' about being iced in with two pregnant women on their due date.
-->'''Jenny:''' Ug. This party dip makes my stomach hurt...every ten minutes...

* One of the plot threads in the trucker movie ''Christmas Comes to Willow Creek''.

* Played straight and averted by ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie''. In season 1, the flashback to Charlie's birth has Amy fairly casually get up and get herself to the hospital. In season 3, for the 5th baby, Amy is a week late, and wants the baby out. She tries to induce labor the day before Charlie's birthday, so the two youngest children didn't have to share a birthday. Naturally, she goes into labor the next day. Lampshaded at the beginning of the episdoe: "Wouldn't it be horrible if the baby came tomorrow?"

* ''Series/FamilyTies'': Elyse, singing a song during the fundraising telethon for her husband's PBS television station, goes into (early) labor live on the air. Her high note becomes a cry of pain. Steve, stuck watching at home because of a plumbing emergency, thinks she's never hit it better. Only when she abruptly stops singing and apologizes to the audience does he realize something is happening. Oh, and naturally there's a big snowstorm going on, making it darn near impossible to travel to the hospital.

* ''Series/FamilyTies'': Elyse, singing a song during the fundraising telethon for her husband's non-profit television station, goes into labor live on the air. Her high note becomes a cry of pain. Steve, stuck watching at home because of a plumbing emergency, thinks she's never hit it better. Only when she abruptly stops singing and apologizes to the audience does he realize something is happening.

** The title character was born this way when his mother went into labor while on the run from enemy spies in Tangiers. She had to give birth in a bar with only Woodhouse, who owned the bar in question, to help her.
** Lana Kane goes into labor in the middle of a BananaRepublic that's currently undergoing a coup. The delivery takes place in the airport which is currently acting as the rebels' base of operations. When she starts freaking out about the circumstances Malory brings up her own delivery of Archer (as mentioned above) to calm Lana down.

* Played straight and averted by ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie''. In season 1, the flashback to Charlie's birth has Amy fairly casually get up and get herself to the hospital. In season 3, for the 5th baby, Amy is a week late, and wants the baby out. She tries to induce pregnancy the day before Charlie's birthday, so the two youngest children didn't have to share a birthday. Naturally, she goes into labor the next day. Lampshaded at the beginning of the episdoe: "Wouldn't it be horrible if the baby came tomorrow?"

* In ''ComicStrip/SafeHavens'', rain starts coming down in freezing weather, leading to iced roads. So ''of course'' Ming ''and'' Jenny go into labor at the same time. Somewhat downplayed, as Ming had always planned to give birth at home anyway, but still. To be fair, Dave shouldn't have [[TemptingFate tempted fate]] like that.

Compare ImperiledInPregnancy. SuperTrope of BornInAnElevator. Frequently involves InstantBirthJustAddWater and a ScreamingBirth. SisterTrope to AwayInAManger, which is a near-term pregnant woman in a ChristmasEpisode giving birth on or near Christmas. This may overlap with BornDuringAStorm.

** B'Elanna Torres, the ship's chief engineer, goes into labor as the series finale is starting.

* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': In the Season 7 finale, [[spoiler: Amy]] goes into labor while attempting to help coordinate the police response to a citywide blackout. She (badly) attempts to hide the pain of her contractions for so long, that when she finally admits she's gone into labor, she's forced to give birth in the precinct because she doesn't have time to reach the hospital.

* In Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Discworld/NightWatch'', Lady Sybil goes into labour just as Sam Vimes returns from a trip to the past. But Sam returns naked. He has to run across the city in the nude to be with her. He also has to choose to be with her over and above hunting the villain who was returned with him. Sam decides Carcer the villain can wait.
** The trope is referenced in ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'', when [[EnsignNewbie Lieutenant Blouse]] is let in on the secret that [[FlockOfWolves everyone in the squad]] is pulling a SweetPollyOliver and one of them is expecting a baby, and he has to be hastily reassured that it's not expected to make an appearance for several months.

->'''Melena''': "I think today's the day. Look how low I've gone."\\
'''Frexspar''': "Today? That would be like you, perverse and inconvenient. The worst possible moment for my ministry. Naturally."

[[folder: Fan Fic ]]

* When [[AnimalisticAbomination wyrms]] attack the Silver Isles in ''The Summer King Chronicles'', the gryfon pride's heavily pregnant females are marched through labyrinthine underground tunnels to hide, and [[JustifiedTrope it's implied that the stress is what causes them to go into labor.]]

* On ''Series/{{Bones}}'', Brennan went into labor while investigating a homicide inside a prison.

Compare ImperiledInPregnancy. SuperTrope of BornInAnElevator. Frequently involves InstantBirthJustAddWater and a ScreamingBirth. SisterTrope to AwayInAManger, which is a near-term pregnant woman in a ChristmasEpisode giving birth on or near Christmas.

** Arnold finds in his father's diary that when Miles and one friend were taking his mother Stella to the village and suddenly get caught in a ''volcano eruption'', the poor woman went into labor. [[ScreamingBirth LOUDLY]]. Luckly they found shelter in an ancient ruins.
%%** This actually would have been a plot point in the [[WhatCouldHaveBeen unmade]] [[TheMovie Jungle movie]]: apparently the eruption stopped right after Arnold was born, so the natives that Miles and Stella were staying with believe him to be some sort of godlike figure.