When my husband and I decided to have a home birth, my mother in law insisted that she had to be there

When my husband and I decided on a home birth, my mother-in-law insisted she be there to “assist” and “support” us during the experience. At the time, I thought it would be nice to have her around—an extra set of hands, some emotional support, maybe even a calming presence.
But the moment labor started, something felt off.
Instead of staying by my side, my mother-in-law kept sneaking out of the room, glancing over her shoulder like she had somewhere else to be. At first, I thought maybe she was just nervous. But then, during a brief lull between contractions, I heard a strange noise coming from the kitchen.
I frowned, trying to ignore it, but curiosity got the better of me. “Can you check on her?” I asked my husband, between deep breaths.
He nodded and left the room.
When he returned, his eyes were wide with disbelief, his face nearly as pale as mine from the pain.
“What is it?” I gasped, expecting to hear something dramatic—maybe she had fainted, maybe she was outside calling an ambulance, maybe she was in labor too (because at this point, nothing would have surprised me).
Instead, his answer was even more absurd.
“She’s… baking a cake,” he said, still in shock.
“A cake?” I repeated, gripping the bedsheets as another contraction hit.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “She brought her own ingredients, her own pans, even her own mixer. She’s in there whipping frosting like we’re hosting a dinner party.”
I was too stunned to speak.
Then, through gritted teeth, I managed to blurt out, “You mean to tell me she is literally sifting flour while I am in labor?”
As if on cue, my mother-in-law poked her head into the room, beaming.
“Well, I just thought it would be lovely to have a homemade cake ready when the baby arrives!” she chirped, completely oblivious to the sheer insanity of the situation.
I was furious—for about five seconds. Then, in between contractions, something unexpected happened.
I started laughing.
Because the situation was just too ridiculous to be real.
Hours later, after I had gone through the most intense experience of my life, my mother-in-law proudly waltzed into the room with a gorgeously decorated cake. Across the top, in perfectly piped frosting, were the words:
“Welcome to the World!”
I stared at it, exhausted, still a little irritated by her questionable priorities, but also—strangely—touched.
That day, we didn’t just welcome our baby. We accidentally created a tradition.
Because every year since then, my mother-in-law has insisted on baking that same cake for our child’s birthday.
And now? We laugh about it. A lot.
Because sometimes, the strangest, most baffling moments in life become the most treasured memories.