The 2008 Olympics in Beijing
by MIA FREEDMAN
I’m feeling very nostalgic when I watch the Olympics. Last time around, in 2008, I was lying in a hospital bed during the opening ceremony. As my husband calmly munched banana bread and gazed at the screen above my bed, I made strained small talk with the large man trying to insert an epidural needle into my spine.
“IS IT IN YET?” I gasped between contractions?
“Yep!” he declared.
And within moments, life was good again.
The next few hours passed peacefully with the midwife, myself and my husband all watching the athletes march around the stadium.
As I pushed my third child out into the world, the TV (muted by this time so I could concentrate on my obstetrician and midwife’s instructions) remained on in the background.
In the two weeks that followed, as my baby and I got to know each other, the Olympics were ever present. I based myself in bed for much of the time, cosy and warm, away from the world and as we dozed and he fed, I watched a lot of sport.
So I can’t stop thinking of that time now as I immerse myself again in sports I haven’t even thought about in 4 years like beach volleyball, gymnastics, diving and swimming.
It’s like a snapshot into your life thinking about where you were during the Olympics. Some of them (Sydney) shine brightly in my mind while others (Athens? Atlanta?) are a little foggy.
But the Beijing Oylmpics were hugely significant and I will forever associate Usain Bolt with breastfeeding.
Where were you in your life during last Olympics? Do the Olympics remind you of a particular moment in time?
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Comments
109 Comments so far
“The authorities must investigate this incident, and deal with, we are talking about some of the beasts, this is them, we need to get rid of this problem.”
http://www.footballjersey2012.com/ http://www.footballjersey2012.com/
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I worked in elite sport until 2006. By the 2008 Olympics I still wasn’t ready to embrace anything to do with sport so I didn’t watch a single minute of the Olympics. This was very easy to do as I had a 1 year old at the time. This year I’ve watched a very small amount – only because I never seem to have time and my husband isn’t interested. Maybe I’ll go watch some now!
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I am remembering the Sydney olympics, not the events but the torch relay and going with my parents to the site of the old Melbourne Olympic village to see the torch arrive one chilly Sunday morning. the commandant of the 56 village carried the flame and it was so beautiful and moving -connecting the 2 olympics in this simple way.
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Sorry -I should add that these were my happiest olympics as I’d just got a great promotion, had a round world trip coming up and things looked bright. These current Olympics may go down as the ones I threw in my job in frustration while packing up and selling my house I hate (evil neighbours).
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My mother was dying in hospital. I spent the night in a chair next to her bed and watched the opening ceremony. She passed away on the 12th and I really can’t remember much about that Olympics.
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I’ve been thinking about this, but I can’t really picture what I was doing during the last Olympics. We were busy planning our wedding and buying our house.
I’ll always remember the first week of these Olympics though – I’ve been up nearly every night with Mr 8 Months, and we watched the entire live telecast on Sunday night/ Monday morning in ED as he was sick. Thank god for the Olympics!
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I was getting married. We decided to make it easy to remember our anniversary so we decided on 08-08-08. We married during the day, late afternoon reception followed by drinks at a pub whilst watching the opening ceremony. Our honeymoon was in the US and they didn’t pay much attention to us Aussies in the coverage so we had to wait until we got hone to see how our favorites had medalled.
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Last Olympics, I worked as a reporter for the Olympic News Service & I was based at ‘The Cube’ to cover the swimming, the diving & the synchronised swimming. To say it was rad would be an absolute understatement!
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Haha that is me right now Mia. 2 week old baby girl and loving the timing of the Olympics as there is always something to watch while the boobs are out.
Babies are the best
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I actually mentioned this last week in B&W… But 4 years ago I was working in a primary school with 20+ sportsmad year ones, answered my mobile phone rattling around in my drawer (I remember thinking very clearly nobody EVER rings me in school time!) to find out from my husband’s workmate that B had fallen from a 4m roof onto concrete – and his head. Cue a panicked exit from school, an unremembered trip to the hospital (I apologise for any broken road rules) and time spent waiting in the hospital ED, where they were prepared to send him home… Without a head CT scan… He started throwing up around 2pm, a new doctor came on board at 9pm and demanded to see the head CT – they found bleeding in his brain…and we then made an emergency transfer to ICU at RPH. I remember very little of the Games themselves, but I’ll always associate Bejing’s Olympics with the helplessness I felt during that horrible time.
Welcome to the world princess!!!
B’s nearly totally back to normal now – just no sense of smell and a major increase in tolerance for spicy foods, bless! They’re known as his ‘superpowers’!
This Olympics, though, I’m sitting in a hospital bed with my beautiful hubby along side me and our new and first beautiful daughter (born on Monday)!
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Ok im officially going to have my children when the Olympics are on. Preferably on the opening ceremony night so I can utilise the whole 2 weeks of competition. Such a good time to have something half decent to watch 24/7!
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I was due with my first baby smack bang in the middle of the Beijing Olympics, so I was pretty sure that at some point during the games, I’d give birth. I remember thinking how cool it would be to have a baby born on 8.8.08, the opening ceremony day, but that day passed without so much as a twinge. For that next week, already on maternity leave and almost at my due date, I sat around and watched the Olympics – wall to wall coverage. On the 10th, four days shy of my due date, I went out for curry for dinner with my husband but had no such luck getting the show on the road. Baby was staying put. On Friday the 15th, a day past my due date, I finally went in to labour – it was happening and we were about to meet our baby. I went in to hospital, was examined, but was told because it was our first baby and it was still early days, to go home. I was disappointed, but just did what I was told, a decision I would later come to deeply regret.
I then spent the next two days at home waiting for labour to get going. Contractions were regular and painful but never really got close enough together or strong enough to make me think I wouldn’t just get sent home again if we went back in. We kept the curtains closed, stopped answering the phone and just waited for baby to get a move on. We took photos and video footage of my huge belly and laughed as we tried to enjoy the last moments of our time together as a couple. We also watched the Olympics as we waited. Four days past my due date, Monday 18 August, I awoke and got ready for my last pre natal appointment. I’d been having painful contractions all weekend but each time I rang the hospital, they suggested I stay home to ride it out. Just before we left for the appointment, I mentioned to my husband I hadn’t felt the baby move for a little while. He’s a nurse and has a stethoscope at home which we’d used throughout the pregnancy to listen to our baby’s heartbeat and we put it to my stomach – silence. He wasn’t worried. But I think I knew. The whole way to the hospital in the car, I held my stomach. And I felt sick, but I didn’t let on to my husband. We got to the waiting room and I sat and poked and prodded our baby. Nothing.
We got in to the appointment and the nurse put the doppler to my belly. Silence. Another doppler, still silence. Another midwife, another doppler and our reality was setting in – our baby was dead. Two ultrasounds later and our world had totally smashed down around us. There was no heartbeat, our baby had died.
I went home, carrying my dead baby inside of me and went back to the hospital first thing the next morning to start an induction. The Olympics were on the TV all day. I vaguely remember pushing and looking up and seeing gymnastics on the screen.
Hope was born at 4.35pm on Tuesday 19 August weighing 8 pounds and looking absolutely perfect in every way – just dead.
We spent the night in hospital with our precious baby and poured a life time of love in to her in those brief moments, then went home at 1pm the next day and…. watched the Olympics. Because what the hell else was there to do? Aussies were winning gold and having the time of their lives and our lives had turned in to a living hell. My arms ached, I sobbed and made plans for a funeral and I watched the god damn Olympics.
So yes, I am too using this a time of reflection and looking back and wondering how on earth I got here. I have two living children to my name now. Angus born 15 months later in November 2009 and Juliet born last year, the day before Hope’s birthday, on the three year anniversary of the date Hope passed away inside of me.
The Olympics have been hard for me to get in to this time around, even as a self confessed sports nut, as I will always associate them with a time of great grief and sadness, but I am thankful this time around at the very least, my arms are no longer empty and that my life has a purpose.
Thanks for giving me this opportunity to look back. Amazing how incredibly different our experiences with birth in August 2008 were.
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What a sad and beautiful story at the same time. Thanks for sharing. x
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I remember when Australia won the America Cup in sailing as I was having my first babies (twins). I have 4 kids and have kept the newspapers from the day their birth announcements were in and they are fascinating. The twins one front cover has a very exuberant Alan Bond.
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My big little man was born during the Tour De France four years ago. I clearly remember my mum staying with us and she and hubby watching it into the wee hours while baby and I went off to bed at 8pm. Missed the Olympics in a baby feeding haze. Little man two was born on the October long weekend 2011. Hubby and I watched the NRL grand final (possibly the only NRL match I’ve watched) on the big screen in the delivery suite.
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My boy was born during the 1990 winter Olympics, but I don’t remember watching it. I’d just gone on mat leave during the Sydney Olympics, so watched it lots, particularly Roy and HGs show.
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August ’08 – breastfeeding my 3 month old twins. Winter olympics Feb ’10 – giving birth to # 3. These ones? Waiting patiently for #4 to arrive – 38 weeks at the moment, so could be at any time.
Might have to take it easy around 9 months before the next winter olympics!
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Total Olympics nut here:
) and they have totally taken on the “we got a medal … that means he/she is one of the best in the world” attitude … regardless of colour and if the Australians dont get a medal I’m trying to instil the “but they tried their hardest” attitude.
1992 spent hours in my boarding house waiting for the equestrian finals
1996 ditto but with loads of other sports too
2000 volunteers at the Sydney Olympics. Got to see the final dress rehersal of the opening ceremony, be at the shooting as a volunteer media person, be at the athletics when Jane Saville got disqualified (devastated!!) and totally got into it all. Including the paralympics at which I got to be a media person and totally became obsessed with how totally phenomenal those athletes are, particularly the wheel chair rugby blokes!
2004& 2008: kept my devoted armchair critic role of yelling at the tv for athletes to kick more, row faster, click their tongue to make their horse jump higher, pseudo move sideways to make sure the truiple salco (or whatever those gymnastic moves are called) stuck to the beam/bar/floor, and counted every red light with the weightlifting.
2012: Totally making my children into mini-me’s and already at the ages of 6, 4, and 2 (the 6 month old takes vague interest in the tv) chant, yell, scream and urge on every Australian athlete in any sport. They spot the flag (we’ve had some issues deferentiating between Australia and NZ during the rowing where they were cheering for the wrong lane
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wow what a funny co-incidence, as I was giving birth too during the Beijing Olympics! Just the other day I reflected on that too, how I the Beijing Olympics were actually the first ones that I was able to really watch fairly intensively. For me it was our first daughter. I was able to watch a lot of the Olympics as it was the week before my due date. then during the second week, my pre labour started. I remember very well in between contractions watching gymnastics, swimming and everything else, though a bit foggy still due to the influence of pain killers and pain itself.
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August 2008 was my graduation ceremony from Uni and just a month before that I’d started my dream job. I was sure I’d be there forever, climbing the corporate ladder. Four years on, I’ve resigned, moved overseas for two years, returned home and found dream job #2. If the next four years are half as eventful, I’ll be happy.
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I had this EXACT conversation with my husband this morning. I said “Do you realise last Olympics we had no kids, now we have 3!”. (Although I was pregnant with our first). We sort of did a double take and then gave each other a high 5!
Miss 3, Master 1 and Master 4 months – our own personal set of gold, silver and bronze. Love it!
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August 2008 was the last of carefree, childless alcohol drinking times. My husband and I were quite drunk watching the Beijing opening ceremony, we were still processing the miscarriage I had and I was seriously considering not trying ever again-loving the carefree times.
2 months later I was pregnant with my first of 2 boys. Loved everyday of my sahm life since!!
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Beijing 2008 I was in year 8 happily taking a sick week off school and recovering from my cold in front of the tv in pure bliss. Four years later – in year 12 and mid-exam block. This. is. horrible.
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I had to count the years backwards on this one to work out where I was.
First year of uni, having just graduated from high school the year before. I hardly watched the Olympics that year, and only heard anything about the Beijing Olympics via the Hamish and Andy podcast. Time really does fly.
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My oldest son was born just before the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 and they have the same connection for me. In the middle of the night when you feel like you are the only person IN THE ENTIRE WORLD not sleeping and up with a baby, it was wonderful to have the Olympics on the TV. At that time of the night even the most obscure sports are fascinating!!!
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2008 – breast feeding no3. But to be honest life was a haze and can’t clearly remember whether I had the energy to turn the tv on for those middle of the night feeds. But i clearly remember Mr 4 year olds mini Olympics at preschool. Long jump into the sandpit – so much joy & fun for them. Miss 4 is now enjoying her mini Olympics at same preschool.
But what clearly comes back to me is birth of child no 2 and hubby & obst & nurses all watching Steve Irwin’s funeral. It’s an odd feeling being in a labour ward when events of national significance are on.
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I too had just given birth, I can’t believe my little girl is 4 years old! Time flies!
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I was falling madly in love with my now-fiance.
I remember we spoke on the phone (one of our first long chats – you know, those ones where you talk for hours and still don’t run out of things to say) during the entire opening ceremony, and I remember staying up with him watching….basketball or volleyball?…and talking til 4am.
It’s lovely to look back on.
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Things like the Olympics do give you that interesting perspective. I vividly remember watching the cycling the first day of the Beijing Games, and thinking that there was some beautiful scenery around the city. I love Olympics and got really into it. However my job, which i’ve been at for 3 years, feels like an eternity!! I also realised last time i watched the entire opening ceremony, which i couldn’t bring myself to do this time. Perhaps with the advent of full time work for me, and regular falling asleep in front of the tele, that’s the end of that little tradition!
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LOL, Mia we are in tune – I just wrote about this on my blog… breastfeeding my newborn first child during the last Olympics and this one bringing back so many memories!! I’m no huge olympics fan but it now holds a lot of nostalgia!
http://livinglovinglaughingtogether.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/olympics-replay.html
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Snap!!!!
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Beijing and Athens are unremarkable in my memory but Sydney, for lots of reasons was unforgettable. We were living in Sydney and I was pregnant with our first baby. We’d moved out of our house in Coogee because we were renovating and we rented a one bedroom flat behind the fish’n'chip shop in Bronte. And when I say, ‘behind’, I mean, ‘shared a wall.’ I was permanently nauseated (potato scallops oddly settled things) and husb was permanently eating sympathetically so we both got bigger by the week.
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Wow, it seems it was 4 years ago was a time for having Baby #3.
I was scheduled to be induced on 08/08/08 but thank goodness bub decided to arrive 3 days early (I was 40weeks +5days).
I was at home for the opening ceremony and spent much of the next few weeks watching the games while breastfeeding.
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This Olympics it’s my turn to be sitting up breast feeding while watching the games. Gosh it’s good to have something to watch in the middle of the night!
Last Olympics was obviously not that significant for me as I don’t really remember watching a great deal of it, although a lot has happened for me in 4 years, I’ve had 2 babies and been married since Beijing!!
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12 years ago EXACTLY to the day, I ran with the Olympic torch for the Sydney Olympics!! It was a very proud day
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I’ve successfully managed to ignore all of them since Sydney. This time around might be a touch more memorable as my 5 year old is getting into the spirit.She knows far more about it than I do.
To my way of thinking parenting demands all the athleticism and dedication of any world class sport. I’m working on a pitch for a Parenting Olympics. Please help me add to the list of events.
http://mum-abulous.com/2012/07/27/go-for-gold-at-the-parenting-olympics/
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We got married 08/08/08 – actually had some people comment that they couldn’t believe we were so inconsiderate as to have our reception then so they couldn’t watch the opening ceremony!! Aargh – somehow managed to control myself and not tell them I would rather they stated home to watch tele!
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I am an avid Olympics fans, but 4 years ago I did a one person personal ban of the China Olympics on political grounds, so let’s just say I was bursting for the London Olympics. The ban was hard, the China Olympics were everywhere, so 4 years ago I spent 2 weeks avoiding the TV, news programs and conversation with the rest of the world, not an easy task!
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I wish I’d timed my babies better, all those wasted nights sitting in front of infomercials while I breastfed, would have been great to be watching the Olympics instead!
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I can’t speak for the last few Olympics, but I had almost the opposite experience to you during the Sydney Olympics. The last time I watched it was while I was in a hospital waiting room waiting to be seen as I was miscarrying. I remember watching some event on the waiting room tv and having a very crappy reality check. It only occurred to me the other day that I haven’t watched the Games since, and have no desire to.
It doesn’t matter in the long run.
Interestingly it hasn’t been a conscious choice not to watch it again, but it’s obviously had an impact. And I’m ok with that
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So sorry for your loss, Simone.
Ronnie xo
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My waters broke prematurely during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. I spent 8 days in hospital glued to my only distraction, all the while laying on my back with crossed legs hoping to hold on to my little one for a bit longer. My son was born 10 weeks early. I think every time the Olympics roll around I will feel lucky that he is here, happy and healthy.
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Snap! I too have a Beijing baby. My 3rd was born on the middle Saturday, so for the first week I was heavily pregnant, sitting in front of the TV, and for the second week I was sitting in front of the TV with my newborn!
My 1st baby was born during the rugby finals in May, and my 2nd baby was born on the first day of the first ashes test in November, so I have sporting memories for all of them. Like you, Mia, I am very nostalgic this Olympics thinking about 4 years ago…
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I was almost in the same position! Heavily pregnant with my first during the 2004 games. I had a condition called HG which is hard core morning sickness 24/7. I was up all night vomitting into a bucket and watched the games all day and all night. It was a good distraction. I remember thinking “the next games, I will have a four year old” and now I have a beautiful almost eight year old. I always feel very nostalgic watching the games too.
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I was counting down the days till bub number 4 was due to arrive smack bang in the middle of then Olympics. But we all know the best laid plans…. he decided it would be more fun to make me wait an extra 10 days and not come into the world until the Olympics had well and truly finished
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beijing is hazy…. but it was my last year at my previous school, a sad time because it was a forced closure, many friends left before it officially closed but I do remember doing a kick arse china/olympics unit for the kids.
In 4 years time at rio I will remember back to London as the time I miscarried my 3rd baby (and final, hubby has had the snip)
geee olympics are a of a bit sad sack time for me!!!!
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This time 4 years ago, I was working up the courage to leave my long term, abusive and controlling partner and father of my oldest son who was not quite 2 at the time. Now I’m married (to someone else who is my “Mr Right”) and we have a son who isn’t quite 2. Can hardly even remember much of the last Olympics, I think I blocked it out to be honest.
I’m glad I read this post, it’s made me reflect on how far I’ve come and how I managed to turn my whole life around in the space of 4 years.
Never say never.
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Metoo. I was in a awful relationship where I was trapped and belittled going no where. Now I’m with a wonderful man who is perfect for me lovely and kind and getting married next week!!!!!
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Congratulations!!
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Started going out with my boyfriend on the night of the opening ceremony 08/08/08. This Wednesday we celebrate our four year anniversary
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No idea (and feeling fine about that)
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2000, I was hooked, my Dad (bless) had promised to buy us a new TV for the games and I watched them with Mum (and I think my brother and Dad)
largely.
2004, I was a first year student, living at college, so I was probably drunk for most of it!
In 2008, Mr W and I had just started going out, and I had started my first job as a paralegal in a law firm, so I ignored the Games, largely, except for maybe a few armchair expert moments watching the swimming.
SHIT, I CANNOT believe I’ve been working in law firms for 4 years….How depressing! I daresay by the next Olympics, I will NOT be in one anymore. PLEASE don’t let me be in one anymore!!
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I didn’t watch much of the 2008 Olympics, as
I was being a hermit studying for my HSC. Although I remember coming home from some exams and watching the sport to chill out.
Fast forward 4 years to these Olympics and I have just finished my undergrad degree!
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I too was in the height of having my second child. He came out at 11.30pm – just in time to give him the lucky birth date of 08/08/08. The opening ceremony was on the TV as well – but I don’t remember anything about the last olympics at all!
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That is a mighty lucky birthday!
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coming home from HSC trials to watch the 2008 Olympics. feels like a million years ago! I do love the games though, coverage is terrrible though, I’ve been listening on the radio…old school ha
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I found out I was pregnant with what would be my first child during the last Olympics. It wasn’t really happy news, as I had suffered two miscarriages in April and June, and was planning on having a bit of a break before we “tried” again. However, it worked out, and my son was born a wee bit early in April 2009. His sister was born in April 2011. And now, London 2012, I have just started telling friends that I am 15 weeks pregnant with number three.
I was probably getting a lot more sleep in 2008.
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