A Vancouver woman didn’t let an emergency C-section keep her from Saturday’s Taylor Swift concert.
Erin Button went to Lions Gate hospital when she noticed her baby wasn’t kicking as often as usual, 24 hours before Swift was set to take the stage.
“We went to the hospital and things were pretty normal to begin with and then all of a sudden… an emergency C-section,” Button said.
Her baby boy arrived six weeks early, just one day before the big show.
“Knowing that he was healthy coming out, that was a big thing. But I was like, ‘No, I’m not ready! I have Taylor Swift tomorrow!’”
She and her friends had bought tickets more than a year ago, before she was pregnant.
After the birth, staff at Lions Gate didn’t want the superfan to miss out on the unforgettable night, she said.
“I didn’t want to leave him,” Button said. “But the doctors and nurses at Lions Gate are so incredible. I just felt comfortable to leave, especially in the NICU, that he was covered.”
She credits the entire staff for encouraging her to go and making sure she felt comfortable leaving behind her newborn, Wesley.
She was discharged for three hours and her husband drove her to BC Place.
“The doctors located, and I rented, a wheelchair and got her out of the hospital,” said her partner Matt Green.
The emotions set in as she drove towards the stadium, greeted by a group of very excited and glittery girlfriends outside the stadium.
They managed to change her regular seat to an accessible location, each of her friends taking a turn sitting with her throughout the concert.
As the long-time fan enters her “new mom era,” she wonders if her son was a little impatient with her.
“Maybe Wesley was a bit tired of hearing Taylor Swift being played all year, so he was like, I’m out of here,” she said.
It’s a weekend the couple says they can’t wait to someday tell their son about.
“I was pretty emotional and just so grateful that everything worked out,” Button said.