To most of us, delivering a baby safely into this world is a blessing.
But for some, the gender of the kid may be more important.
A man in Guangdong, China was caught on video kneeling in front of and kissing his wife who had just given birth to their fourth child, a son.
His missus who was seated in a wheelchair holding a bouquet of flowers, can be seen wiping her tears away as the scene happened before her.
Previously, the couple had three girls.
In an online post, he wrote how he is grateful for everything his wife has done.
“This is the fourth time you have risked your life for me. Thank you for making my life more complete,” he wrote.
“Three daughters and a son form the Chinese word ‘good’. Wife, you have worked hard,” he added.
According to media reports, she was given a push present of NT$43,000 (S$1,822) for her troubles.
But it seems many who heard of the story were not impressed with many netizens voicing their disapproval.
Some even went on about how women should not endure the pain of childbirth to satisfy a man’s desire for a son.
“People obsessed like this aren’t kneeling to their wives. They are kneeling to their newborn son,” wrote a netizen.
In a bid to defend his actions, the man said, “My wife has been with me for 13 years, fighting for our family four times. Kneeling to her is quite normal.”
His wife naturally took his side and added, “Public opinion does not concern me. My husband’s kneeling isn’t a performance for others. He understands my sacrifice.”
Netizens have also managed to unearth a video from last year when it was revealed that the pregnancy was unexpected.
Apparently, the announcement came just 10 months after the birth of their third daughter.
At that time, the man unveiled his fears about having another girl, saying society has embarrassed him for not having a son.
“Two years ago, when I gave birth to our third daughter in this hospital, my husband rewarded me with 2,000 yuan (S$370), offering 200 yuan (S$37) for every step,” said the woman.
“This time with our fourth child, a son, my husband passed me the entire sum directly. Seeing so much money made the contractions suddenly less painful,” she added.
No wonder some people say money is the best form of pain relief.