Bill Gates left for work while Melinda waited to give birth: 'Spent most of the day cheerfully alone'

Bill and Melinda French Gates's separation after 27 years of togetherness came as a surprise to many. Four years after the power couple called it quits, Melinda shares previously unknown details of her married life, poignant moments from the painful process of separation, and other major transitions in life in her new book - The Next Day.

Welcoming her first baby was a big transition for Melinda and also a moment of 'freedom' because for the first time, she didn't have to live up to the expectations of the society of looking a certain way.

When Melinda and her doctor called a truce on pregnancy weight

When French Gates put on 79 lbs. during her first pregnancy that left her doctor worried as he thought it would be difficult for her to shed the post-pregnancy weight. But the two eventually came to a truce.

“Every time I would go in, they always, they put you on the scale, right? And he really was concerned,” she recalled on The Jamie Kern Lima podcast. “And I finally said to him, ‘Okay, are you concerned because this is a problem for my health or my baby's health?’ And he said, ‘No.’"

“And I said, ‘So what's the problem?’ “ she continued. “And he said, ‘I’m afraid you're gonna be mad at me because when this is over, it'll take you a while to get the pregnancy weight off.’"

French Gates made him a deal saying “you never bring up my weight unless it's a health problem for me or the baby, and I promise to not be mad at you when this is over.”

When Melinda sent Bill home on day of her delivery

Melinda also shared how she ended up spending most of her delivery day after her water broke.

On April 26, 1999, Melinda and Bill reached the hospital after her water broke. Doctors after learning she was nowhere near ready to give birth, thought to send the couple home.

Melinda then decided to send Bill home, and keep a good book for her company.

“Ultimately, we settled on a compromise. I stayed at the hospital. Bill went to the office," she wrote. “Before you roll your eyes, keep in mind that there really wasn’t anything for him to do yet. Plus I had a good book with me.”

“In the end, I spent most of that magical day cheerfully alone,” she added.

Bill, of course, arrived in the hospital after her active labour begin. Another hilarious moment was in store when Melinda asked her husband “to take his sweater off, though, because it smelled like the hamburger he’d eaten on the way, and I was far too nauseated to deal with that.”

Before Jenn's arrival, a complication with her positioning arose. In an effort to avoid a cesarean section, Melinda agreed to what she describes as a painful attempt to deliver the baby using a vacuum — an effort that ended with the doctor shrieking, “Turn it off!”

Finally, at 6:11 pm, her daughter was born, and Melinda said she was “absolutely smitten.”

Her new book is full of many such captivating tales and powerful stories from the defining moments in her life. Melinda has also for the first time opened up in detail about the moments leading up to her separation. Even though it was painful, but Melinda says that it was necessary. Their divorce was a lengthy process, but once things were finalised, everything fell in place.




Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now