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By Lucy Notarantonio
Senior Reporter
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A montage of videos showing a man’s reaction to becoming a father for the first, second, third and fourth time has gone viral on Instagram, earning over 12 million views.
The hilarious Instagram clip, shared by his wife Mary Catherine Reed (@marycatherinereed), shows Ben, 36, comfortably sitting on the sofa and smiling while reading a book titled “Dude, you’re gonna be a dad!” For the second pregnancy, he appears to be laughing as he takes a closer look at the positive sign on a pregnancy test.
His enthusiasm appears to dip when he’s presented with a carrot cake topped with three carrots to mark the third pregnancy—though he still manages a smile. By the fourth announcement, however, his reaction is far less cheerful as he’s handed a pizza with black olives spelling out ‘baby #4.”
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Mom of four girls aged six, five, two and five months Mary, 38, told Newsweek: “His initial thought was “Why did she get a pizza with black olives?” After he figured out what it said, he was in complete shock and was thinking, “There’s no way. How did this happen? Are you serious?”
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“He asked me if this was April Fool’s Day. It just didn’t seem real. We never pictured ourselves with four kids. It took us several days to process it even going into a month or two until it finally hit us that it, in fact, was real.”
According to Statista, the average American family in 2023 consisted of 3.15 persons. Mary, who is based in New Orleans, Louisiana, explained that only their first birth was planned, and that they had been careful more recently.
She said: “He was super excited with our first and surprised about baby number two and three.
“Baby number four was a complete shock to us both.
“We honestly still don’t even know how I got pregnant,” she said. “Obviously, we know how it works, but we were taking precautions. Anyway, that girl was supposed to be here, and she’s an angel.”
Ben’s reaction may have reflected the reality of being the only male in a house full of girls—along with the financial pressure that comes with raising four children. A LendingTree analysis estimated that the basic cost of raising a child in the U.S. averages $21,681 per year, covering essentials like housing, food, childcare, transportation, clothing and health insurance, but not college.
In its latest update, that annual figure jumped 35.7 percent to $29,419, putting the estimated cost at about $297,674 per child over 18 years. At that rate, parents raising four children could spend roughly $1.19 million before any college bills enter the picture.
Mary told Newsweek that the couple were married for five years before trying to conceive, as they were focused on their careers.
“We don’t live by any relatives, so help is hard to come by,” she said, adding that they had always spoken about having three children.
“I waited for two days to tell him about our fourth as I had just opened my first salon location the month before.
“Our girls were five, three, and one. Life was crazy.”
The viral clip has resonated deeply with many viewers, racking up over 66,000 likes.
“I emailed my husband with no.4 because the words just wouldn’t come out,” said one user.
“He acting Like he don’t know how YOU got pregnant,” said another.
A third pointed out: “He looked so well rested in that first shot.”
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