Well, we wanted drama

M's parents (Max and Val) have been very generous to us recently, both with time and in other ways, so we wanted to take them out and say thank you. When I managed to grab hen's-teeth tix to see Geoffrey Rush in a Neil Armfield production at the Belvoir it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

All began well. We fled the chilly evening air and found a nice restaurant for rather too much Lebanese food and some great wine provided by M's dad. We strolled up to the theatre and took our seats, and the play began in promising fashion.

About 15 minutes in, M turned to me and said "I feel a bit faint". Within seconds she started having what, to me, looked like some kind of fit. Her eyes glazed over and her feet started kicking the seat in front. I was trying to stay cool, but it was pretty horrifying. It lasted a few seconds and when she came round she looked a bit bemused but otherwise she was fine and wanted to carry on watching the play. I wasn't sure, but she seemed okay so we stayed.

Then it happened again, about 10 minutes later. This time a Belvoir staff member saw us and offered to call an ambulance. M wasn't sure, but the rest of us said yes without hesitation and we tried to leave the auditorium discreetly.

The ambulance arrived quickly and the 2 ambos gave M a few quick checks for blood pressure, sugar levels etc. They explained that it was probably just a faint, and that when you are sitting down then fainting often brings on that kind of spasm. As for the cause, it could have been any combination of the rich dinner, the temperature change going from the cold evening to the warm theatre, the pregnancy, the wine, and any other factor you might like to pick.

They vaguely offered to take us to the hospital for more tests, but when we heard that it would require a minimum of four hours we opted for the "go home" option. Max and Val picked up B from the babysitters and took her for the night, while M & I were tucked up in bed by the time the play was just finishing.

M recovered very quickly and her main response was that she really wanted to see that play, so she was frustrated. The rest of us didn't really give a stuff about the theatricals, we were just relieved that everyone was safe.

So what did we learn?

1) Belvoir theatre and ambulance service staff are all great
2) No more rich food for M before number 2 arrives
3) Ambos are looking very young these days
4) Geoffrey Rush is very good when it comes to first acts