A woman who has now been shamed by her husband for not being ‘petite’ enough after giving birth to their child. She has now written on Reddit about the incident to find out whether or not she was justified in how she handled the situation.
*This is a work of non-fiction sourced from social media discussion boards and verified experts/specialists.*
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The author, a married woman, begins that she’s always been a small person at 5’3. With that said, she recently moved to a cold climate with her husband.
Energy costs have been higher than expected, leading to a bit of financial concern for them, as she explains:
“I've found myself eating a lot more due to a) staying indoors more and b) I'll be less cold if I'm fatter so in order to address the latter concern AND save on our energy bills I've put on maybe 4kg.”
Post-partum weight gain is a fairly common occurrence and can happen for a variety of reasons, as explained by Baby Center. Reasons can include less time to commit to fitness or healthy eating, underlining health conditions that cause hormonal imbalance, or diabetes.
The author also explains that they have a 3-year-old together, and her husband was very happy that she came out of the pregnancy ‘without stretch marks’. Since then, the couple has had some tension:
“Since the weight gain he's started making comments, the first two were jokes like I said something about the size of his chips (small) and he said "well you know I like them petite."
The author didn’t appreciate these comments, and retorted that if he expects her to be ‘petite’, then he should also be exercising to achieve a movie star-type figure. Her pregnancy was a tough one, so she’s just pleased to be happy and healthy again.
Her husband, however, doesn’t seem to have much sympathy, as she explains:
“I'm so confused and upset and stressed about this whole situation. Maybe until he actually looks like the beefcake in that movie I'll start acting on it. Hating life right now, I honestly feel like I'm scared to eat in front of him.”
Body shaming of any form on a new mother after giving birth can have a serious effect on her mental and emotional health. Postpartum women are at a higher risk for body-related issues, often triggered by all of the changes the body must go through to grow a baby over a 9-month period.
What do you think?
Is the husband justified to encourage his wife to pursue better fitness practices, as she’s gained weight since having the baby?
Or is it reasonable for the author to be upset with her partner, as weight gain is fairly common after giving birth, and he should appreciate her body rather than shaming her for it?
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