There are a lot of changes that your body goes through when you're pregnant. It's easy to feel isolated and alone as your body takes a shape you're unfamiliar with and feels almost alien to you. One woman approached her boyfriend to make that change a little less lonely for herself, and it's led to quite the controversy online.
The soon-to-be father of her child took to Reddit to ask for advice after his girlfriend, who found out she was pregnant just a week ago, asked that he try to gain weight with her throughout her pregnancy. The couple are fitness fanatics who spend lots of time at the gym. He imagined his girlfriend would continue to exercise reasonably and maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout her pregnancy. The question was jarring and not something that the father-to-be was expecting or interested in participating in, so he sought advice from those who had been through it before.
This post from Reddit user GlutenFreejk detailed his girlfriend's recent discovery that she was pregnant — and her desire for him to gain weight with her as the pregnancy progresses.
Partners everywhere read this and imagined themselves growing their own "bumps" along aside their significant others.
The father-to-be described himself and his girlfriend as "gym rats." Obviously, the couple care about keeping their bodies at 100%.
Most replied by telling him that he should, under no circumstances, agree to go along with this.
Many pointed out that it's likely he'll put on some "sympathy" weight regardless of whether he wants to do this for his girlfriend or not.
They also pointed out that since she's already a physically fit person, her body should have no trouble adapting to the pregnancy in a healthy manner that wouldn't result in her getting "fat."
The father-to-be said that he was happy with his own body as it was, and he had no desire to comply with his girlfriend's request.
They encouraged him to offer to help his girlfriend stay in shape under whatever terms that she's comfortable with.
There were also some creative workarounds, courtesy of the gym crowd.
Many pointed out that the girlfriend was unreasonable to ask for such an accommodation and that this was, in a way, sexist.
Ultimately, most felt that the best course of action to take would be for her to remain active during her pregnancy should her doctor OK it.
Many pregnant women actually find working out to be soothing, as well as a way of maintaining control during a chaotic process.
Other women also pointed out that her question could have been more lighthearted than serious, and a way of expressing her own nervousness about the changes her body will undergo.
A few women even commended the guy for considering it, knowing their own husbands wouldn't!
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