AITA for telling my wife that we’re BOTH pregnant?
Picture this: a house buzzing with the chaos of three kids, a meatloaf sizzling in the oven for the third time this week, and a plumber husband slumped on the couch, controller in hand, while his pregnant wife wrestles with swollen feet and a twin tornado. It’s a scene that could be straight out of a sitcom—except the tension here is real, raw, and simmering hotter than that overworked oven. This couple, financially secure and expecting their fourth child, finds themselves at a crossroads where patience is fraying and meatloaf has become a battlefield.
The husband’s exhaustion is palpable—he’s slogging through long hours fixing pipes, only to come home to a chorus of demands. But his wife, battling morning sickness and the Herculean task of growing a human, feels unseen, her efforts swallowed by the daily grind. Readers can’t help but wonder: who’s really carrying the heavier load here?
‘ AITA for telling my wife that we’re BOTH pregnant?’
Pregnancy can turn even the strongest partnerships into a pressure cooker of emotions. This husband’s tale of video game breaks and meatloaf gripes might seem trivial, but it’s a classic case of mismatched expectations. He’s clocking long hours as a plumber, sure, but his wife’s juggling engineering, cooking, and wrangling kids—all while her body’s in overdrive. The scales aren’t as balanced as he thinks.
Dr. John Gottman, a renowned relationship expert, once said, “The key to a happy marriage is turning toward each other, not away.” Studies show pregnancy amplifies stress—about 1 in 6 women experience significant fatigue and discomfort (per the American Pregnancy Association). Here, the husband’s “we’re both pregnant” quip lands like a lead balloon because it dismisses her physical reality. He’s not wrong to crave downtime, but timing it while she’s drowning in duties? That’s where the disconnect festers.
This isn’t just about chores—it’s about empathy, or the lack of it. Broadly, society still wrestles with how couples divvy up labor when a baby’s on the way. The husband could ease the strain by stepping up—maybe cooking once a week or tag-teaming the twins. Dr. Gottman’s advice? Small, consistent acts of support build trust. He might start by ditching the controller for a foot rub and a genuine “How can I help?”
Take a look at the comments from fellow users:
The Reddit peanut gallery didn’t hold back—here’s a taste of their spicy takes: “Here are some hot takes from the Reddit community – candid and humorous.”