A few months after a brutal birth, my husband became obsessed with “fixing” my body. I didn’t realize how bad it was until one family dinner blew everything up.I’m a few months postpartum, and I feel like I’m losing my mind.Pregnancy was brutal, and the sleepless nights were almost too much. But our daughter Emma is perfect.After I gave birth, instead of helping me heal, my husband Jake became obsessed with my body.It started small.”You’re not really going to eat all that, are you?”Or, “Your face is puffy. Maybe cut back on the salt?”Then Jake moved on to my stomach.
He’d grab my belly and jiggle it, laughing.I slapped his hand away once. “Don’t do that.”He shrugged. “Relax. I’m just joking.”The “jokes” kept coming.My husband would stand behind me while I got dressed.”Babe… your thighs didn’t used to touch like that.”I stared at him in the mirror. “I just had a baby, Jake.””Yeah, but you’ve also let yourself gain way more than you needed to. You should start working on it. I don’t want to be embarrassed going out with you.”I felt my stomach drop.He nodded like it was obvious. “Look at my friends’ wives. They bounced back. They actually care.”I went into the bathroom and cried so quietly the fan almost covered it.A few weeks later, not long after I gave birth, my husband came home from work with this smug expression and a grocery bag.