“I don’t know how you do this every day for ten months,” says one dad.
Christine Higgs had her husband try out pregnancy for a day by using plastic wrap to attach a watermelon to his abdomen. He quickly learned that even the simplest everyday activities could become an entire production to carry out!
Other moms who’ve convinced their partners to try the challenge have had similar results, with men finding themselves very frustrated by just how much changes with a baby bump! As a bonus, some women have their husbands add a few extra melons to try out the experience of bigger, heavier breasts that also come with pregnancy.
The Watermelon Challenge
Products that mimic a pregnant body are readily available for purchase, ranging from around $20 to hundreds of dollars, but for a quick test, it’s not necessary to go that far.
Instead, moms on social media are grabbing a watermelon and some plastic wrap, and asking their partners to try out just a small sample of what pregnancy feels like.
Now, anyone observing might notice that pregnant people have a little extra weight to carry around, and could reasonably conclude that it can hamper movement and be a chore — but there’s a wide gulf between acknowledging that casually, and feeling it for yourself!
Check out Higgs’ video below, in which her husband learns that it’s not only picking things up and carrying the weight around, but also petting an animal, putting on shoes, opening the fridge, and even lying down that can present a challenge!
Pregnancy Can Have An Emotional Toll
Hormones, exhaustion, and anxiety can all add up to an emotional experience during pregnancy.
However, one dad demonstrated how the physical aspect of carrying around the extra weight can be frustrating on its own. He got a bit emotional, eventually asking his (pregnant) wife to stop filming as the two of them carried out the same activities — like picking up a pair of baby socks dropped on the floor, and carrying their older child.
Ke’Arra Holliday pointed out that her husband found himself sweating heavily during the watermelon challenge, and it was even difficult for him to stand after resting in a chair!
Tying Shoes Becomes A Significant Chore
Several of the women presenting their partners with the watermelon challenge specifically ask them to try putting their shoes on.
One husband complained, “They’re way on down there!” and pleaded with his wife to help, finally empathizing, “Is this what it’s like, all the time?”
Check out what happens when this dad is asked to take a blanket out of the washer! By the time he’s done that, picked up an object from the floor, and tried lying down on the sofa and getting back up, he can only conclude, “This right here is for the birds!”
The Husbands Are All Glad To Get Back To Normal!
Even the husbands who manage to complete all tasks without any great drama or incident admit that they don’t think they could handle these circumstances for the length of a pregnancy!
Kathlyn Celeste’s husband attempted the watermelon challenge with a good-natured attitude. He teases at the beginning, “This is what she’s been complaining about?” but quickly recognizes the struggle.
Still, he presses forward, figuring out his own ‘hacks’ for reaching his shoes, getting up from a seat, and washing dishes.
By the end, he boasts, “I’ve got this in the bag!”
“For nine months?” his wife asks.
“Nahhhh,” he admits.
There’s Way More To Pregnancy
These men are trying out one physical aspect of pregnancy, but notably, their experience doesn’t measure up to what their wives go through.
Of course, their wives also carry that weight for months, not minutes or hours, but additional weight is only part of pregnancy. There’s also the nausea and vomiting, the heartburn, and for many women, sciatica, round ligament pain, edema, and so much more. Check out our week-by-week pregnancy guides, and you’ll quickly realize that every week offers something new that adds to the challenge of being pregnant.
Strapping a few melons to your chest and belly can give you an idea of what a pregnant person has to carry, but doesn’t mimic the sensation of sore breasts, taut, uncomfortable, stretch-marked skin, increased heart rate and blood volume (which can result in headaches and other discomforts) and the utter flood of hormones that can cause crying jags and mood swings!
Still, all these men who took the watermelon challenge seem to have learned at least a little about the work their wives are doing to bring their children into the world!