When Christine Higgs decided to give her husband Shawn a taste of third-trimester life by strapping a watermelon to his torso with Saran wrap, she probably didn’t expect to create the next viral pregnancy trend—but here we are, with 1.4 million views and counting.
The Cleveland, Ohio mom-to-be documented her husband’s hilarious struggles on Instagram (@forthehome) as he attempted everyday tasks with his newfound “bump.” From the classic pregnancy pillow wrestling match to the seemingly impossible feat of putting on shoes, Shawn’s day of pregnancy simulation had him quickly admitting defeat.
“I don’t know how you do this every day for 10 months, bro,” he confessed to his wife in the reel—inadvertently earning himself bonus points from pregnant women everywhere for acknowledging that pregnancy actually lasts closer to 10 months than 9. Well played, sir.
While this viral moment gave us all a good laugh, it also highlighted something many partners don’t fully grasp until they’re waddling around with their own produce-based baby bump: pregnancy is a whole physical situation.
Related: What partners can do: 5 strategies to support your partner when trying to get pregnant
Here are 5 things dads often don’t realize about pregnancy—until they try it (even for an hour):
- Simple tasks require Olympic-level strategy. That thing you dropped on the floor? It lives there now. Unless you’ve mastered the pregnant squat (which deserves its own medal), retrieving anything below knee level becomes a full-body commitment with a 50/50 chance of getting stuck.
- Sleep becomes a complex geometric equation. As Shawn discovered while wrestling with the pregnancy pillow, finding a comfortable sleeping position is like trying to solve a Rubik’s cube with your eyes closed. The pillow arrangement alone requires architectural blueprints.
- Your bladder develops its own personality—a needy one. That feeling of having to pee immediately after you just finished peeing? It’s not just inconvenient, it’s a lifestyle. Now imagine that sensation with someone literally sitting on your bladder.
- Car seats weren’t designed for humans growing humans. Getting in and out of a vehicle requires a level of core strength that contradicts the reality of having your core muscles stretched to their absolute limit. It’s basically gymnastics, but awkward and with an audience at the gas station.
- Your center of gravity becomes theoretical at best. Remember when walking was just… walking? Now it’s a constant negotiation with physics as your body’s weight distribution changes daily. Dog walking, as Shawn learned, transforms from a pleasant activity to a tug-of-war where you’re at a serious disadvantage.
Christine told Newsweek that after completing the challenge, Shawn had a newfound appreciation for just how physically demanding pregnancy can be. “Christine was so strong to be able to do this for nine months,” he said, clearly impressed by his wife’s daily fortitude.
Perhaps the sweetest part of this story isn’t just Shawn’s willingness to humiliate himself for the sake of understanding—it’s that the couple made an adventure of it. “We even made a little outing out of it and went to the store to find the perfect watermelon to match my bump,” Christine shared. “It was so fun from beginning to end.”
The internet, predictably, is now ready to replicate this experiment at home, with one commenter writing, “Brb **adds watermelon to cart. Genius!”
While strapping fruit to your partner won’t fully capture the hormonal rollercoaster, heartburn, or the strange sensation of tiny feet tap-dancing on your ribs, it does offer a glimpse into the physical marathon that is pregnancy. And sometimes, that glimpse is all it takes to transform “You’re overreacting” into “Can I get you anything? Literally anything at all?”
So the next time you see a pregnant person effortlessly existing in the world, remember: they’re basically carrying a watermelon 24/7 without the luxury of Saran wrap removal at day’s end. And they deserve every foot rub, Wendy’s Frosty run, and bit of appreciation that comes their way.
Related: Parenting together: 6 tips for partners to be on the same page