A Husband Thanks His Wife and Pens a Letter About Her Belly After Childbirth

03/30/2021

Hayley Garnett, a blogger and a mother of 3 kids, was asked, “Do you ever get stuck in a cycle of comparing yourself to your past self?” She responded, “Probably, yes. Especially if your body changed a lot after childbirth. That can make you feel frustrated and exhausted, but such things get so insignificant when your husband says that he loves you even more after you gave him a baby.”

We at Bright Side are excited to share a man’s opinion about a woman’s body after she gave birth, and we’d like to tell the story Hayley and her husband Cody have shared with us.

“I stay thankful because I know you’re by my side.”

Hayley and Cody had their eleventh wedding anniversary in October 2020. They are proud parents of twin girls and a boy. When you check their pics, they look like the perfect family. There’s always a feeling that somehow this couple gets everything easily. But that’s not true. This family also has its own doubts and difficulties.

Yes, it’s women who physically give birth, but still, it doesn’t mean that the husband’s job is just to watch the process from afar. Cody is not just a father, he is a true lover. “I stay thankful and humbled to have woken up every day for the last 11 years with you by my side. You’ve made me a better man, a stronger father, a more loving brother and son, and a good friend...I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you,” he explained.

“The reasons I fell in love with her had nothing to do with any of the body parts affected by her postpartum.⁣⁣”

When Hayley asked Cody to write a letter about her postpartum body, one of his first thoughts was that nothing had actually changed. The reasons why he fell in love with her had nothing to do with her body or how it changed.⁣⁣

“She still has the same beautiful smile, determined mind, beautiful body, and strong work ethic as the girl I fell for over 15 years ago.⁣⁣”
“She still has the same sense of humor.⁣⁣”
“She still smells great.⁣”

“The soft, pillowy skin around her belly held my 3 best friends for 18 months.⁣⁣”

These words are priceless: “The marks show the strength it took to carry the weight of 2 beautiful girls that will be raised by this mom.⁣⁣” There is no reason for the love to evaporate, and it’s actually the opposite — it’s “the bare minimum by loving my wife for who she is.”
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Cody mentioned that imperfections make the world fun and that “we would get bored if everything was flawless.”

There are some important things you need to follow to keep your world better and your family happy.

“Be good to each other.⁣⁣”
“Learn from mistakes — yours and others.⁣⁣”
“Help those in need, and let’s stop dwelling on who looks like what.⁣⁣”
“And to the husbands out there that don’t do their fair share of diaper duty, cooking, cleaning, and telling your wife how beautiful she is — step up your game, bro.⁣⁣”