New mother filmed doing laundry seven days after giving birth sparks debate

New mother defended the clip, explaining she and her husband ‘like to laugh and have fun’

A video of a new mother doing laundry seven days after she gave birth has gone viral, sparking a debate about the division of household duties.

Andrew Campisi filmed his wife, Katelyn, tossing clothes into the washing machine on 1 November 2022. The footage, which has now reached more than 2.9 million views on TikTok, revealed Andrew saying: “Can you believe she had a baby seven days ago? Oh my god, you look great.” Katelyn proceeded to smirk at her husband, before she replied: “Can you believe I had a baby seven days ago, and I’m the one who’s doing the laundry.”

The stunned father paused momentarily before retracting his previous comment about her appearance. “You look like s**t. Take it back,” he jokingly answered. Both parents then giggled at one another before the video cut off. “Laundry is great for post-pregnancy vibes,” the caption read.

While the couple’s interaction appeared to be lighthearted, viewers didn’t feel the same way about Andrew’s commentary, with many describing it as a “red flag”.

“This hurts,” one follower commented, while another wrote: “The correct reaction should have been: ‘Yes, babe. I’m so sorry. I’ll help you.’”

“The fact that she’s the one doing the laundry after just giving birth. Girl, throw the whole boy away and get you a man,” one person proclaimed.

In a follow-up video, Andrew appeared to respond to the criticism by pretending to have swaddled Katelyn in bubble wrap so she could not perform any work around the house or with their newborn. The humoured mom assured their followers that all was well, emphasising that the two of them were making a joke.

Speaking to The Independent, Katelyn noted: “In our relationship, we are constantly joking with each other and ‘roast’ each other often - all out of love. We like to laugh and have fun. Our social media is built on that and the videos we make show our sense of humour with each other too.”

“In that video in particular I had decided to switch the laundry while he tended to the kids because I just wanted to do something that felt normal,” she continued. “We both meant nothing we said in our comebacks which is the funniest part to us. We just mess with each other, it’s that simple.”

Katelyn acknowledged how the video reached a particular side of social media that interpreted the post to be a “cry for help,” but clarified that it was not. “It’s probably cause that video is an actual reality for some women and it stirred up some resentment, but for us, it was all fun and games,” she added.

Laura Danger, an educator and life coach, reposted Campisi’s original video on her page to use it as an example of how men should assume more responsibility around the house to allow their partners to recover from sickness or childbirth.

She also encouraged partners to start helping with chores leading up to the birth of their child rather than just getting involved during or after the fact. Danger said: “Sitting idly by can cause more stress than just getting up and doing [the chores].”

Women in Danger’s comment section admitted they had experienced similar unfair situations. “I was two weeks postpartum recovering from stitches, and my husband said I was lazy [because] the house was dirty. He made the mess,” one woman remarked.

“Supporting your partner in their healing means being reliable and navigating the mental load so that they can truly rest,” Danger said.

Katelyn told The Independent she was able to heal and rest after giving birth, contrary to what viewers assumed. “I went right back to the couch and snuggling my newborn after that,” she said.

“I was having an amazing postpartum experience after my unmedicated water birth and was feeling great,” she continued. “I had postpartum depression with our previous child so the fact that I felt so happy and good after this baby was very relieving for both me and my husband.”