Woman recalls ex-husband allegedly being disgusted with her after she gave birth, then says he still had demands for her postpartum

A woman says her ex-husband told her to rub his feet right after she took her first postpartum shower in the hospital. In a TikTok video, Kelsey Davis shared the memory the night before her youngest son’s birthday and described the ex-husband as abusive.

Her son asked her to tell him about the day he was born, and she picked out only the good parts. In the video, she says she was replaying “all the things that actually took place” and that it “feels like the domestic violence was just going on just yesterday.”

She says she went into labor after her blended family went bowling, with two boys of her own and two of his, but did not realize it. On the drive home, the family stopped for milk, and her water broke at the checkout. She told the teenage cashier to finish ringing her up so she could take the milk home before heading to the hospital.

She says he wanted only his sons at the hospital

By her account, her then-husband demanded that his two sons be present but would not let her two sons come. She calls it “a control thing” and says his kids “were always superior to mine.” Her boys were sent to stay with her aunt. She claims his ex-wife did not want his sons there, but he disregarded her feelings and had them sleep in chairs overnight.

After the birth, she wanted to shower, and she says he did not help her, though a nurse did. She adds that “he’s grossed out by me.” By the time she finished her first postpartum shower, she was moving slowly and worn out, while he lay in the bed the recovery room had given him.

She claims he told her he needed her to come over and “rub my feet” before she lay down. A nurse who was checking on the baby looked at both of them, and she gave the nurse a look that meant “I gotta do this.” She also says her chart already documented a domestic violence situation from prenatal visits and that staff had separated them several times.

He asked the nurse, “You never seen a good wife cater to her husband?” The nurse replied that she had never seen a new mother who could barely walk “catering to her husband when he should be rubbing her feet,” she says. He laughed it off. She rubbed his feet for about 10 minutes, roughly five on each. When the nurse brought the baby over to feed, she gave the nurse another look asking her not to “make a scene.” Years later, she says the domestic violence “never really leaves.” All details are based on her TikTok video.

Partner help after a birth has sparked online debate before. One creator shared her husband’s first postpartum meal and the messy kitchen that came with it. Another TikTok contrasted a husband’s angry coffee rant with partners who do small favors without complaint.

About 6% of people with a recent live birth report emotional, physical or sexual violence from a current partner during pregnancy, according to the CDC. The agency adds that violence after pregnancy carries the same risks and can come with postpartum depression, breastfeeding problems and missed postpartum checkups.

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