A T-Mobile employee told a postpartum doula that hormones make new moms 'hate their husbands.' Her comeback left him speechless
'I think the hating the husbands usually has less to do with the hormone shift, and more to do with...'
Men may not always understand what women go through after childbirth, but reducing their experience to just "hormones" is simply unfair. Emma Hughes (@mainelyemma), a postpartum and newborn care specialist from Maine, took to Instagram on September 25, 2026, to share her encounter with a T-Mobile employee. While replacing her screen protector, he casually asked her about her profession. In response, Hughes told him she was a "postpartum doula," which eventually led to an awkward conversation about postpartum hormones and why women supposedly hate their husbands. The video has since received over 300,000 views.
A very awkward question
Emma Hughes was at the T-Mobile store to get her screen protector changed. She explained, "This guy was helping me. I was already icked out and didn't want to be making conversation with this man who was just being kind of awkward with me." However, he eventually broke the silence and asked her what she did for a living. When Hughes told him she was a postpartum doula, he followed with, "What's that?" Hughes explained that she cares for newborn babies and mothers.
"Not a medical professional; I do mostly overnight newborn care," she added. Hughes thought the conversation was over, but he continued, "Isn't it true that after moms have babies, they go through this huge hormone shift?" She was about to say it was true, but he cut her off to add, "That makes them hate their husbands."
The ultimate comeback
Hughes was stunned by what the man said, but responded with, "I think the hating the husbands usually has less to do with the hormone shift, and more to do with the fact that the men were always useless to begin with, but the baby just illuminates that." Surprisingly, that was where the awkward conversation ended, but Hughes was still stuck at the store because he still had her phone.
The uneven load
Women do experience extreme hormonal shifts during their postpartum period, but it does not mean they automatically "hate their husbands." A study by Jeffrey Dew found that marital satisfaction among new mothers declined when they spent less time with their husbands. This happened because most feel household chores were being shared unevenly. In fact, a Pew Research Center study found that 57% of new mothers said they do more than their partner when it comes to feeding, bathing, and changing diapers. Similarly, 78% of mothers said they do more in helping their children with homework or other school assignments.
'Free life lesson'
Meanwhile, several women in the comment section appreciated how Hughes "educated" the T-Mobile employee. For example, @court_burgett wrote, "This was magical. No notes. Thank you for your service." Similarly, @kayleensperr added, "Not to be dramatic, but you’re my hero."
You can follow Emma Hughes (@mainelyemma) on Instagram for more newborn and postpartum-related content.
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