What to Know
When Jen Affleck revealed on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives that she was pregnant with her third child, she was brought to tears. Not out of excitement or happiness, but out of stress and concern. The pregnancy came at a time during her marriage to husband Zac Affleck when things were rough and they were still trying to work through their issues.
After Jen shared details of her birth on Instagram and admitted to her daughter Penny’s existence being “healing” for her, users on Reddit have discussed what that means for her marriage. Did Jen admit that her pregnancy resulted in a Band-Aid baby for her marriage with Zac? Maybe not in so many words, but people have a lot to say about what Jen did say.
Jen Affleck basically said the baby saved her marriage.
Jen shared a video of moments leading up to and following her daughter’s birth. Fans of the show saw Jen’s mental health journey as she struggled with anxiety and dangerous feelings of not wanting to be here. Because of that, she took a break from filming. But after she worked through her mental health, Jen was ready to face the other women. Now, however, after she shared her Instagram post, some of the MomTok member’s critics have thoughts.
“From the moment I found out I was pregnant, she’s been my greatest healer,” Jen wrote in her post, of her daughter. “My pregnancy journey with her was the hardest thing I’ve ever faced, filled with so many moments I wanted to quit. But she was always there, reminding me of my ‘why.’ This experience has shown me just how incredible women are, what our bodies endure, and what we’re truly capable of.”
There were plenty of well wishes and comments of support on Instagram.
Apparently, Jen’s fans and followers are a lot more giving than the rest of the internet. Go figure, right? When the post was shared to Reddit, the criticisms poured in, with some noting that Jen put a lot of stock into her baby and the hope that the child could repair her marriage.
“Describing the child that saved her marriage as a healer. Sounds right,” one user commented on the Reddit post.
Another added, “Baby wasn’t even aware they existed yet but holds the weight of a marriage.”
Someone else pointed out that, given Jen’s admitted suicidal thoughts and prenatal depression, her sentiments about her daughter being a “healer” might be in relation to Jen herself rather than her marriage. But even if that’s the case, others argued in the thread that it’s still a lot to put on a child, even if the child doesn’t realize it yet.
“It scares me how much these women put on their children as babies,” someone else commented. “Like this child is always going to have to bear the weight of her parents’ marriage, her mother’s depression, and ‘fixing’ her family all before she was born.”
Another user joked on the Reddit post that babies are “apparently the cure to a lot of ailments that women endure.” And, they added, clearly, as a joke. “Never forget that your only value as a woman is your ability to bear children.”
