A TikToker had to publicly defend her partner after a video of him watching sports while she gave birth caused viewers to question his commitment
Amber Louise Tilly via TikTok.
- A TikToker shared a short clip of her partner watching soccer while waiting for her to give birth.
- Some viewers were outraged, saying they thought it showed he was not a caring partner.
- The TikToker responded by saying she had no issue with her partner watching TV to pass the time.
A British TikToker has responded to online hate directed against her baby's father after she filmed him watching a soccer game in the hospital room while she was giving birth.
"When I joked about going into labour whilst his football team were playing and I actually did so this was our setup," wrote Amber Louise Tilly in an on-screen caption on a TikTok posted on April 20.
In the clip, Tilly could be seen lying down in what appeared to be a hospital bed and panning the camera to reveal a small table, where a man could be seen watching a soccer game on an iPad screen.
"Taking football isnt just football to a new level," read a caption underneath Tilly's post, which went viral and received 4.1 million views.
Some commenters found humor in the TikToker's post, saying they were glad her partner was finding some way to stay entertained throughout the day. Others shared similar stories of their partner watching a sports game or a show on Netflix while waiting for the birth.
However, other commenters directed criticism at Tilly's partner, saying they felt his actions showed he was not concerned about his baby's mother. Some people suggested the TikToker should take this as a sign that he would not be a good father or partner to her in the future.
"He could grow up and realise there's more to life than a football game, especially when his kid is about to be born," wrote one user.
"I'd honestly be fuming, this is why I don't date football fans," wrote another.
Tilly, who has 52,000 followers on TikTok and typically posts vlog-style updates about raising her children, responded to some of the critical opinions by replying to them in her comments section. In one comment, she said that what could be seen in the video was "just a snippet" of the entire labor experience and that when she started to have painful contractions, her partner stopped watching the game and supported her at her side.
On April 21, Tilly also posted a follow-up video, explaining that the couple mutually decided to have an iPad on hand during the hospital experience, so they could use it while waiting to go into the delivery room.
"I just don't know why people are so bothered about it," she said, adding that there was a lot of waiting around during her labor, and she felt it was completely acceptable for her partner to want to watch soccer during the quieter moments.
A handful of commenters supported the TikToker underneath her follow-up post, saying they felt that a lot of users who got upset at her partner perhaps did not realize that labor can last hours, and saying they thought it is common for couples to watch television or do other activities to pass the time.
On TikTok, content about pregnancy and parenting is often hugely controversial. Last year, Insider reported that pregnant influencers have faced immense amounts of online harassment and unsolicited advice regarding the way they behaved while pregnant. The influencers told Insider that they were often told they were in wrong for doing menial tasks, such as exercising, while pregnant, and that this sometimes made them unnecessarily concerned and fearful about their baby's wellbeing.
Content creators sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of their relationship can often go viral for the wrong reasons. In September, a TikToker who filmed herself surprising her boyfriend at college received intense backlash when commenters said they were convinced her boyfriend was cheating on her, even though he wasn't, based on his body language in the clip.
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.