Matty J's candid message about 'gender disappointment' after welcoming two girls
Matthew Johnson, better known as Matty J, has candidly discussed his experience with "gender disappointment" after he and his wife, Laura Byrne, welcomed their second child.
The pair share two daughters, Marlie-Mae, four, and Lola, three, which makes Johnson a self-confessed "middle-aged dad doing his best to be funny."
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Watch the video above.
Matty J and Laura Byrne's family of four. Instagram
On his podcast Two Doting Dads with Ash Wicks, the two discussed Johnson's emotions upon the birth of his second child.
Wicks asked him: "Did you or your wife have gender disappointment?"
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"We didn't know the sex of our child, we were surprised at birth," Johnson explains.
"I was having these vivid dreams of playing with what I thought was going to be my son when Marlie was born," he continued.
The Two Doting Dads podcast by Matty J and Ash Wicks. Spotify
"If I'm being really honest, there was a split second moment where I was like, 'Oh, it's a girl,' like it just wasn't what I was expecting."
Wicks reminded him there was nothing to "feel bad about," with Johnson saying: "You've just experienced one of the most amazing moments in life and the fact that you should have any emotion that's not just pure elation, it sounds so utterly selfish."
Johnson goes on to warn expecting parents to rethink certain gender expectations when planning for another child.
"Some people do have a preconceived idea of what their family is gonna be like if it doesn't play out, I think it's really difficult for those people to digest it," he explains.
Johnson says accepting either gender is the best thing to do. Instagram
"So for someone who's discussing and still on the fence about having a third, if you are having another child, purely with the hope that you're trying to get a certain sex, that would be the wrong reason to have another child."
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Their post was accompanied by a caption that read: "We try not to give advice on the pod – but if I was going to give it about gender disappointment, I'd say talking about it makes it easier to process your emotions and it doesn't mean your going to be a bad parent or not love your child ."
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