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AIBU?

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AIBU to question whether my husband's behaviour is normal postnatally?

69 replies

Boostchocolatebar · 03/07/2026 13:37

I have lost the plot post natally as to what is normal or not with my husband - We have a 14 week old baby boy.

Is it normal for the husband to sleep in a seperate room every night?
Is it normal for me to settle the baby and sleep in this seperate room and wake up to an empty house whilst he has gone to work?
Is it normal for him to play golf every weekend?
Is it normal for me to have to pay to get groceries delivered otherwise there would be no food or baby milk in the house?
Is it normal when I had to take him to the hospital he drove in a seperate car so he could get home?
Is it normal he goes to bed when I am up tending to a feverish child?
Is it normal he goes to the health club after work instead of coming home to help me?
On Monday he was out playing golf and never came back until 11pm, when I questioned why he had been gone for 10 hours he said ‘it was only 9’.

AIBU to think all of this is completely off?

OP posts:
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daleylama · 04/07/2026 23:49

Boostchocolatebar · 03/07/2026 14:52

I drove myself to hospital to have baby too

You must know this is all wrong. Feel so sorry for you. I didn't see any mention of other support that you can access. If you have no other family near by perhaps start by talking to your G.P. about referrals for professional support.

Stompythedinosaur · 03/07/2026 18:59

Only normal if the dad is a selfish arsehole who doesn't love his wife or child.

GinaandGin · 03/07/2026 18:47

Boostchocolatebar · 03/07/2026 14:52

I drove myself to hospital to have baby too

That's is just heart breaking 💔. I'm sorry OP

Kim5678 · 03/07/2026 17:24

Does he have any good qualities? Has he ever even changed a nappy or held the baby for longer than a few minutes? It must be very hard to hear but it sounds like he doesn’t really like you or your child

FFSItsTooHot · 03/07/2026 17:07

You lost me at the point where you said you took him to hospital but went in separate cars!

SilverPink · 03/07/2026 17:07

Boostchocolatebar · 03/07/2026 14:52

I drove myself to hospital to have baby too

Jesus Christ. And what made you want to have children with this man?!

outerspacepotato · 03/07/2026 17:01

He sounds like he's single in his mind and he's done what he can to make that happen except asking you for a divorce. He's completely checked out of your marriage and any parenting.

Prepare to be a single parent.

Weeellokthen · 03/07/2026 16:57

Obviously. YOU know that!!

Floralibra · 03/07/2026 16:33

oh OP 😞 I’m so sorry but it sounds like you got a very selfish man there as a partner and maybe he’s always been like this but it’s more obvious now you have a baby!

Quitelikeit · 03/07/2026 15:44

This sounds dreadful- his life hasn’t changed - dreadful husband and father no use to either of you what so ever!

WallaceinAnderland · 03/07/2026 15:42

Not normal in my house but I already knew my husband wasn't selfish before I had a baby with him.

Peonies12 · 03/07/2026 15:39

Sleeping separately works well for a lot of couples, it did for us, I was EBF and coslept and found it easier to have the space and not have another person making noise/moving. But if you don't like it / it doesn't work for you then you need to tell him.
"wake up to an empty house whilst he has gone to work?" surely you want to sleep whenever you can, he has to go work. My DH would often start work and me and baby still asleep, why would he wake us.
I hope you're not paying out of your own pocket for food and formula, but getting everything delivered is surely ideal.
otherwise that's not OK how much time he's taking for himself. You both need equal time to yourselves.

wherearethesnacks · 03/07/2026 15:38

He's acting like a single man who doesn't have a wife or baby. Was the baby planned? He seems to think it's just yours to take care of.

BiscuitBarrel2 · 03/07/2026 15:20

Another separate rooms couple here - that seems quite normal to me (although I’ve had some people seemed shocked when I tell them). I EBF and the baby bed shares with me (safe sleep 7 - refuses the crib and has done since 4 month sleep regression), my partner works full time while I’m on mat leave until next year. Makes sense to us, I don’t want the worry of my partner rolling on the baby nor do I want to be making everyone sleep deprived as frankly he is like a horrible grumpy teenager if this is the case while I operate well on limited sleep. We had the convo before baby was born to agree this set up and spent £5k making the guest room my dream bedroom - I love it so much I may never move back in with him 🤪. We’ll switch things up again when I’m back to work but there’s no hurry, our baby is Velcro so won’t be moving out of the bed anytime soon. We cuddle together in bed on the evenings and on weekends. I also wake up to an empty house when my partner has gone to work, but to be honest that’s my preference - he’s up at 6:30am and we are in a phase where baby and I don’t wake up until 8am, I have enough night disturbances happening without him popping in too! The rest feels a bit over indexed in his favour from your description? I did have to have a chat with my partner in the beginning, he randomly took up running and trying to meet up with his brothers weekly, as well as wanting to use the gym (we have this set up at home) every night. Then there were grand plans of football season tickets and how he might learn golf and other such nonsense. I was getting resentful and pulled him up on it after it went on for a few weeks and more was falling to me to do, but then he had a bit of a cry that he was struggling to adjust to the change, so I think he was grabbing at man cave hobbies to try to get some sense of normalit’s / control of his surroundings. We were better for that conversation and now have I
better balanced in that regard, he will run on certain nights / weekends and we might join for a walk or run with him, or he’ll take baby so I can then go do something I like to do. I would have the chat but also be aware you’ll be raging with hormones - took me about 3-4 attempts to cover this where I wasn’t just telling him off because of postpartum rage and was being open to hear how he was feeling (which is where some genuine tears and big feelings came out - noting my hubby never cries!)

Pallisers · 03/07/2026 15:14

Boostchocolatebar · 03/07/2026 14:52

I drove myself to hospital to have baby too

I'm struggling to see what he brings to your life other than angst and resentment.

How would life be without him in the house? Could you manage financially?

Hankunamatata · 03/07/2026 15:12

What was life like before the baby?
Did you talk about how things would be after?

Hankunamatata · 03/07/2026 15:11

Boostchocolatebar · 03/07/2026 14:09

I took the baby to hospital in my car - then he drove behind us. He was with us in A and E then left when we got admitted to the ward and did not come back until 9pm the next day

Normal to take two cars. But why didn't he come back until 9pm?

Pieceofpurplesky · 03/07/2026 15:03

It's not normal. He may also start to blame you for having no time for him. You need a long talk or counselling. This shows you the man he is.

CarpetSlipper · 03/07/2026 15:01

It’s normal behaviour for selfish arseholes but I think the majority of people would find it unacceptable. I couldn’t be with a man who showed so little regard for his family.

Onegiantpupil · 03/07/2026 15:00

Boostchocolatebar · 03/07/2026 14:52

I drove myself to hospital to have baby too

Unless he was in another country, incapacitated with an illness or hours away on a work trip/booked holiday then he is a prize prick OP

cocog · 03/07/2026 14:54

Absolutely not he’s opting out and leaving parenting to you don’t have another child with him he’s a terrible father.

Boostchocolatebar · 03/07/2026 14:52

GinaandGin · 03/07/2026 14:15

I think she means when she went to hospital to have the baby

I drove myself to hospital to have baby too

OP posts:
Onegiantpupil · 03/07/2026 14:39

He’s being selfish! I would straight up ask him do you want to be a parent and a good husband because at the moment you are neither and see what he says. If he doesn’t improve I’d seriously think about leaving/booting him out!

You are both parents and yes while young babies will cling to their mums a lot, he needs to work with you so you are a team

I ebf mine and he wanted feeing constantly and wouldn’t sleep well unless he had contact so it was hard going. DH couldn’t help the same way he could if DS was bottle fed. But even so he did loads

For sleep we took it in turns in the early days. I would go to bed early 7ish and sleep till around midnight/1am feeding if needed (DH would bring DS up to the bed) Then DH would bring the baby upstairs while trying not to wake him and I would do till 6/7am and we would have breakfast

DH would make me cups of tea when I was cluster feeding, get the food shop, cook dinner, spoon fed me dinner I remember on one occasion! Make me a snack plate up. Take DS out in the pram so I could rest and get on with things. When DS had to go to hospital in an emergency DH wasn’t allowed on the ward (Covid legacy) DH sat in the waiting room in case we could go home. Changed bedding and held DS when he had a bug and had thrown up all over his cot and me. Went out for ibuprofen in the middle of the night when DS was poorly. We took turns changing nappies (not as in literally taking a tally but it wasn’t all left to me)

DH still went to work and of course it was just me with DS in the daytime but we worked as a team when together. He still went out with friends although not all day every weekend!

He has absolutely no excuse and I would find your anger OP.

I hope you read what other PP’s say and take heart that this is not the actions of a loving husband and father and that it gives you the strength and piece of mind to challenge your DH

TheSandgroper · 03/07/2026 14:33

When we became parents, dh wanted to be a parent and wanted to parent. He came home after work, he changed nappies, he bottle fed when needed - he did not go to golf for hours, he did not go to the gym.

Whatever a bloke could do, my dh tried his hardest to do.

Your husband, however, is trying his hardest to leave you alone. I am so sad to say you need to never forget this time. It’s supposed to be your bubble and he, instead, is showing you who he is.

A kiss for your baby from Australia and a hug for you.

NeatPinkFinch · 03/07/2026 14:32

Trickedbyadoughnut · 03/07/2026 13:49

No, he's behaving like an arsehole.

This OP. Can you leave him and find any support elsewhere?