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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

MIL and Early Pregnancy

57 replies

Lemon27 · 25/07/2019 12:19

Hi all

I’m currently 7 weeks pregnant. I’m being really cautious as I had an early loss back in April which was tough. So not telling anyone about this pregnancy until we at least get an early scan in week 8/9 to confirm heartbeat etc. My sisters only know as I’m really close to them and they are my support. I’ve had some cramping which is making me very wary but fingers crossed all good.

Anyway we are away for a few days with my PIL’s for a family wedding. I obviously haven’t been drinking but am running around after DS so not that surprising and my attitude was the PIL can suspect all they want but we won’t be sharing anything until we know all ok.

For background, on DS we told them when I was 9 weeks because we weren’t going to see them for 3-4 weeks with holidays etc and we would be telling other family members. They proceeded to call my DH brother and tell him (without clearing it with us first) then told all DH aunts / uncles despite us saying DONT TELL ANYONE. MIL actually told one of DH cousins right in front of me before I could get a chance to, and when I pulled her up on it after, she tried to say the cousin already knew etc etc but did apologise. I was so upset with it all I had to get DH to have a word with her as it was getting out of hand (an uncle living abroad was phoned from the dinner table with us and told, again before we could say NO!) and I was so upset that random uncles and aunts on his side knew before I could even tell the rest of my family and my own friends. It was their first DGS but I still think out of order.

So this time I was like no f*cking way are they being told before 12 weeks (even if I wasn’t worried about MC). Cue last night and MIL had a few drinks (gets quite cocky when she drinks). We were back home and I’d just put DS to bed and came back to living room. MIL appears over and almost sits on me and asks ‘can I ask you a very personal question? Are you expecting #2’? I was caught totally off guard and threw a look at DH who put his hands up and said I didn’t say anything, I just mumbled ‘Maybe but not fully confirmed’. She jumped up delighted and said ‘I won’t tell ANYONE’ and ‘I hope this time won’t be as stressful’ (which is rubbish as first time round was not stressful at all). She doesn’t know about MC. I said ‘please don’t tell anyone as we can’t until we know everything is ok’. She was just so smug looking and then didn’t mention it again as my DH changed the subject and I left and went to bed.

It’s so pointless as now she knows, but we can’t and won’t be talking about it (I certainly won’t be talking about it to her) but I’m just so pissed off with her. She cornered me and forced me to confirm something I clearly didn’t want to tell her yet or else I would have been forced to tell a lie. I could barely sleep last night as I was so annoyed and also was getting cramps which has me worrying again now. This morning I’m not actively speaking to her as I’m so annoyed she put me in that position just to satisfy her own smug curiosity. She’s really close with her sisters and tells them everything so I’ve asked DH to reiterate to her that she needs to keep her trap shut.

DH brother and SIL recently had a baby and told PIL when they were 4/5 weeks (myself and DH joked that they must have literally did the test in PIL house) so maybe that’s why she feels she has a right to know early.

Am I over reacting? I feel she’s taken the good out of how we would have her and FIL and now when we do it’ll just be a ‘yep confirmed’ convo and I won’t be engaging with her any further on it. I’m so sleep deprived with DS not sleeping at the moment and also weepy over any little thing (presume hormones) so not sure if I’m irrationally angry.

OP posts:
crispysausagerolls · 25/07/2019 15:45

Before you pointed it out the infertility issue didn’t occur to me. Perhaps MIL is equally as clueless/thoughtless as i am!

nauseous5000 · 25/07/2019 15:50

I'm so sorry you were cornered. If there is ever another baby feel free to tell her your sex life is none of her business, tho I do wonder given her comment about stressful pregnancy if DH hasn't told her about miscarriage and therefore about current pregnancy. Fingers crossed for a healthy pregnancy with little in law intervention 🙄

dontfollowmeimlosttoo · 25/07/2019 15:53

She sounds like a smug cow

Loopytiles · 25/07/2019 17:19

It IS rude to as a woman, even a close family member, if she is pregnant!

Basic social skills.

Lemon27 · 25/07/2019 17:47

Thanks for all the responses. I get that some people have different family relationships and boundaries, however with our particular family (DH’s side) we would be close but I would be a very private person and I thought she understood that, especially after the last time (she wasn’t impressed after DH told her off for telling everyone and she knew it was coming from me not him). My own mother wouldn’t ask me that, I know she wouldn’t, and we are close.

Also to the poster who said why is it ok for my sisters to know and not DH’s family - it’s a totally different dynamic - my sisters and I are best friends, but even at that they only know right now as the week we found out I was going to an event with them when I’d usually be drinking and given our relationship i was happy to let them know as I wasn’t going to cancel. Plus they knew early last time and didn’t blab to anyone. Also they are aware of the MC and how upset we were.

It’s like (last time anyway) she felt it was ‘her’ news if you get me, it was all ‘I’m going to be Granny Lemon’ as opposed to ‘Lemon & DH are having a baby’ which I get she was excited but still, have a bit of cop on not to allow that to override the actual parents privacy and joy to share news.

After time to reflect, if it’s mentioned again I’ll tell her I’m not happy she put me in that position by asking and that she needs to respect our wishes this time and say nothing until we do. I am talking to her I guess I just lost some respect for her as it’s like she sees it as more important to confirm her suspicion than to respect my privacy.

Also DH said she doesn’t know about the MC and thinks she just said about the stress thing because she saw my reaction wasn’t total delight in telling her. I believe him too, he knows because of last time I was afraid his parents would tell they rest of the family about the MC and we’d be getting the pity looks especially as his brother just had the new baby.

I probably over reacted initially and appreciate everyone’s opinion, however my feeling now is more she is losing out overall and we won’t be saying any more to her until we are going public (all going well) and even after that I feel she’s lost the right to any more private information. Time will tell if she keeps the info to herself for now.

OP posts:
Lemon27 · 25/07/2019 17:49

@Loopytiles it’s so rude!!! That’s why I was so taken aback I was so shocked.

Luckily I haven’t had the pain some people have had with infertility etc because I can only imagine how painful it would be getting questions like that if you are going through that

OP posts:
NoSauce · 25/07/2019 17:57

Just pull her to one side and say that you weren’t ready to tell anyone but now she knows that’s fine but she mustn’t tell anyone until you say so.

Don’t make a fuss about it, no need for a huge conversation, as you don’t want her thinking you’re making a drama out of it, just a quiet word in her ear.

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