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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not want him present at the birth

111 replies

1950s1 · 18/01/2021 20:35

The father of our children and I keep rebounding. He loves me and knows that I have emotionally disconnected from him which he says he is desperate to fix. He is the childrens bestfriend and we want to stay together to conveniently remain as a family unit which I don't have an issue with. He came back to live with us today, because it makes things more convenient. Everyone I've spoken to about this says they would leave, but I'm not asking for advice on that, I really don't want to leave. My partner has a close female best-friend, they've known eachother for aproximetly four years, but my partner and I have known eachother much longer. He swears they just have a
brother-sister bond. Admittedly though I don't understand what one of those is. I'm uncomfortable with their relationship, There are no boundaries when they have conversations, she says they don't keep anything from eachother, and presses him when he has tried to keep my information away from her. He says he doesn't see anything wrong with this, they are friends, he should be able to trust her. She is obssesed with him, and knows all the details about his entire life. He has revealed too much to her, their conversations can be personal and deep. She passive aggresively said she was happy for him if I was what he wanted. It made me assume that she fancied him. I confronted them both, they swore they didn't feel that way towards eachother. Ever since knowing about me, she has asked for my
personal information, has spoken off-the-scales unnaceptably about me, gotten the wrong end of the stick when our relationship issues arise in their conversations and has painted me as a toxic monster and has labeled me controlling for not wanting her in his life anymore. She has used what she knows about him to her advantage, convinced him that I am no good for him and somehow manipulated him into leaving me. On top of that, she hacked into his phone and
social medias by bypassing the google security questions linked to his accounts from knowing him so well, accessed my personal information and revealed it to her friends in a groupchat. I lost my shit, told her I wish for her to get very hurt and die for all I care. she said if she knew where I lived (we were living seperately at this time) she'd have the police at my door and make me loose my job and any chance of getting a better one in the future. Eventually he came back, I was very hurt still, he said he missed me, and he said if we were to
be together I had to allow them to stay friends and talk. I said no, layed it all out, to try and get him to see her for what she is, He said he doesnt see it but realised what he was losing and agreed not to talk to her to be with me, but said that he still wanted her as his friend. He swore two different times they weren't talking anymore, he was each time behind my back. The first time, he could feel me getting emotionally distant, the second time, I had almost completely emotionally disconnected. I wasn't being nearly as affectionate as usual, he doubted that I even loved him anymore, and honestly, I was doubting that I loved him anymore. He has sworn a 3rd time he has removed her from his life to stand a chance at making things normal again. I don't believe that he has, he doesn't let me have his passwords or access to his social medias or phone, and he still wants her (has openly admitted to it) and talks fondly of her when we try and talk about why I'm disconnected from him. I've felt angry and sick for a long time, but I've sort of accepted that this is the situation that I'm in and don't feel such heated overwhelming emotions. If I do start to feel like that again I remind myself of how ill it makes me and start to find ways to calm down. Then I feel numb towards him again.
I feel as though, so long as he still wants her, I'm not safe to allow myself feel anything towards him. He said he doesn't see what's wrong with their relationship, and said he doesn't know right from wrong because of his bad upbringing. It's important to him that he has a close relationship with his children, he has said that when our other child is born he wants to be present at the birth or the child would grow up thinking that their father didn't want them if he wasn't
there when they were born. I resent him on a deep level, If I try to connect to him on an intimate level it makes me feel sick so I don't bother putting myself through that anymore. I would feel too vulnerable to have him there but I don't want him to resent me for it which he would, it would make our situation overall worse. So I'm not sure what I'm asking, I feel torn.

OP posts:
1950s1 · 18/01/2021 22:17

We're in a relationship but I have emotionally disconnected from him. The issue is that I wont allow myself to emotionally connect to him whilst he still wants her in his life, it feels unsafe. I'm prioritising the children by letting him live here. They prefer him here. I don't see how this is effecting them

OP posts:
Ohalrightthen · 18/01/2021 22:20

@1950s1

We're in a relationship but I have emotionally disconnected from him. The issue is that I wont allow myself to emotionally connect to him whilst he still wants her in his life, it feels unsafe. I'm prioritising the children by letting him live here. They prefer him here. I don't see how this is effecting them
Our parents relationships are the models we use to form our basic, inherent understanding of our own relationships.

Is this what you want them to think relationships should be like? Disconnected mum, cheating dad? Zero trust? Don't you want better for them?

LouiseTrees · 18/01/2021 22:21

Him being at the birth is more for him than the baby. He can still see and bond with the child after the birth. Plus if you are only allowed one birthing partner it should be someone who calms you during labour.

Lolapusht · 18/01/2021 22:28

I don’t see how you can be in a relationship with someone you’ve emotionally disconnected with Confused Why wouldn’t your DC understand if you were to split up? What bit wouldn’t they understand and why? It sounds like a horrendous environment to have children in and there’s no way it’s not going to have a long term impact on them. You are telling them that in a relationship it doesn’t matter how badly your are treated or how miserable you are, you have no right to happiness or peace.

Notimeforaname · 18/01/2021 22:32

We're in a relationship but I have emotionally disconnected from him

OP, do you honestly think your kids wont grow up feeling and seeing the disconnection??

I don't see how this is effecting them
Please look closer

SemperIdem · 18/01/2021 22:38

You don’t see how it is affecting them, the forced civility? You are remarkably lacking in insight, for an adult woman.

RainingBatsAndFrogs · 18/01/2021 22:40

If you have disconnected with him, why don’t you just let him go?

Why do you want to live with a man who had lied to you, had sat back and watched his girlfriend hack into your personal info and try and humiliate you?

You have some really unhealthy co/dependecy or something going on, or are deluding yourself.

Of course you shouldn’t have him present at had birth if your child if you are not in a good loving supportive relationship.

OP, this whole situation is very fucked up. TBH the 24 hours you spend in Labour and giving birth are the least of the issues here.

Branleuse · 18/01/2021 22:41

I think youd be better off kicking him out.
Hes screwing with your head and youre at risk of PND with all this

RainingBatsAndFrogs · 18/01/2021 22:42

The issue is that I wont allow myself to emotionally connect to him whilst he still wants her in his life, it feels unsafe

It is unsafe.

Can you not translate this into the situation your children are in?

Inaseagull · 18/01/2021 22:42

Presumably you don't share a bed.

BlueThistles · 18/01/2021 22:48

Social Services would love this one.. Hmm

OldAndWornOut · 18/01/2021 22:52

You don't sound very disconnected.
You want him to pick you over his "friend".

Wolfiefan · 18/01/2021 22:54

Poor bloody kids.
Split properly and set some boundaries.

TheSoapyFrog · 18/01/2021 22:58

YANBU to not want him at the birth. YABU about absolutely everything else. Don't for a second think this isn't affecting your children. It is, you just won't see it properly now.
Make a break from it. Don't let your children get caught up in this toxic, ridiculous, teenage angst scenario you have going on. Show them how grown ups should behave.

Thedogscollar · 18/01/2021 23:01

Please don't have him at the birth. Have someone who is supportive both emotionally and physically as that helps labour progress well. Tbh I think that is the very least of your problems.

He is very much having his cake and eating it and you and the other woman are enabling it.

Let him go to her he is no great loss. He can still be a father to his children but you would be better off without him.

ShopoholicIn · 18/01/2021 23:11

" It would make things difficult and impractical to not live together, he can spend more time with the children here, I feel like we can live in the same house and still be do family activites even if we're not on good terms as long as we remain civil"

I don't see how that can work in this situation as there's too much going on you have kids involved and I think deep down you both still want things to work out. He won't leave his friend and I can't see how it will work out especially with a newborn.

partyatthepalace · 18/01/2021 23:27

This is a very weird dysfunctional set up OP and it cannot be good for your kids.

Have who you want at the birth, but your exDP living with you as a family unit clearly can’t work because your relationship is screwed up. His isn’t your kids best friend he is their father. This female friend of his sounds like a bunny boiler, but if you are no longer with him it’s none of your business. You two need to separate OP and draw some boundaries for the sake of your children.

GeorgiaGirl52 · 19/01/2021 00:03

@Eekay

Your great long post is all your screwed up feelings pouring out. This is toxic. Let this other woman bloody have him. Stop competing. I think that's the nub of this. You don't want to "lose". He is no prize whatsoever. Don't have him at the birth. That's your right. More importantly, don't have him in your home. That's your right too.
THIS^. Really. You are totally screwing up your kids with this fake family unit. Cultivate some self-respect. Let her have him. Don't let him have both of you.
timeisnotaline · 19/01/2021 00:11

Nobody at the birth you don’t want. I’d say you obviously paid no attention the last times if you think baby pops it’s head out and looks around to check if daddy managed to attend.

jay55 · 19/01/2021 07:41

The baby won't know who was at the birth and you are the priority, what makes you comfortable goes.

Tell him the kids growing up and finding out he chose a toxic friendship, over their mum, will be a much bigger issue for the kids to get over, than whether he was at the birth.

AlwaysCheddar · 19/01/2021 08:20

Wow, kick him out. It’s a toxic situation and you’re being played bY both of them. He should be a dad, not the kids best friend. It’s a fucked up situation for the kids. And no, don’t have him at the birth if you don’t want him there.

Regularsizedrudy · 19/01/2021 08:43

You’re not disconnected though are you? You so desperately want this man to pick you you can’t see the damage you are doing to your poor children.

1950s1 · 19/01/2021 11:44

I don't have feelings for him anymore so I'd say that I'm disconnected. I can only start trying to love him again when it feels safe for me to do so

OP posts:
ZoeTurtle · 19/01/2021 11:46

If this is real, you bunch of Jeremy Kyle rejects have no business raising children. Get him out, grow up, and concentrate on your children.

unmarkedbythat · 19/01/2021 11:47

Specifically thinking about the birth and nothing else- no one is ever entitled to witness you giving birth. No one. Whether they are the father of the baby or anyone else, NO ONE has a right to watch you give birth and I am so often aghast at people who think otherwise.

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