I’m 3 weeks PP and a first time mum so I’m well aware that both these things may be playing a part.
DH has always wanted children, he’s amazing with other people’s children and I knew he’d be an amazing, hands on father and he is.
He was definitely more on board with having a child than I was, it’s been a running joke since I found out that I was pregnant that he’s the maternal one.
I had a very rough labour which ended in surgery and so he was forced to care for our DC for the first 7 hours of their life until I was able to. I had planned to BF but gave up after a few days as it was so painful and stressful.
I’ve noticed more and more that DH seems to monopolise DC a bit, it almost feels like he’s fighting to compete with who gets to feed them more, who gets to cuddle them more, gets jealous if DC settled for me and not him etc.
I feel awkward around my own baby and don’t feel like I’m ‘allowed’ to do what I want with them, I feel like I have to ask his permission to pick them up, I never cuddle them in between feeds as I’m sure DH would ask me why I was doing it. I wanted to do the last feed but he said ‘no I’ll do it‘ so I just left him to it. The baby coughed in their Moses basket just now and he used that as an excuse (I feel) to pick them up and is now sitting with them on his lap. Since 10.30am today I’ve had nothing to do with my baby and it’s now 5pm.
I feel like because I’ve never been overly maternal and it’s always been a running joke that he’s watching me and scrutinising everything I do with the baby in a ‘jokey’ way but it makes me feel awkward.
AIBU? I honestly don’t know. There are SO many threads on here from women whose DH’s are useless and so I kkkw I should be grateful and happy that DH is such a loving, involved dad but I feel like as the baby’s mother, I’m not getting the time to bond with her.
He’s back to work next week and I’m part dreading it and part looking forward to it as I’ll have some uninterrupted alone time with the baby.
Has anyone else felt like this? AIBU?