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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU not to hide pregnancy any longer?

31 replies

alotoftutus · 14/11/2022 19:49

Ok so I'm almost 23 weeks pregnant, and my DH is yet to tell his mother. This means that in the meantime he doesn't want me to put anything on social media encase his family see it and tell her, or really tell anyone encase it gets out.
But at 23 weeks enough is enough. I've had enough of having to keep my pregnancy a secret just because he's scared of his mums reaction.
AIBU to just stop this nonsense and make it public now and let him deal with the fall out?
(for what it's worth we are a 38 year old married couple with 4 children, not 14 year old kids).

Backstory: I / we have a horrible relationship with his mother. Pregnancy is always a bone of contention and I have been no contact with her for 5 years since the day we told her we were pregnant with number 3 and she lost her mind - told DH to "force me" to have a termination or leave me because I'm ruining his life and just having babies for his money. (He's not rich, he works a regular job with a just above national average wage & I am a SAHP).
She's generally an awful and abusive person. DH has low contact, he saw her last month for the first time in almost 3 years however didn't tell her that day as he didn't want to "rock the boat" whilst attempting to work on their relationship.

She has literally one way or another spoilt every single happy occasion in mine and DHs relationship, from first birthdays, pregnancies, our wedding, births, and christenings etc.
She's not in my life and I haven't been able to share and celebrate my pregnancy publicly because DH is tiptoeing around her narcissism (I know this is where he just needs to man up but she also sends him suicidal threats etc when she doesn't get her own way, and when we've announced previous babies so it's not completely straight forward).

How much longer should I wait for him? For what ever reason he still cares and believes that she deserves to find out from him face to face not over the phone or via anyone else.

Help

OP posts:
PurpleFlower1983 · 14/11/2022 19:51

Just block her from everything and make it public.

MissEnolaHolmes · 14/11/2022 19:51

Tell him you are telling your friends this week. What he chooses to do with regard is up to him.

hope she is blocked on all your sm

Redglitter · 14/11/2022 19:52

Whys he even bothering to tell her.

Tell him it's up to him what he does but you're telling people.

goshdoyoumeantobsorude · 14/11/2022 19:53

You tell him you will be announcing it tomorrow. He can tell her today or she can find out tomorrow.

alotoftutus · 14/11/2022 20:05

Thanks 😊 She doesn't actually use social media herself but I have other members of his family - cousins aunts etc that I am friends with that would immediately tell her.

I'm glad I'm not just being a dick wanting to hurry this along, I want to celebrate my pregnancy and right now feel like I'm in hiding.

OP posts:
Chomolungma · 14/11/2022 20:06

Surely it'll be obvious anyway quite soon?!

alotoftutus · 14/11/2022 20:08

@Redglitter your guess is as good as mine. She's been despicable with previous pregnancies and has nothing to do with our children (my decision). He still feels like he owes her something. Their relationship was very codependent and one I've struggled to understand for 18 years!

OP posts:
Coconutcream123 · 14/11/2022 20:08

She sounds like a complete psycho

AlwaysFoldingWashing · 14/11/2022 20:08

Congratulations on your pregnancy. I think you've been more than fair, you're over half way through your pregnancy and should be able to celebrate it as you choose and tell whoever you like

alotoftutus · 14/11/2022 20:09

@Chomolungma it's completely obvious now lol. I'm just not seeing anyone in real life that knows her or his family.

OP posts:
Colourmehappy26 · 14/11/2022 20:10

MissEnolaHolmes · 14/11/2022 19:51

Tell him you are telling your friends this week. What he chooses to do with regard is up to him.

hope she is blocked on all your sm

Id do this too

Thisusernameisfree · 14/11/2022 20:10

I reiterate what others have said. Tell DH you will no longer hide this, it's a happy event and you want to share it. He can tell his mother tomorrow or she can find out via a third party.

I sympathise as my SO has a narcissistic mother and until the day they chose to cut her out of their lives, there was always something on a special occasion to ruin it and make it about her.

RoseBucket · 14/11/2022 20:10

Will it not be worse if she finds out so late? Anyway did her and congratulations 👶

RoseBucket · 14/11/2022 20:11
  • sod 😄
BasiliskStare · 14/11/2022 20:12

If it were me ( which it is not) I would announce to your family and friends and let her find out. My MIL told my uncle ( by marriage ) about my pregnancy and he said things I would not wish to be said. But years later I don't really care -- water under the bridge

TwoShades1 · 14/11/2022 20:14

I would give him a reasonable deadline to have told her and after that you will go on with life as you see fit (including posting anything you like on social media, etc). It doesn’t sound like she will take it well regardless of how/when she is told.

Thirder · 14/11/2022 20:15

I wouldn't do any social media posts to announce. Just let her find our through the grapevine when or if you meet any mutual connections. If you don't, so be it. Let it naturally happen. No need for big announcements. Text or phone the people you want to know.

amiold · 14/11/2022 20:16

Go public.

She lost her right to be told when she was so horrible anyways. You could say you weren't happy last time so didn't want to upset you this time. Plus we don't see you.

alotoftutus · 14/11/2022 20:19

@RoseBucket yep! If she isn't the first to know 3 minutes after conception she kicks up a storm. With our second child she came to our house to visit the following day and screamed and shouted at DH when we didn't immediately open the door and she realised that was because we were in the garden and I had the audacity to introduce our newborn to our next door neighbours over the fence Confused

OP posts:
alotoftutus · 14/11/2022 20:22

@Thirder do you know what, it's not even that I particularly want or need to do a big pregnancy announcement on my SM I'm kind of past all that. It's more that when I am on it I find myself not commenting on groups or other peoples posts / pages etc saying anything about being pregnant, encase someone she knows is in the group or sees the post etc.

OP posts:
Natty13 · 14/11/2022 20:34

You are allowing this nonsense. That's all I have to say.

georgarina · 14/11/2022 20:37

Just let her find out on her own and block her?

That's what I did with DF because he was horrible when I told him about my first.

I just realised I was dreading telling him and getting verbally abused, when I didn't actually need to tell him. That was the consequence of his actions. You two don't need to tell her, you don't owe her anything.

NadjaCravensworth · 14/11/2022 20:52

Just act as you if she wasn't there.

Announce, comment just ignore her

RoseBucket · 14/11/2022 21:21

She sounds crazy, the longer I’m on this site I think how much I’m going to be a half decent mother in law 😁

BabyOnBoard90 · 14/11/2022 22:06

Personally, I don't see why a big announcement is even needed in the first place tbf. I mean you already have 4; so no doubt everyone is aware you're both very fertile.