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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

DOES THIS SOUND OK TO YOU? (IN LAWS)

35 replies

justhadenoughx · 21/09/2023 14:57

some background story, i live with my in laws due to cultural reasons and its what’s expected. my first child is my in laws first grandchild however when she born i was breastfeeding. in laws kept telling me to stop and give bottle because she was crying all the time. they said it wasn’t enough for her and i’m basically starving my baby when really she had loads of trapped wind. guests used to come over which obviously they can, it’s their house but MIL used to come up to me and say so and so is here and they want to see the baby, im taking her down. bearing in mind she is sleeping but she didn’t care and other times when im breastfeeding she would take her off and go and show people who have turned up at the house. yes it’s their house but that’s my baby which has nothing to do with these guests that i have never seen before in my life so why do they want to see my baby and hold her! my point to all this is that they are very very overbearing. when it came to feeding her they would wade in and try her with anything. they wouldn’t ask me- her mother, they would do as they please. id be holding her and spending time with her and SIL would come in and take her off me. every single time i finished breastfeeding her and went downstairs so she could play. every. single. time. my SIL would grab her as soon as i set foot in the door like what the fuck. that’s my daughter not yours. so fast forward to now. i’ve recently given birth to my second child. still in same living situation because of cultural reasons but now had firm word with husband that we need our own place even if others are not happy about it! when i was pregnant with second my MIL used to say when second one is here then i’ll take your first and look after her. SIL said she can sleep with me. i always said no and left it as that. now second baby is here my MIL has taken over and literally taken my first daughter. it’s been 4 weeks and i swear to you i haven’t spent any time with her. whenever i’m in one room they are in the other. i can hear her laughing and playing with everyone but me. MIL feeds her and is basically doing what i should be doing and she is constantly with her that she always wants to be picked up by her. when she comes to me and i look after her for two minutes i hear them all come in too even thought they’ve spent the whole day with her. i cant even have two minutes with my daughter without anyone trying to take her. i feel like an awful mum because i did everything for her before second baby was here and i wanted to now too but MIL and SIL keep taking her. if im holding her and MIL walks in she cries to go to her. that’s how much she’s spending time with her that she would rather go there. my postnatal depression is not helping the situation as i feel worse than i already did by letting this happen and not have my daughter to myself. she’s probably wondering why her mum isn’t there like before. it honesty breaks me and i’m in tears everyday wondering how i’m coping. FIL keeps telling me to rest and let us look after my first daughter which i don’t understand. my in laws have been doing the most and obsessing over her, taking her away from me that i literally don’t see her yet FIL is still saying i need to let them look after my daughter more? do they literally not want me to see her at all?? because i’ve got a second baby?? mums look after two kids all the time so that’s no excuse.

OP posts:
ActDottie · 22/09/2023 11:48

You need to move out. Screw cultural expectations, you need to move out for yourself and your mental health.

SleepingStandingUp · 22/09/2023 11:54

Just because something is a cultural expectation, doesn't mean it's law.

If it's not making you happy, tell DH.

If he picks them over you, could you take the girls and go home? Would your parents help?

ittakes2 · 22/09/2023 11:59

Its in their culture but its OK if it doesn't suit you.

mycoffeecup · 22/09/2023 12:00

Honestly I couldn't read all that but there are no cultural reasons why you have to live with your in-laws, and if your DH isn't supporting you then you have a DH problem.

Birch101 · 22/09/2023 12:00

I would have loudly put them in their place a long time ago as soon as they touched my daughter whilst feeding/sleeping.
If it was me I would move out or at least start saving money aside to leave. Can you move in with your family if you can't afford to do this alone?

Jesseweneedtocook · 22/09/2023 12:15

This is why I hate this 'culture'.

'Cultural expectatations' being used as an excuse for parents to be pushy, intrusive and downright damaging

What's your OH doing about this

NannyOggsWhiskyStash · 22/09/2023 12:29

Do you live in the UK? if so that is your culture too, tell your husband you need to move ASAP.

BansheeofInisherin · 22/09/2023 12:36

Jesseweneedtocook · 22/09/2023 12:15

This is why I hate this 'culture'.

'Cultural expectatations' being used as an excuse for parents to be pushy, intrusive and downright damaging

What's your OH doing about this

Also a culture where mums and mils routinely look after GC for free, so their daughters or daughters in law can go out and work. As pp earlier pointed out.

Jesseweneedtocook · 22/09/2023 15:18

BansheeofInisherin · 22/09/2023 12:36

Also a culture where mums and mils routinely look after GC for free, so their daughters or daughters in law can go out and work. As pp earlier pointed out.

Fair play, a lot of cultures do that. But not if the mum doesn't want this 'help' and would rather it was her looking after her own children.

jolaylasofia · 23/09/2023 15:21

honestly really feel for this poster and also feel like a lot of the people commenting don't understand just how deep the culture is rooted. It's not religious or law no. But it is expected, and breaking expectations would bring a massive amount of hassle and hate to say it but "shame" on both the poster and her dh. She can't just leave, her family probably wouldn't accept it either. They can't just move out it just doesn't work like that.

It's so alien to us i agree but i do understand her predicament. We in uk culture have alot more free will and power that i'm forever thankful for

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