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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU for not wanting MIL to keep walking off with my baby?!

11 replies

Saskia98 · 26/05/2024 19:32

I’m a FTM to an 11 week old and have a crazy MIL. For context, she tries to take LO from me when he’s crying, she bought a cot for her place without telling us, she insisted on doing his bath every night (I told her no after the second time which she then started an argument about saying she needs to supervise incase I get water in his ears), she stayed over the first night we came home and fed him even after I told her I will set an alarm to wake him to feed him and didn’t want anyone staying over, she made continuous ‘jokes’ about taking him to Romania without me and when one of the neighbours asked my partner if he had a baby as they couldn’t tell I was pregnant she said “you should have told them no my mum had a baby”. She told me when I was pregnant “you look after baby when he’s growing in you and I’ll look after him when he’s here”, she literally acted like LO was her baby and I’m just the surrogate. She showed up to our place without warning and when I finally set boundaries she had an argument with us and threatened to kick us out (we rent our flat from them).

We act civil with each other now but I’m so anxious when we see them. I need to know if I’m overreacting in the following situation. We went out for lunch with them in a large pub garden. When my partner got the car seat out of the car, before we could attach it to the pram, my FIL without saying anything grabs the car seat with baby in and takes it to their car where MIL is. I follow them and say we need to put the car seat onto the pram attachments which is by our car and he just ignores me. My partner later asks if his mum can hold LO which I say yes to, she then takes LO and walks off with him in the pub garden without saying a word. He then starts crying and I tell my partner to tell her to bring him back so I can feed him which she does. She goes to hand him to me then he stops crying for literally 5 seconds and she walks off again with baby facing away from us. I glance over a few times as I do not trust her and to make sure LO is okay and my FIL then says multiple times “you’re too concentrated on your baby, stop concentrating on them she’s fine with him look at me instead of them”. I then say how she keeps walking off with him even after I told her I want to feed him. When I’m holding LO they are constantly staring at him and smothering me without looking away but when I glance over at my own son that MIL has taken away from me I’m a trouble maker? My partner didn’t say much at the time but when we got in the car he said I’m always stressing about LO and it’s always something I have an issue about with his mum and I’m constantly nagging and he didn’t see a problem with his mum walking away from him. I feel like he doesn’t have my back in these situations and moans at me for being protective over our son. AIBU?

OP posts:
StormingNorman · 26/05/2024 19:35

It sounds like your partner likes his mum’s involvement. That’s where you need to start resolving this.

Yummymummy2020 · 26/05/2024 19:40

Can you afford to rent off anyone else apart from his parents? After the threat of kicking you out I would do all I can to move out of that flat. Agree you need to sort your husband issue first and he needs to have your back. She sounds nuts! Don’t let her ruin this precious time with your baby!

RedBananas12 · 26/05/2024 19:44

Fuck that. I'm sorry you are in this position.
Don't let her spoil early motherhood for you. You need to be really assertive from now on. Set your boundaries. It doesn't sound at all like dh has your back, so you may have to handle this one alone. Keep strong and congratulations in your baby

Coffeerum · 26/05/2024 19:48

I don’t really get the big deal about his mum walking the baby around the pub garden. Lots of babies don’t love being held still by other relatives. It sounds like she was just trying to keep the baby happy while you had a few mins to have your food or your drink. It’s weird that your partner needs to ask you if his parents can hold the baby.

If you don’t trust them to hold the baby I probably wouldn’t be going out for lunch with them at all or making things messy by renting their flat.

Saskia98 · 26/05/2024 19:52

@Coffeerum its more of the fact she just walked off without telling me then pretended she was going to give him to me to feed him but after coming up to me and saying to feed him she walks straight back off again. She also previously told me she dropped DH loads of times as a baby and when I mentioned fostering to her she said she wouldn’t be able to foster as it’s such a big responsibility and babies have accidents so if the baby shows up with a bruise she wouldn’t want people thinking it’s her doing it. I don’t know why her mind would automatically go to that as to why not wanting to foster so no I don’t trust her at all. My partner told me if this was my parents he would want me to cut them off. But he’s too much of a people pleaser and so used to their toxic behaviour his whole childhood that he sweeps things under the carpet.

We rented our place from them before I had a baby so I didn’t know how badly she would be acting. If I did, I would not have rented from them.

OP posts:
olympicsrock · 26/05/2024 19:54

Your 11 week old baby your rules. Cut down how much time you spend with them and be prepared to move out .

NotbloodyGivingupYet · 26/05/2024 19:55

Coffeerum · 26/05/2024 19:48

I don’t really get the big deal about his mum walking the baby around the pub garden. Lots of babies don’t love being held still by other relatives. It sounds like she was just trying to keep the baby happy while you had a few mins to have your food or your drink. It’s weird that your partner needs to ask you if his parents can hold the baby.

If you don’t trust them to hold the baby I probably wouldn’t be going out for lunch with them at all or making things messy by renting their flat.

On its own the pub garden incident doesn't sound too bad, but did you miss all the rest of OP's OP?
OP you need to make sure your DH understands your boundaries and works with you to maintain them. It will be harder now because you and he have allowed so much batshit behaviour to pass unchallenged. But you need to do it or you will find yourself unable to regain control.
And if he won't put you and baby first, then rethink your relationship. Or this will be the rest of your life.

StormingNorman · 26/05/2024 21:45

Have you posted about this before and you live next door to MIL?

Cherrysoup · 26/05/2024 21:57

This is the second time (third?) you’ve posted about this. You had decent advice last time. What do you want or are you just venting?

GabriellaMontez · 26/05/2024 22:01

What are your plans to move out. You need to be independent from these people.

GreenFairies · 26/05/2024 22:05

You posted about this just a few days ago. What’s changed since then? Did you follow any of the advice given?

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