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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Partner being at hospital when female friend gives birth, AIBU to hate it?

655 replies

BeetrootBrownies · 23/11/2025 22:40

Been with my partner for a year - the relationship relatively quickly and I moved into his home at 6 months. Partly because I was living with my parents at the time and needed to get away for my own sanity, but also because we were madly in love and felt ready. It’s been lovely.

He has a female friend called Mia. They met 4 years ago through a shared hobby. They bonded because they are both from the same home country and neither have family in the UK. They have never had a sexual relationship, DP is adamant about this and I believe him as she has been in the same relationship with another man (who we will call Josh) throughout her and DP’s friendship.

6 months ago (just before I moved in) I was at DP’s house having a quiet night in when he gets a voice note from Mia in a state asking if they can meet for lunch to next day for a catch-up. DP asked her what the problem was and she said she needed to vent about Josh, she insisted she wanted to meet in person before saying anymore because she had a lot to go over.

I went home the next day. Wasn’t particularly worried about their lunch together as I genuinely believe they’ve never had a sexual relationship and they very much have a brother/sister type relationship and she has been seen to make childish gagging/shuddering motions whenever he’s accidentally brushed passed her when we’ve been on double dates with her and Josh or even out for coffee just the 3 of us. She also likes me a lot and has been very excited and happy for DP throughout the development of our relationship. I was curious what she wanted to tell DP during the lunch but only from a place of nosiness rather than jealousy.

During this lunch Mia told DP that she was unexpectedly pregnant and Josh had been on board with it for a month before suddenly shitting himself and running a mile and moving back to the home country. Josh hasn’t been seen since other than half-hearted text responses every time she updates him about the pregnancy.

DP and Mia have continued their normal friendship routine throughout the pregnancy and meet up about once a week (she’s now on maternity leave and DP gets 3 days off a week so they get plenty of opportunity to meet up). Usually coffee shops or dinner. Sometimes I come, other times I don’t. DP has been moaning about the meet-ups lately saying that it is exhausting listening to her talk about pregnancy and issues with the baby’s father and he is struggling to relate. She’s also ask him to lend her money but he has shut that down. DP doesn’t want to take a step back from the friendship though as he does care about her. I can understand why she is in a state as I was present during a meet-up where she called the baby’s father and she put him on speakerphone to show us how awful he was being, he was indeed vile and she was in tears afterwards and I even ended up hugging her.

She’s now due to deliver in 2 weeks and DP knows all the details. Baby is big and she is a very small-build and she has been recommended a C-Section but she really wants to try for a natural birth unless it gets critical. She’s got an induction booked in to increase chances of her being able to deliver naturally. Given that she has no family or other friends, she wants DP present at the hospital. She has made it clear she doesn’t want him to see her pushing or the actual moment of birth, but she would like him present and on-hand to advocate her needs and support her during the labour. She is due to be induced on DP’s day off. She has no other family or friends and she said she is terrified to go through labour alone.

DP feels weirded out by it but says he can’t see how he can say no. DP says he thinks he is okay with it so long as he doesn’t see anything gruesome - the plan is he would leave the room once she starts pushing and come back a couple of hours after birth and see if she needs anything like food or practical items etc and meet the baby. Even though I have had no prior jealous feelings towards her, I feel this is just way too intimate. I know it sounds ridiculous but I want my DP’s first experience of supporting a woman through labour/childbirth to be with me when I have his baby in the future…does that make sense? I have visions of her grabbing his hand during contractions etc!

It’s all freaking me out a bit

OP posts:
TipsyMaker · 23/11/2025 22:43

I've got to agree with you OP, I wouldn't like it either 🙈

Charel2girl5 · 23/11/2025 22:44

No way! Far too much, far too intimate.

KittyPup · 23/11/2025 22:45

If she is a good friend to dp then I would offer to go and support. I’m sure she’d prefer a female there anyway - she probably doesn’t feel like she can ask you though. It doesn’t sound like your Dp wants to go and I wouldn’t want him going either in those circumstances. However, she will be at her most vulnerable. How sad that she doesn’t have any other support system.

Dramatic · 23/11/2025 22:45

I don't think I'd like it either but I do feel quite bad for her that she's completely alone with no family or anyone else to go with her. I imagine she must be feeling very alone and scared.

Noshadelamp · 23/11/2025 22:48

Would you be able to take your dp's place and be there to support her? I'm not saying you should but just a thought.

Otherwise she will have a midwife with her, and presumably a birthing plan with her preferences.
She won't be the first woman to go through labour without a partner, the staff will be experienced in supporting single women as difficult as it may be for her.

I agree with you op it is too intimate and the idea that he would leave when she started pushing sounds naïve. What would he do if she was distressed and asked him to stay?

The fact that he's uncomfortable with it as well counts, he's allowed to say no.

reversegear · 23/11/2025 22:48

She’s far too dependent on him and I think she needs to get family support in. Even if that was a female friend of mine I’d be getting a bit freaked out at that level of dependency on my time. Your DP sounds lovely and caring but he needs to say nope.

PeloMom · 23/11/2025 22:49

Is anyone from her family not coming at some point? She’ll need help during recovery etc too. Or is your Dp expected to be on hand?

HellonHeels · 23/11/2025 22:49

Thats just a bit much. There are other options - hire a doula, does she really have no other friends?, couldn't her mum/sister/cousin come over to help her?

Pollqueen · 23/11/2025 22:50

Can you offer to be her birthing partner instead? I would not like my DP to be another woman's birthing partner either, it's a bit odd 😐

BackToLurk · 23/11/2025 22:50

KittyPup · 23/11/2025 22:45

If she is a good friend to dp then I would offer to go and support. I’m sure she’d prefer a female there anyway - she probably doesn’t feel like she can ask you though. It doesn’t sound like your Dp wants to go and I wouldn’t want him going either in those circumstances. However, she will be at her most vulnerable. How sad that she doesn’t have any other support system.

This. She might be really touched that you'd offer.

Slothisavirtue · 23/11/2025 22:51

How's she managed to have no family or friends?
She's ridiculously dependent on your DP. This would be a deal breaker for me.

Pollqueen · 23/11/2025 22:51

Why can't her mother or family nember come over to support her?

PInkyStarfish · 23/11/2025 22:51

Is she spinning him a load of crap as ‘baby is big and she is small build so has been recommended a caesarian’, is fabricated nonsense.

vitalityvix · 23/11/2025 22:52

I wouldn’t be happy about this! But may I ask, why does he plan on leaving for the pushing stage?

My experience of two natural births is that I’ve been naked from the waist down pretty much from arrival. I laboured in a nighty both times but due to the monitors they put around the bump my nighty was lifted up exposing me. I was also checked fairly frequently (cervical examinations). I couldn’t give a shit about it at the time but just thought I’d put that out there. If he’s planning to leave during the pushing stage because he doesn’t want to see her exposed then he’ll be in for a shock.

Kiwi09 · 23/11/2025 22:52

Ok, it is unusual, but if she’s otherwise alone I can understand why she wants someone there that she knows, especially if she’s in a foreign country.
If they are good friends and you see yourself with your partner long term, I’d be making an effort to get to know Mia. Maybe invite her around for dinner before the baby is born.
It sounds like your DP is uncomfortable about this too, but wants to be helpful. Maybe you could go to the hospital too for a bit (not in the room) for support.

Autumvibes · 23/11/2025 22:53

A big no from me. I would be wondering if perhaps he is the father and I fully understand men and women can be friends. However some of the things you’ve mentioned would have me pondering that.

AmberRose86 · 23/11/2025 22:54

Honestly this is too messy for me. Too enmeshed. I think I’d be out.

It’s not meant to be this complicated.

BeetrootBrownies · 23/11/2025 22:54

If she was guaranteed a perfect textbook labour/birth then it would still be weird but not so bad. DP can leave when she starts pushing, then come back a couple of hours after the baby is born and bring her some food, and he and hold the baby for a few minutes whilst she eats etc. That would be tolerable for me and him I think.

But there’s so many things that could go wrong! Like a PP said she may panic and beg DP not to leave at the critical moment and then he’s left in a very uncomfortable position of seeing something that he really does not want to. He is a good friend and cares about her but at the end of the day he is a bloke and he doesn’t not want to see a platonic friend give birth and all of the fluids, screaming, sensory things that will go along with it. Also what if she or the baby were to have complications and staff turned to DP to make critical decisions if she didn’t have capacity?

it’s all nuts but I also feel so awful for her

OP posts:
Tink3rbell30 · 23/11/2025 22:54

Can you both go to support her?

Thunderdcc · 23/11/2025 22:55

If she wants someone to support / advocate for her etc isn't the pushing stage the most important bit?! Like that's the scary out of control oh shit turns out the midwife is a fuckwit bit.

All the staff will assume he's the father it is going to be so awkward.

BeetrootBrownies · 23/11/2025 22:56

Just to make one thing clear - he is not the father at all though I understand why people are suspicious. I won’t go into a detailed timeline of our entire relationship but there are many circumstantial factors that make it impossible for him to be the father (other than me knowing they’ve never had a sexual relationship). Holidays abroad me and DP have had, timelines where she’s had her scans and gender reveal, correspondence we’ve seen her have with her ex etc. She even had a private genetic test due to a hereditary condition running in the ex partner’s family. That’s not what’s going on here, I’ve had to explain this to well-meaning friends many a time!

OP posts:
AmberRose86 · 23/11/2025 22:57

I had an ex who I broke up with because he got too close to a girl on his course. She was from a different country and had no family here. They struck up a friendship and he started to feel (in his words) “responsible for her”. To the point where he invited her (with his family) to their graduation lunch…

Nope.

sparepantsandtoothbrush · 23/11/2025 22:58

Have you offered to go with him or instead of him?

It sounds like she's lonely and scared and only has your other half as support. Maybe she would appreciate you offering to be there with her if she has nobody else

sesquipedalian · 23/11/2025 22:59

OP, this is frankly nothing short of weird. Having a baby is a very intimate and personal thing, and it’s just not appropriate for your DP to be there. This Mia seems far too dependent on him - he may have shut her down when she asked him to lend her money, but what will happen when it’s something for the baby? Will you be spending your lives babysitting, or round at hers because she can’t go out because of the baby? OP, this is all too much. You are absolutely right that your DP being in the delivery room is “just way too intimate”. Problem is, what are you going to do about it? I’d be inclined to tell Mia myself that it’s frankly utterly inappropriate and you really don’t want your DP in the delivery room with her (and everyone assuming he’s her DP).

TiredMummma · 23/11/2025 23:01

Far far too much - why are her family not coming for the birth of its scheduled? This is very common? Also if she was recommended a c-section, fine she opted for something else but an induction is known to make vaginal births harder not easier! So why not wait to see if it was spontaneous first? All very odd. Your DP just needs to give a firm no and she needs to get family here or pay for a doula