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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:
IndigoBluey · 24/11/2025 19:31

I agree that it was a necessary message to get across, far better now than the week of the birth. It has allowed her some time to do what she needs to do in arranging support by other means should she want it. It speaks volumes that her response is a shouting voice note, I think she has just assumed your DP was going to go along with what she wanted without question. I’d be wary of when the baby arrives as you both might need to put boundaries in place for when the asks for looking after baby, helping with shopping / cooking / cleaning might begin

Silvers11 · 24/11/2025 19:33

I agree with previous posters in that he needed to be very firm with her. Her reaction speaks volumes. She may or may not fancy him, but for sure, in her mind she saw him as a stand in for her ex-partner and who knows where she thought the relationship might end? He did exactly the right thing @BeetrootBrownies .

Aluna · 24/11/2025 19:36

He was a bit blunt in the masculine way but he’s totally right.

Lastfroginthebox · 24/11/2025 19:38

OP - your DP sounds lovely and he's doing exactly the right thing. In fact, you both sound lovely. Mia is showing her other side now and you'd be right to be wary.

whitewinefriday · 24/11/2025 19:55

Thanks for the update OP, this must be a relief

b0mbayb1cycleclub · 24/11/2025 19:55

I think he was absolutely right to respond as he did

diddl · 24/11/2025 20:00

He was blunt & perhaps needed to be.

If he has let her just run on & not let on at all that he was uncomfortable it will have been quite a shock.

Also with only 2wks to go she is without a birthing partner when she thought she had one sorted!

It's easy to understand why she was upset.

Sassylovesbooks · 24/11/2025 20:04

Your partner did exactly the right thing, by putting in boundaries and saying no. He didn't want to be her birthing partner and was finding the expectations being put upon him, way too much. I think her reaction was rather telling to be honest. She saw him as a replacement Dad to her child, someone who was going to emotionally support her and help with the baby.

AluckyEllie · 24/11/2025 20:07

It’s easy to see why she is upset- useless family/useless father to be/ not a good support network but it seems she’s been incredibly naive. If she’s struggling for money now how is she going to manage with a baby? How is she going to cope with no support around her?

2031MummyTBC · 24/11/2025 20:31

@BeetrootBrownies

good on your DP for sending the message. Yes, he definitely could have been less harsh, but if the friendship is “worth more” (as she says), then she’ll forgive and move on - and the friendship will actually have boundaries in place.

Because the last thing you want is thirdwheeling a co-parenting relationship for a baby that belongs to neither you or your partner!

Definitely suggest a doula etc to her

MissDoubleU · 24/11/2025 20:44

Although it might seem cruel I think he had to be honest. It seems he was trying too hard to be kind previously and hadn’t even told you quite how severe it got in terms of him essentially being a replacement father. She can be angry for now and hopefully it pushes her to reach out to someone else and allow your DP his boundaries,

Daleksatemyshed · 24/11/2025 20:47

Her reaction is quite revealing, she may not have romantic feelings towards your DP but she seems to see him as a surrogate Father for her baby.

Blondeshavemorefun · 24/11/2025 20:49

Dp has done the right thing. Put boundaries into place. A little late but least done them now

SmilingHappyBeaver · 24/11/2025 20:50

You know he’s the father, right? You need to keep your wits about you and start making plans.

Catpuss66 · 24/11/2025 20:54

Think he has done the right thing, however I wondered if you should reach out to her midwife, wonder if she could have some antenatal depression what with partner leaving, your partner backing off & no support. Speak to receptionist at her GP’s or ask to community midwives at local hospital they may be able to check as you are concerned about her from a support angle.

BeetrootBrownies · 24/11/2025 21:01

SmilingHappyBeaver · 24/11/2025 20:50

You know he’s the father, right? You need to keep your wits about you and start making plans.

Please explain to me how he’s the father when we were in Thailand the month she got pregnant and were present for her 20 week scan so are certain of the dates 🤔

It’s not a soap opera ffs

OP posts:
Efacsen · 24/11/2025 21:03

Catpuss66 · 24/11/2025 20:54

Think he has done the right thing, however I wondered if you should reach out to her midwife, wonder if she could have some antenatal depression what with partner leaving, your partner backing off & no support. Speak to receptionist at her GP’s or ask to community midwives at local hospital they may be able to check as you are concerned about her from a support angle.

Mia needs to contact her midwife ASAP

OP doesn't need to be breeching boundaries again like this having only just established them

BoyFTM645 · 24/11/2025 21:05

He's done her a favour. She really needs to get her ducks in a row. Better to be disappointed now than with a baby in her arms.

Sartre · 24/11/2025 21:06

He absolutely did the right thing here so kudos to him. It may seem harsh or hurtful but I think this needed to happen, she hasn’t respected usual friendship boundaries whatsoever. Hopefully this is a wake up call for her and she learns how to get by without the over-reliance on someone else’s partner.

AnotherEmma · 24/11/2025 21:09

She sounds both vulnerable and demanding. I can sort of understand why she's been overstepping boundaries if she has no one else, but still, she's been asking way too much of him... she needs to seek support from more appropriate sources. If it was someone I knew, I'd be encouraging her to talk to her midwife about support - they can usually refer to the perinatal mental health team - and to join a pregnancy yoga class or similar, to try and meet some other pregnant women for mutual support. And for the birth itself, a doula would be much more appropriate.

It seems a strange choice of her to have a baby with so little support around her. She's not in her home country, she was never in an established relationship with the father, and she's hardly showing independence in dealing with her pregnancy so far...

He did it a bit harshly but it was the right thing for him to draw the line. It can't have been easy.

Cherrysoup · 24/11/2025 21:18

I think your dp was absolutely right to send her the message, but was probably over the top with his words! Does Mia not have a female friend back home who could come to support if her family aren’t reliable?

MeridianB · 24/11/2025 21:19

Good for him. This is not a one-off favour but a potentially never-ending series of emotional, logistical and financial expectations. He is right to set a firm boundary as she has none.

If she cannot afford the bus fare to ante natal appointments then surely she’d be better off going home and getting family support and maintenance from her ex.

SheilaFentiman · 24/11/2025 21:21

She's not in her home country, she was never in an established relationship with the father, and she's hardly showing independence in dealing with her pregnancy so far...

Mia was with Josh for as long as she has been friends with DP ie at least 3.5 years before Josh got cold feet and ran away

AnotherEmma · 24/11/2025 21:26

SheilaFentiman · 24/11/2025 21:21

She's not in her home country, she was never in an established relationship with the father, and she's hardly showing independence in dealing with her pregnancy so far...

Mia was with Josh for as long as she has been friends with DP ie at least 3.5 years before Josh got cold feet and ran away

Sorry, I must have missed that.

medievalpenny · 24/11/2025 21:29

The message he sent should have been a conversation not a text message. That was cowardly and shitty.

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