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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

I'm genuinely not sure if IABU, so would like your opinions please.

55 replies

SpringySunshine · 23/11/2008 16:56

Eugh - this turns out to be quite long, so sorry!

I'm not posting here so you can all tell me that I'm right - I might just be being a bit silly & hormonal, in which case I'd rather know. But if I do have a point, feel free to tell me that too

I'm currently 20 weeks pregnant with our first child & it's been a difficult pregnancy so far. Nothing horrific, but I'm still suffering from morning sickness & increasing hip pain (I could barely walk on Friday, although it's much better now, for example) & is generally being quite a difficult experience.

DP & I both go to uni, but my course is far less intensive in terms of contact time - I study English literature, so although I spend hours & hours reading & writing essays, I can do that from home. He's doing Software Development, so needs to spend a lot of time in the computer labs or whatever. He has a really good group of friends there, whereas I don't. I very rarely see the same people on a regular basis & most of them know each other from living in halls, etc. Plus I'm the weird pregnant one, which puts a lot of people off.

We're both a long way from home, but he didn't really have friends back home, whereas I have lots - I just never get to see them because I'm a good couple of hours away, can't drive & have little time & money to throw around at the moment. & when I do go home, I spend most of my time with my family, who I also miss heaps.

Basically, I'm really homesick & lonely & not having a great time of it.

We've been having a lot of relationship issues recently - last week we went 3 days without a huge argument & that seemed like ages. He's been having quite a few problems with controlling his temper recently, which really hasn't helped. He hasn't hit me or anything like that, but I can see the possibility of it escalating into something nasty.

He used to do karate, but hasn't done it for quite a while now - at least a year, but I'm almost sure it's more than that. I've lost track. But he's decided that he wants to take up Thai boxing instead, because they don't do 'his' karate around here. He says that he thinks that it'll help with his aggression. I don't know if it will or not? If it does, then obviously that's a very good thing.

The thing that bothers me is that it's 3 nights a week & I know that that's just going to mean 3 nights of me sitting in the flat by myself whilst he's out having fun. & in the not-very-distant future, me looking after the baby alone for that time when he's already had a lot more time away from home with his course.

I've said that he can do it & I know that I'm not in a position to say that he can't. It's his life & I don't want to control him. I also know that it's a fair exchange if it puts him in a better mood. But I still feel a bit resentful that he's off doing something else that he loves & will leave me on my own even more than I already am.

That suddenly sounds really needy I'm also concerned that he'll get himself really hurt & be out of action for a while meaning that I'll have to pick up even more responsibility at home.

I think I'd mind less if he could see why I'm a bit envious, but he can't. I also think I'm probably about to get flamed & told to stop being so childish, but I'm wondering if it's at least normal for me to feel this way, even if it isn't reasonable, if you see what I mean?

OP posts:
SpringySunshine · 23/11/2008 21:13

Thanks Boffin

OP posts:
superfrenchie1 · 23/11/2008 21:16

hi springy, i had ds when i was 23 and i didn't know anyone else with babies. none of my friends are anywhere near, even now, and ds is 5. i always worried about what people thought and i found the whole making friends with other mums thing kind of tricky. i met a lot of people who i wouldn't have been friends with if we hadn't had children the same age, and although i swapped numbers with some of them, none of them ever turned into real friendships. i worried a lot about it and now wish i had been more confident and not stressed about it. it's important to know other mums and i would have benefited from it. i spent a lot of lonely hours at home with my baby, pottering around the shops and the park, going for long walks and feeling jealous when i saw two new mums having coffee or walking together.

anyway what i wanted to say was, hi, you're not being unreasonable in the slightest. 3 nights a week is a hell of a lot. BUT it could be fine as long as you are getting enough time for yourself, as others have said, and dp is pulling his weight whenever he is around. definitely go with the antenatal classes/groups and don't be afraid to swap numbers with people who seem nice. maybe they are looking for mates too. no harm in meeting people for a hot chocolate even if that's all it is. sorry that was all a bit off-topic.

you'll be fine. good luck!! x

squeaver · 23/11/2008 21:24

Have just skimmed the thread but one quick thought re meeting people. By all means both of you go to the ante-natal classes as a couple, but you should find a pregnancy yoga class just for you. There'd be no reason for him to be there; you can start them at any time during pregnancy and you WILL make friends there.

Chin up.

ib · 23/11/2008 21:28

If he needs it, he needs it. Dh always went to the gym 4-5 times a week, even when we were working 15 hr days so barely saw each other.

It's just what he needs to keep sane.

Why don't you find something you fancy doing yourself? You might also make some friends and be less dependent on him for all your social needs, which can only be good for your relationship.

When the baby is born, make sure you schedule in some time for you when he is taking care of the baby.

SpringySunshine · 23/11/2008 21:46

superfrenchie, thanks for the advice - I don't really want to feel really lonely for the next however many years, so I will make an effort - I think you make a good point about making contact with people who wouldn't necessarily be friends anyway, but who are good to see every so often with the babies. Everything helps, I suppose

squeaver, I'm looking at yoga stuff right now Hopefully I'll be able to work something out with it. It certainly looks to be a really good thing to do.

ib, I'm going to make it really clear to him that I need to be able to have some time away from it all as well. Hopefully I can make him understand that now so it's easy to put into practice after the baby's here.

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