Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

i keeping thinking that my partners not pulling his weight and i keep shouting at him am i just being a cow?

50 replies

becky90 · 19/06/2010 23:54

i have 4mth old twin girls and i stay at home while my partner works, i have the girls all day and it feels like i dont move from my seat as once ive fed one the other wants feeding or changing or just attention they dont sleep at the same time during the day when i get a spare min i have to wash bottles put load of washing on and hang out on the line (because my partner wont dare go near washing machine and he likes to wear 3differnt pairs of clothes a day so i always have a full washing basket) do the dishes (as when he gets in he cooks tea but has to use every dish in the kitchen and he never scraps his plate) and genraly clean i find i very hard to do it all but if i dont then id be liveing in tip. he comes in from work gets in the bath for a good hour (i haven had a nice long bath scine feb the 10th) then makes tea, eats it and falls asleep in his chair not even takeing his plate out or help me with the girls. i get soo angary with him because its me who should be aloud to get in the bath when he gets in or to be able to fall asleep while he settles the twins! he has never done a night feed, once i was that tired i didnt wake up when the girls were crying he did got them out of the cot and woke me up and passed me them and said i think there hungary and he goes back to sleep! i keep telling him that he needs to start to help me because i cant cope with the babys never mind all the house work im expected to do but it just doesnt sink in he thinks helping is DIY things stupid which can wait! the other day he taken the girls to his mams ( she lives next door!) as they wouldnt settle i was getting myself ready for bed and i get shouted so i went to see wat was up not half bloody dresses and his mum passes me the baby and tells me she needs changing coz shes pooed but my partners stood right next to her i thought why didnt he just change her or why didnt his mum change her i was soo mad and when i was changing her she hadnt finishes she pooed all over me from my neck to my waist i asked my partner to help and he just stud ther looking blank so i shouted at him and we got into a big argument then he went bed. i was still trying to get the baby cleaned up and his mum come walking in and starts trying to take the babys off me i told her to wait till i finish putting the nappy on and she just kept trying to drag the baby off me so i just snapped at her she sat down and waited i passed her the baby and went to get myself cleaned up and me and my partner got into another argument because i just had enough of everything but didnt relise his mother was lostning to every word on the babys moniter i carnt even remember wat was said but all i no is his whole family isnt talking to me and they just blank me now. im just so sick to death i feel like im stuck in this house 24/7 i dont get a breake i realy do just feel like my lifes been tipped upside down and my partner ( THE DAD) life hasnt one bit i have to ask to go out and he just comes and goes when i do ask he either says no or gets all moody! i just feel as this is it my social lifes dead. i do love him and i do feel like i can be a cow but i do have my reasons. but if im honest this is just so hard i sometimes wish i wasnt a mum! ino everybodys thinking thats life its not easy but it realy shouldnt be impossible? people keep saying it will get easyer but i just cant see the light at the end of the tunnel!

OP posts:
FiveBells · 20/06/2010 01:52

Firstly Becky, congratulations on your DDs. I am always in awe of those who manage with twins, as I found looking after just one DS was the hardest thing I?ve ever had to do ? especially in those early months. You?ve made it thought the fog of the first three months - fantastic!

I agree with those who say he?s probably scared, and is happy enough to use the default options of getting others to help him. But you?re new to this too, and you?ve learnt the way we all have ? by doing. So he needs to figure this out too. Explain to him at a time when you?re both feeling (relatively) calm and rested how you feel and what you need. Shouting?s only going to make you feel better for about 10 seconds, but get him defensive and angry. Think about what you want to say (write it down first perhaps?) and clearly and unemotionally express it to him, adult to adult. Easier said than done, I know, but it will be more effective.

No-one ever really understands what the day to day grind is with little babies, even when they?ve gone through it themselves (like MIL?s), because they forget. Do leave him with the girls for a day if you can ? go and catch up with friends, or see a movie, or just go for a walk through the shops or something, to get a bit of a break. Talk to him through the techniques for feeding, changing, settling etc that work for your DT?s and leave him to it.

Accept all the help you can get, even if its not up to your usual standards. Learn to let things like greasy plates slide, at least for a bit (maybe just rinse the ones you use for yourself so you don?t get botulism ;-) !!) I promise you that when the girls are a bit older, and sleeping better, you?ll have time to get things the way you like them. It?s far more important to put them in a buggy and go and enjoy the sunshine on a walk, than to have sparkling dishes.

Take rests when you can and ignore those who imply you?re being lazy ? you?re TIRED for goodness sake, you need to catch up from all those night wakings! If adults are going to blank you and behave like stroppy teenagers, treat them as such ? ignore, ignore, ignore. Don?t waste valuable emotional energy on such nonsense.

Definitely contact Homestart. They may be able to suggest a parenting class for men, that your partner will feel more comfortable going to?

Don?t do his washing ? you?ve got enough to do with the girls and your own. If a man can learn to drive a car, he can certainly learn how to put some powder in a washing machine and turn it on. And even to hang it out when it come out at the end! Don?t wash up all the pots and pans that he uses ? he?ll figure it out when he can?t find one he needs that the washing up fairy hasn?t visited and he might have to do it himself.

You are a team, and yes, you?re lives have changed forever. So now?s the time to adjust. Nights out with the lads and all that will return ? I promise. But now is a time to hunker down and develop good habits of supporting each other, which will strengthen your relationship in the long run. Good luck.

gtamom · 20/06/2010 02:38

Awww, sounds like you are tired and frazzled and he is bewildered. You already got some good advice, like he can do the laundry instead of you. Also, could you run a bath, and when he comes home, allow him time to freshen up, than you go hop in the tub for a half hour?
You are lucky to have twins, but I can imagine how difficult it is for a new mom, even one baby can be overwhelming!
Talk with him, and try and work out a schedule where you both have some free time.
Hang in there!

londonlottie · 20/06/2010 03:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

ben5 · 20/06/2010 04:40

if your partner changes his clothes 3 times a day they can't get that dirty. just wash the ones that are dirty. or get him to do it!
go to toddler groups. theres always someone who'll make you a coffee or hold the babies. means you get to talk to adults to.
teach him to wash pots and pans as he goes along while cooking. my dh always used all the pots to untill i made him wash up afterwards a couple of times. he's learning slowly!
good luck

woopsidaisy · 20/06/2010 07:04

Agree with Londonlottie. Poor Becky is pouring out her soul,scraping the barrel emotionally,and she gets whined at about her paragraphs-AND PUNCTUATION? WTF?
Becky,teach him how to wash and iron,get in ready meals from M&S,try to chat to MIL about helping you out at specific times,maybe take babies for walk etc to help you out.Oh,and just get into the bath before he does! Some guys just aren't that into babies,he may be more "hand on" as they get older.Keep going,you are doing BRILLIANT.

mummysontheedge · 20/06/2010 08:20

Hi Becky, I agree with not doing his washing, he will learn how to do it quick enough when he doesn't have any clean pants!

How about suggesting that you take certain things in turns? Like one night you get to have the hour long bath and the next night he does etc.., or the night feeds, 'it's your turn, I did it before'
I don't know if this would work with your DP, but it might.

Also(I know it's easier said than done!)but try not to worry about the housework.

It does get better and your doing great!

EricNorthmansmistress · 20/06/2010 08:28

Hi Becky
keep posting on MN. It's a brilliant support especially in those early months when you have no time to see real people! You are doing amazingly well, managing twins must be incredibly difficult with a supportive partner and yours isn't right now! I would guess with your P there is a combination of - brought up to think that daily drudgery is woman's work and not that hard, selfishness in not thinking about your needs, and lack of confidence with the babies. 1 and 2 are quite hard to fight.
With my DH there was a tiny element of 1 but then he didn't have 2 so he made an effort - and even when he found it hard and DS wouldn't settle all night he still sent me off to go out with my friends. I had to have many talks with him and be very clear about which jobs were his, and the rest became mine but basically he chose the jobs he was happy to do and I leave them to him, you might have to do that. Make a list of all the daily/weekly jobs, keep it as minimal as possible (bathrooms don't need cleaning weekly for eg) and let him decide which ones will be his.
Run yourself a bath to be ready when he gets in. Make sure the twins are fed and changed and sitting in their bouncy chairs. When he walks in say 'hi, I hope you had a nice day, I'm just popping in the bath' don't discuss it, just do it. Lock the door and ignore him. When you come out inform him that you will be taking 30 minutes every day when he gets in from work. Take a night per week for yourself, or an afternoon if you prefer. Inform him that will be your time. Do not argue with him about it, do not let your resentment spill out and start yelling. Inform him calmly and reasonably that is what you need.

The MIL issue is a whole other one. She sounds like a piece of work. It's probably a good thing she's blanking you!

dinkystinky · 20/06/2010 08:32

OP - tell your partner that

(i) 4 month twins are really hard work (and as they get older and more mobile will continue to be hard work) - you're feeling overwhelmed and unsupported and if he cant give you the help and support you need, he needs to ensure it is provided by providing a cleaner and paying for a part time mothers help to help you out for several hours each day so you get a bit of a break and some time for yourself and

(ii) he needs to manage his family - just because you have had twins doesnt mean you have agreed to be in the house 24-7 for them to call round as and when they want to and to disturb the girls and you - it is appropriate and polite for them to call or text to check when would be convenient to come round and when they are there to see if they can help you out in any way.

He needs to understand your needs and if he cant provide the emotional and practical support for you himself, man up and provide the finances so you get at least the practical support.

Speak to your HV - find out about local twin support groups you can go to. Hopefully you'll get some emotional support there from mums who have been there themselves. A friend of mine with twins (whose husband worked long hours but paid for a nanny to help out with the kids for 4 hours a day during the week and was totally hands on when he was there) found it invaluable and is still really good friends with the mums she met there.

foreverastudent · 20/06/2010 08:52
  1. stop doing his washing

  2. stop doing his dishes (if he just leaves them, put them in a skanky box in the garden

  3. go to soe new mum/toddler/twin groups

  4. ask hv for a homestart referral

  5. try to get the girls into a syncronised routine

  6. if they wake up crying at night, deposit them in the bed with your dp and go and sleep on the couch

  7. get up and out before him on his next day off and leave him to be a dad for the day and see how easy he finds it (if mil is a problem try to do this when she is busy/away)

  8. if all this fails, leave him, you are pretty much a single mother already

QualityTime · 20/06/2010 08:53

Oh becky, you sounds so frazzled. I agree with those who say to ask MW or Surestart for help, twins ae a lot to cope with if you are doing everything and the housework.
If nothing else it might show to your P that you can't do it all yourself.

I think you need to stop doing his laundry, I said to DH when dd1 was born that I had 2 to deal with and he needed to do his own, he does quite happily now. It's an extra layer of stress you don't need.

You have had lots of much better advice than I can give but do keep posting I am sure there are more people who can help out

TotalChaos · 20/06/2010 08:53

yanbu. partner is being a selfish twat. only way to feel comfortable with dealing with babies is by doing it. yeah, he may not me feel confident dealing with them, but he's not exactly busting a gut to man up and sort this out, is he, just leaving you to end up exhausted.

and if you get on with HV, speak to her about lack of support from husband, it can't be an unusual issue. btw, my DH was pretty useless when DS was a baby, I ended up avoiding leaving DS with him because of the moaning etc, that was a mistake.

mommmmyof2 · 20/06/2010 08:58

My partner went from doing everything with our first child, to doing nothing with our second.I work two days a week and have two children, they are hard work and i sometimes think the parent who works may not appreciate just how hard it is for the stay at home parent.
I have had rows about how tired i am too, i think it is just trying to get a balance because if he does work then you can't expect him to everything either.Maybe you could take shifts but if he is not willing to listen or if you just get angry try writing it down and showing him.Might make you feel better, you never no he might not even know how bad you are feeling.
Kids are hard work, no question about it. But it sounds like you need time to yourselves.Have you got any family? maybe some one could have them for you and you and your partner could have a relaxing evening together and get some sleep.When you wake up you may feel refreshed and find it easier to talk to him.At the end of the day we all need help and there is nothing wrong in asking for it, hope you sort it out

Liskey · 20/06/2010 09:11

Becky - I am a twin and have got a 6 month old DD and am in awe of how people with twins cope. I've found it a struggle even with the one - two would have finished me off I think. My Dad was telling me that he used to come home from work and take over from my Mum as she'd had us all day and she used to sleep from 23.00 -04.00 then he'd sleep 04.00 - 07.00 and this was the 1970s! Your partner defintiely needs to help more - I've abandoned most housework until recently and left it for DH to do.

Maybe you need to go and have a calm chat with him away from the twins and explain how exhausted you are - I remember feeling like I was cracking up with the lack of sleep. Do you normally get on with your MIL? If so maybe if you can have a chat with her and explain how tired you are/you didn't mean what you said. My MIL took DD for a night recently to give us a night off and a chance to talk to each other - any chance she could do this?

SolidGoldBrass · 20/06/2010 10:08

You sound very isolated becky - where are your family and friends? another reason why baby&toddler groups etc are such a good idea is they provide you with a bit of adult company and conversation.

Snobear4000 · 20/06/2010 10:17

OP, I almost passed out reading your post. Do you talk for hours without taking a breath?

I think you could win a competition:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longest_English_sentence

tryingtoleave · 20/06/2010 10:58

That's so mean, Snobear. Great way to treat someone who's having a horrible time.

OP, I think it's actually good that you are arguing because it sounds like you need to establish right now that your DP can't expect you to do everything. Are you bottle feeding? If so, I would tell him that you expect equivalent time off. So if he goes out till ten tonight, you are going out till ten tomorrow (you could go to a friend and nap ). If he acknowledges the fairness of that then he will probably cut down his going out to an acceptable amount. If you're breastfeeding, obviously harder, but still try to work out sometime when you can get time off.

If your mil gives you back a baby to change, I would say 'could you just do it as I'm busy doing whatever'. If she still won't do it, then the next time she comes to take the babies I would say 'oh, there is probably no point taking them as they will probably poo in a moment and you will just have to bring them back'. The whole inlaw situation sounds hideous, and I don't know what you can do except move, which I imagine is not at all practical for a long time.

Best of luck with everything

RunawayWife · 20/06/2010 11:07

Not had time to read all but this is what I would do.

Do not cook for him
Do not wash or iron for him
Do not do anything in the bedroom for him
In fact I would not even acknowledge he was alive.
Do not let his mother/family see the babies.

And when it sinks in to his thick head that something is wrong tell him unless he gets off his lazy arse and helps you will leave, take the kids and he will never see any of you again

Southwestwhippet · 20/06/2010 11:15

When I was reading the post in addition to feeling sorry for the OP, I was thinking I bet the MN bitch-brigade will be along to offer helpful replies about punctuation and paragraphs.

Then I thought no, even the most unsympathetic of mumsnet would be able to see that the OP is really desperate, at the end of her tether in a really difficult situation, and just reply sensitively and sympathetically to her.

But hey, what do you know, turns out I was wrong to assume such charity from MN. I hope you are feeling pleasantly superiour, those of you who replied so "kindly".

tholeon · 20/06/2010 11:46

Hi Becky,

I'm new to this too. Just to say you must be so tired and twins must be so hard work - well done to you for coping at all. Is 90 your date of birth? If so you are young, too. Try to be assertive with your partner and MIL, they should be helping not hindering. Everyone needs a break from babies and toddlers sometimes. And sleep is a physical need. I agree it will get easier, but not for a while. Others have given you good advice about getting support from surestart, Twins boards, etc. Best of luck, hun. xx

Tombliboob · 20/06/2010 11:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

legspinner · 20/06/2010 12:04

Not much to add except you are doing a fantastic job, twins are bloody hard work and there is light at the end of the tunnel as it does get easier eventually. I am a mum of twins too and dimly remember what those first few months are like, and I couldn't have coped without my DH. Tell him you need help, otherwise you cannot cope. He has to learn to be part of a team, otherwise something will have to change. Good luck and glad your twins are bringing you some joy amongst the hard slog.

Scaredofthedark · 20/06/2010 12:08

Becky- congratulations on your twins!

You are doing a wonderful job as their mum. Just make sure you look after yourself, get some time away so you feel a bit more refreshed when you get back to them.
Walk to the shops for a pint of milk and take your time.
Snooze in the bathroom with the door locked.

When you are at home with the twins during the day, try and get out- even if they are screaming, you can still feed them in the park/in town and the change of scenery will do you all good.
This will also stop you from doing unnecessary tidying at home.

Your husband needs to grow up.
He needs to wear less clothes also- 3 outfits?! WTF?
He needs to accept that your lives have changed and he needs to change. Stop washing his dirty plates and pots. (get a dishwasher if space and budget allows).

Pass the twins and their bottle to him and say pointedly 'It's your turn'.

Really feel for you and hope this passes.

Lots of love, luck and sleep filled nights!
Xx

If you can afford it, maybe send some ironng out?

dittany · 20/06/2010 12:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

qwertpoiuy · 20/06/2010 12:14

Hi, Becky. I have read your Op with horror, and I had to take a few minutes to let my anger subside over what you're being put through (I didn't even notice paragraphs, punctuation, blah blah) - your P is an arrogant twat!

Did you ever consider what would happen if you ended up in hospital? Which could happen with your stress levels at the moment!

Or if you decided you weren't going to be a hands-on parent? You would be in jail for child neglect! That is what he is guilty of, but he gets away with it because you're there to do his share.

He seems to care a little about the girls, because he'll involve his mother when things get tough - at least he wouldn't just walk out the door. So he has to improve from that, and you need to throw him in the deep end.
Since talking doesn't help, shock tactics will.

1.Like others said, don't do his washing or clean up after him.
2.Don't ever ever apologise to him after any arguments involving your twins.
3.Dump the babies on him and walk out when he comes in from work, you know he won't abandon them.
4.Sleep at a friend's or your parent's house on a Saturday night when he is off, so he has no choice but to do night feeds.

qwertpoiuy · 20/06/2010 12:24

Another thing I just thought of, and it's evil is to get in a cleaner and put your girls into a creche 2 days a week!

After all, you're doing all that work for free and you'll be "wasting" money on what's supposed to be his fair share of work!

Then threaten to bring in a part-time nanny to help with night feeds!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread