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Divorce/separation

Here you'll find divorce help and support from other Mners. For legal advice, you may find Advice Now guides useful.

Nearly 35 weeks pregnant and so upset & confused!

8 replies

katieb1983 · 09/06/2018 21:30

Hi all, looking for thoughts and advice, and wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation.
To try and cut a very long story short, myself and my husband have been together for 10 years, married for 6, we have a 4 year old daughter and I'm currently coming up to 35 weeks pregnant. Things have been up and down with us off and on for the last 3 years, and eventually in December last year, when I was 9 weeks, we started a trial separation and marriage counselling. During this time, myself and our daughter lived full-time with my parents and he stayed on in our house, as we both agreed.
We tried to come back together in April, but I felt that nothing had changed - he was still devoting every bit of his time and energy to his business, still leaving pretty much everything around the house to me, and still maintaining a friendship with a girl through his work, that I've always felt has crossed the line into emotional cheating, even though he doesn't really accept that, and certainly insists that nothing physical has ever gone on.
After limping along, he told our counsellor that we would leave the appointments for now, and he has fairly recently moved back to his parents, and I'm in our house with our daughter, with 3 more weeks of full-time work ahead of me before I start my maternity leave.
He comes back to our house quite a lot, both when we're there and when we're not, and I don't always feel like this is a good thing for me or our daughter. He turned up unexpectedly during her bedtime routine last night, and then she was unsettled for me when he had gone.
He claims to ultimately want us to work and all be a family together, but says "we" can't seem to make that so at the moment, but maybe when the baby is here "we" will realise we've been foolish and things will resolve themselves. He's offered to be in the labour room, and move back in to help with the baby, if I want both of those things.
All of this is playing with my emotions - at times I feel ok and at others, like today, I feel like I'm really struggling. It is now, when I'm physically and mentally exhausted, that I need him to shape up and be around, not just when the baby is physically here. She is very much real to me as it is. I am growing ever more resentful, and I did try and say that we should just call it a day now rather than potentially drag this out, but I found that decision quite hard to enforce, and he took that to mean I took it back, and that we would carry on as we are. This includes the majority of his stuff still being here, and him staying at the house two nights a week, one with our daughter, and me shipping off to my mums again, so he can get a break from being at his parents. I'm so fed up with all this.
Am I being unreasonable being so unhappy with this half-in and half-out limbo that we're in? Should I push for a decision now, and risk it being that we split up for good, which is pretty much what he's said will probably happen if I do? Sometimes I wonder what I'm trying to save, and I don't know how much pregnancy is clouding my judgement.
I just wish I categorically knew what to do for the best for us all, or that I could fast forward the next 6-12 months, and we all be living the lives we're supposed to. Sorry this has been so long! Thank you.

OP posts:
fvyara · 01/07/2018 15:50

I am 35 weeks pregnant with my second baby. My husband and I have been together for 13 years. Our situation is kind of similar. I found out he was about to cheat on me. I am lets say more open minded and if its just sex I accept it. But it's not just that, he wants to have freedom, to chase his dreams, to be financially free, and since we have always had problems in our marriage, he wants us to separate. We still live together, because I will need help with the baby( non of our family live in the UK). We are supposed to be separated emotionally now, but it's confusing to still live together. I thought we love each other and that we will manage to deal with our problems, but now I realise he doesn't love me anymore, he doesn't want to fight for this marriage. I am not from the UK, and I really don't know what to do, should I go back home and be with my family, or try to stay here as a single mom of two (because my son is at school here, his friends are here, he has better future here)
I'm sorry I can't help you with your situation, but wanted to share that you are not alone!

Whoknows11 · 01/07/2018 19:26

Sounds like he’s having his cake and you’re allowing him to eat it!!

My ex did something similar. You are at your most vulnerable and if he doesn’t realise that and support you now then he doesn’t sound a nice person!

You need to take back control. Figure out what you want and tell him x

katieb1983 · 02/07/2018 15:55

Sorry that you're going through a hard time so late into your pregnancy too fvyara. Do you have any friends that you could lean on during this time, as you have no family in the UK? It is certainly hard to spend so much time with someone that you are no longer in that loving relationship with, and it means that you can't start the process of moving past this. I had been scared of being a single mum of 2 previously, but I'm starting to realise I've pretty much been doing everything alone anyhow.

OP posts:
RatherBeRiding · 02/07/2018 16:02

A lot of your post is about what he is doing, what he wants, what he has suggested. I think you need to decide what YOU want - and make the decision. It does honestly sound as though he wants out but just cannot bring himself to make it final.

The bit about him not accepting your feelings about his friendship is also rather worrying. He might not feel that he is emotionally cheating, but this friendship makes you unhappy and uneasy and he ought to respect that. And he isn't.

This half-in half-out is not good for your, or your daughter, although it seems to suit him pretty well.

Try to decide what would suit you - what a future without him would look like, and take it from there.

katieb1983 · 02/07/2018 16:19

There has been a development today Whoknows11, and I don't know if anyone can shed any light on this for me, as it's had me crying in the citizens advice bureau earlier!
I agree with you about taking back control, and figuring out what I want, rather than giving him all the power all of the time.
I raised the issue of money with him today. He's kept putting off the conversation, saying not to worry and everything will be fine, whatever I need, but now he's changed his tune on the first day of my maternity leave, at 38 weeks pregnant.
We've previously split all household bills and car-related bills, including the monthly finance payment, 50/50 and shared one car between us. Now he's bought his own little run-around to take himself between ours and his parents etc, he's saying he won't contribute to anything to do with "my" car anymore. This means if I add my monthly car tax, insurance, petrol and finance payments to my half of everything else, it will take me over what I will earn in SMP, so I have a shortfall, which he is basically saying today is my problem. I suggested I go to the CAB to see if I might be entitled to any help if I am to be a single parent, but he said I will just be forced to sell our house, regardless of how tiny a baby I might have at the time. Is this the case? I guess I can see it in a way, that if we can't sort this between us then it's no-one else's problem, and so why should I be able to claim anything. It's just that right now, with everything that's going on, I can't help but feel pretty hard done to too.
There's all these thoughts going round in my head - it was ok for my Nan to put a £500 deposit down on our car at the point of purchase, and even very kindly make the monthly payment for us for a little while whilst my husband first became self-employed.... it's been ok for me to look after our child 4 evenings a week and many, many weekends whilst he was out earning money in unsociable hours....and I'll be off on maternity leave looking after OUR second child, she's not just mine!
I did go down to the CAB today on the off-chance they could see me, and ended up crying on the poor receptionist. They have a drop-in session I can go to tomorrow morning. I just feel so sad and confused now - how did it all come this? Randomly, our wedding song that I never hear, popped into my head this morning and now I keep thinking of it. How did what we felt that day turn to this, not even wanting to help each other out, and be of any support whatsoever?

OP posts:
Whoknows11 · 02/07/2018 22:30

My ex did exactly the same with the car and house!
I ended up taking the car back to the garage and getting a smaller one that I could afford.
With the house he can’t force you out when the children are so small. Unless of you sold it you could have enough to buy from your share of the equity. In my case I couldn’t and 3 yrs later we’re still in our house. I’ve paid everything for it since he left.

Just hang in there, put yourself and your child first. Try and focus on your birth and try and not let this awful experience cloud the joy new life will bring.

I totally get you in every way. I was there and wanted to fall apart whilst my ex was carefree.

Hang in there, it will get better x

RatherBeRiding · 03/07/2018 10:31

I think you need to accept that it's over. He's checked out and this business with the car and money is just another indication that you're on your own. Well - he will have to pay child support so you won't be on your own financially.

But I think it's time you found yourself a lawyer and making decisions based on what is best for you and the children. He's a selfish bugger who is obviously going to waltz off into the sunset and leave you to fend for yourself. Be strong - you will be surprised at just how well you can manage. Will your parents be supportive? Time to tell them exactly what is happening and hopefully they will help you get through these next few difficult months until the dust begins to clear and you can see how the future is going to pan out.

SomeKnobend · 03/07/2018 10:48

See a solicitor asap. 50:50 is optimistic on his part if you have taken a financial hit to care for the children, more like 70:30 in your favour. Also he may not be able to make you sell the house until the youngest is 18. You pay the mortgage until then and when you sell it he then gets his percentage 30% or whatever, which you might find a bit annoying if you've added value to the property in the meantime, but at least you can stay in the house. See if any solicitors near you will give you a free 15/30 minutes consultation, lots do, and it'll give you an idea where you stand. Also contact cms and get maintenance coming in and claim any benefits you can as a single parent asap.

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