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I dont want MIL touching dd...

75 replies

lauraloolajinglesalltheway · 30/11/2008 21:41

MIL lives in America and came home in September to see dd. I get very depressed during her stay and didnt want her touching my dd.

Dd is now nearly 6mo and MIL is back soon for Christmas week. Already she has made us change our plans to fit her in and I am getting madder and madder about it.

I still dont want her near my dd. I honestly dont know why I just dont want her having anything to do with her.

I mentioned this to my GP when she was back before and he didnt really say a lot.

What can I do? I am loosing sleep at night worrying about her visit.

OP posts:
TisTheSeasonToBeSunny · 30/11/2008 22:38

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random · 30/11/2008 22:40

Sounds a bit weird to me ..But then I'm a MIL so used to the slaggings off we get on here Don't think I'm odd smelling tho

lauraloolajinglesalltheway · 30/11/2008 22:40

We started the routine like that a week ago but now dd is ill so it has gone out the window. I will put it back in when shes better - Its also a good way of having some dd and me time when MIL is here.

OP posts:
TheGarishlyTwinkleyMadHouse · 30/11/2008 22:42

You need to remeber that she can not be all bed, she brought up your DP and you fell in love with him.

You can help how you feel, you need to put a plan into action now, in order to work on changing your feelings, as they are unreasonable and irrational.

liath · 30/11/2008 22:42

Would it help at all to be upfront with her and tell her that you're struggling to "let go" of dd? You could tell her (honestly) that it's a symptom of PND and you're trying hard to get over it?

edam · 30/11/2008 22:43

Ok, you know you are wrong and irrational and you realise you can't sort this out on your own. So you need some help. Can you go back to the surgery and see a different GP, and explain the situation the way you've put it here? Say that you recognise these feelings about your MIL are irrational and harmful (destructive of relationships between dd/you/dh/MIL and wider family) but you can't handle them alone and need help?

Jux · 30/11/2008 22:43

Please get over this. You know you are not behaving well and you haven't said anything about your MIL which even remotely justifies how you are feeling. You are being irrational and you will make everybody miserable over this. You are just going to have to make the effort and put your feelings aside. You are being totally unfair.

lauraloolajinglesalltheway · 30/11/2008 22:44

I was wondering about telling her about how I feel.

We communicate via email and will email each other once every couple of months or when she wants something. Dp doesnt think its a good idea and I posted on here and no one thought it was a good idea!!!

Dp didnt believe that I thought I had PND when she was here last. He thought it was an excuse not to see her.

OP posts:
TisTheSeasonToBeSunny · 30/11/2008 22:44

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TisTheSeasonToBeSunny · 30/11/2008 22:45

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TheGarishlyTwinkleyMadHouse · 30/11/2008 22:45

How long since she was last here and if you throught you had PND then why havent you sought treatment

lauraloolajinglesalltheway · 30/11/2008 22:45

TBH me and DP are more like housemates at the moments who look after our dd. I dont think that helps - I dont think we love each other anymore.

I may go back to the doctors to see what they say.

OP posts:
notnowbernard · 30/11/2008 22:45

I do feel you need to try and have a few harsh words with yourself in order to try and sort this one out

That may mean putting feelings aside and grin-and-bearing the visit or booking an appt with GP to try and talk it through a bit more

Have you ever had irrational-type feelings about anything or anyone prior to getting pregnant and having dd?

lauraloolajinglesalltheway · 30/11/2008 22:46

She was here in September for a week to see dd. Dd is now 5mo. The first day she was here to see her I sat with dd asleep on me for 3 hours. I was bursting for a wee but knew if I put her down she would wake up.

Got to get off the net now but will check tomorrow morning.

Thanks everyone x

OP posts:
TheGarishlyTwinkleyMadHouse · 30/11/2008 22:47

You obviously have lots going on and need to seek some expert help for the sake of your child - she needs to develop relationships with the rest of her family too

TisTheSeasonToBeSunny · 30/11/2008 22:48

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TisTheSeasonToBeSunny · 30/11/2008 22:49

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Booboobedoo · 30/11/2008 22:53

lljatw: you sound like you're in a bit of a state tbh.

I understand the 'pull yourself together' comments, but maybe you can't.

Could you go and see your HV? I know they get a slating on here, but I went to mine to talk about how I was feeling, and she did a couple of home visits (probably to check I was looking after DS ok), and they really helped.

She can also refer you elsewhere if she thinks you need some help.

stepfordknife · 30/11/2008 22:54

"I know that I am wrong and am being completly stupid and cruel but I cant help it."

Rubbish, yes you can help it. Snap out of it. Your attitude it completely unacceptable. I had PND too, twice and that's really no excuse.

If you have issues with her being a little controlling etc then deal with those - don't withhold her granddaughter from her (and yes she is her granddaughter, every bit as much as she is your daughter.

StudentMadwife · 30/11/2008 22:55

do you have control issues? Not allowing family to take photos of her is a bit bizarre, afterall they are just admiring your perfect little creation!
Can you imagen how your partner feels about this? not to mention your mil-i would be devestated if that were me, especially as there seems to be no reason- eg family rows or whatever.

Could you keep yourself busy doing other things during her visit, leaving her to spend time with dp and mil?

your fear sounds irrational and perhaps it might be a good idea to talk this through with a proffessional, perhaps family therapy could be beneficial too?

solidgoldbrass · 01/12/2008 00:07

Thing is, if you have or are developing some kind of mental health disorder (which TBH sounds more than possible) you can't just 'pull yourself together', you need proper help. You're still enough in touch with reality to recognise that your behaviour and feelings are not reasonable, please go back to your GP or talk to your HV.

ActingNormal · 02/12/2008 10:52

I don't think it is as simple as "get a grip", "have harsh words with yourself", "tell yourself you are behaving unacceptably".

When I first got pregnant I developed irrational feelings against a close friend. I felt I needed to get away from her because I didn't want her near my baby when she was born. I felt SCARED of her being near my baby.

When I was pregnant the second time I developed similar irrational feelings against my MIL but worse and lasted longer after DS's birth.

For me it was a control issue I think. I already had issues to do with feeling not in control of what happens to me/what happened to me as a baby and as a child before I had my children. I feel protective towards my children to the point of anxiety which sometimes exhausts me and still makes me irrational.

My friend A had been talking about another friend of hers B who had recently had a baby and how her friend didn't know what she was doing but A just picked up the baby and got her to stop crying and gave her a bottle and she was Oh so good at it and better with the baby than his own mother B. A is very confident and likes to take control and be in charge of organising people (I am NOT this confident). I love her but recognise that she feels desperate to be needed and can be manipulative - manipulating her way into a 'needed', 'in charge' position.

My MIL also feels desperate to be needed and in charge, even more. She still treats her adult sons as children and encourages them to think they can't do things for themselves and need her to do it for them. When I had children (I was the first DIL to do this) she seemed to struggle with not being the No 1 Mummy any more and tried to interfere and take charge and force herself into an important needed role. She is also an assertive person (I am NOT).

Thank you if you have read this far, I know I am a waffler. It is background to this fact - I was scared they would take over and take my baby (emotionally) away from me. I knew I would be nervous about my ability to form a bond with my baby and would need time and space to do it and didn't want overconfident people marching in taking the baby off me (in a let me have a go I'll get him/her to stop crying kind of way, or a don't do it like that, I'll show you how it's done kind of way) and making me feel rubbish at it. The mother's bond with the baby is the MOST important thing and should not be interfered with so people need to be aware of giving the mother space. This bonding issue is probably a sore point for me after being taken from my birth mother then temporary foster mother then put with cold unexpressive adoptive parents, but I bet lots of mental health experts would say that a baby's bond with it's mother (or not) has a HUGE effect on their mental health into adulthood.

There is also the fact that I wanted to be the important one for once in my life and didn't want other people taking this from me. I finally had someone in my life who was my flesh and blood who I was determined to have a normal healthy relationship with. I hadn't had that so far so wasn't going to let anybody take that away from me.

I have a relative who is still quite possessive over her children and I think she is like that because she has lost several family members and is desperate to keep hold of her children.

I'll stop going on now, just saying reasons why I know it could happen in case any of them apply to you, OP and could help you understand yourself.

lauraloolajinglesalltheway · 02/12/2008 12:20

Thanks Actingnormal - You have made a lot of sense.

MIL is just like that - She likes to be in control. She wouldnt dare tell me how to do something! The last visit in September I had been shopping and came home with dd to find MIL, BIL, BIL's son and MIL's sister - All playing on my Wii with their shoes on! Dd was in her car seat so I put her in the hall and went and got some bags. I came back to find MIL had the car seat in the front room and was taking dd out with dd's neck bent at an angle. I was not happy about that - My family ask first if they can take her out of the car seat/pram.

I just dont know what to do. I have thought about going to my gp but I am good with things like that and know I will walk away with nothing and nothing done. I am not really speaking to dp at the mo as I dont want another MIL fuelled argument. He is sucking up so much so he knows something is up.

Maybe I will just have her round once on her visit and that will be that. She has arranged to take DP out for the night and for lunch one day and I havent been invited to either. Maybe to the lunch but I wont go as Dd will have started weaning then and I dont know yet how she will be.

Feel better now that I have put it in writing again.

OP posts:
lauraloolajinglesalltheway · 02/12/2008 12:20

That was a long one! No one has to read it BTW - I think I will keep posting to get it off of my chest!!

OP posts:
WotsThatSkippy · 02/12/2008 12:24

I'm astonished that nobody thinks the OP could be suffering from PND / anxiety. Unhelpful comments like 'snap out of it' are outrageous. This is not rational behaviour. OP - I would really urge you to get some help.