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Contact with baby

8 replies

Windmill1828 · 07/04/2019 13:57

Hi all!

Well the ex threw us (me and my 8 year old daughter) out when I was 7 weeks pregnant. (Not that he will ever admit that he did!)
To keep an extremely long story short - I sold my house and he bought a lovely family home for us all to live in. We were in it a matter of weeks. The pregnancy was ivf and we had literally just booked our wedding just weeks before. In my eyes we were living the dream. Honestly. I've never been happier.
I have my little girl from a previous relationship and he had his little boy that he saw every other weekend. Those two kids got on really well.
Then literally after our 7 week scan he just snapped and said it couldn't do it. He hired a van the next day and moved our stuff back to my exchanged but not quite completed house that we all used to live in.
His excuse? He felt his son was unhappy!! That he would feel like daddy had a new family. That I was too hard on him by making him do the things my daughter does in the home like shoes away, plates in the dishwasher etc. They were 8&9. I encouraged him when he couldn't do something instead of sitting back and doing it for him which is what happened at his mums house. The little boy was extremely anxious and needed the encouragement.
He had nothing to do with my pregnancy even though I tried desperately. I was rock bottom as you could imagine. My whole world ripped apart. My family in shreds. Not really understanding what the hell had happened!
I'm not sure where I found the strength but I sofa hopped for months while I managed to secure me and my daughter a new home. I went to all the scans and appointments on my own. He had nothing to do with us.
1 month before baby is born I didn't get a text message on my birthday and the next day he text to apologise. Weird.

I told him where we were now living and he said he wanted to come round (3 mins away from his house) with a card.
He did. He walked in and kissed me!!!
I took this opportunity to pull him back in, I put it all down to a mental breakdown of sorts. He was all over me. Coming round, rubbing my belly.
Throughout it all I did everything I could to pull him back in. And his son. Presents, cards. Etc.
I let him come to the birth of his little girl and then he spits me back out because I wouldn't let him take my 2 day old newborn to costa coffee to see his son that I'm no longer (apparently down to his mum) allowed to see 💔
I then dont hear from him for most of his paternity leave. And he initiates and hour a week contact with now 3 week old baby.
No support. No money. Nothing,
Problem is, he now ignores my 9 year old daughter (who he promised the world to) and she is getting really upset about his coming round, understandably. She's been amazing with him after all he's done.
He doesn't think he's done anything wrong. He maintains he was protecting his child but also maintains he wants me to have a relationship with him now but he's battling against his mum to get her to allow him to see me!
It's such a mess.
I loved that little boy.
My daughter is now becoming affected and my heart breaks for my baby being born into this.
I struggle to have any conversation with him as any slight confrontation and he kicks off. He keeps threatening "fine.. go to a contact centre then" I'm sick of him using this as a stick to continue to beat me with.
But a newborn in a handover situation where he knows nothing about the baby.. how to make her bottle, her routine etc is making me very nervous.
I'm trying to keep it all together but I'm exhausted as you can imagine.

Any help would be much appreciated xx

OP posts:
Doyoumind · 07/04/2019 14:03

Your relationship with him is over. You don't have to facilitate contact by hosting him. I would let him have the baby for those short periods of time. I can imagine it is difficult but you need to set some ground rules, keep things civil but focused only on contact issues and ignore his tantrums

FifisLovelyApron · 07/04/2019 14:10

He's a gaslighting rubbish pile of a person. He also sounds like he loves drama. To not upset his son he split up your family before your child together was even born? He has serious issues. It may be for the best that you come to terms with having no more relationship with his ds, it's another tie to your ex that he can use to manipulate you. If his ex dp doesn't want you to see him, that's that really. And explain to your dd that he's no longer a part of her life, don't leave her hoping.

I'd cut of all contact and tell him to see a lawyer. You will not be able to sort things out when he keeps moving the goalposts and being manipulative. And don't try to win him back, he will use that to get sex from you. If he wanted you and your family together he wouldn't have run off the first time.

FifisLovelyApron · 07/04/2019 14:12

But a newborn in a handover situation where he knows nothing about the baby.. how to make her bottle, her routine etc is making me very nervous.

It's one for the family courts. He certainly won't get overnight stays with a baby, likely short visits, ideally with a neutral person who knows about baby care. A contact centre really might not be the worst thing, better than him coming to your home and upsetting your older child.

Windmill1828 · 07/04/2019 14:38

Yeah you're right, but all this is the last thing on Earth I ever wanted.. ever.
I feel like I'm drowning in this mess. My friends and family tell me to stick up for myself more and stop letting him walk all over me but I feel like I'm conflicted in that at least I can make sure everything is all ok when he's here for his one hour a week. I can't imagine letting her go to his without me.. he doesn't know anything about her. Not one nappy change. No one bottle made. Not one night feed.
I've kept him in the loop and sent him photos of her etc. Turns out he sticks them on FB for the glory.
He sits there in his hour with her telling her how much he loves her.. 🙄
Last time he turned up with a teddy for the baby and nothing for my 9yo who he claimed as his own for all that time we were together and then ignored her. When I finally confronted his his excuse was "well she didn't talk to me" 😳 "fine, if she hates me that much go through a contact centre"
So I said I was going to and blocked further contact. But I know nothing about them. All I know is that I hand baby over to stranger who hands baby to him and he gets two hours and then he hands baby to stranger and then back to me.
It's so far from what I want for her 💔

OP posts:
Napssavelives · 08/04/2019 05:49

I hear you OP. My ex walked out when I was 17 weeks pregnant with baby number 3. I thought we were happy and it turns out he was living a lie and never even wanted the baby. We also have 2 other kids 4&6. I’ve done most of this pregnancy alone, scans appointments , picking up the pieces from the mess he’s left behind and rebuilding our ither children whilst he lived the single life in hotels. I’ve made it perfectly clear when the baby comes that I will not be separated from him, it’s not an option. Are you BF? I think that helps the case. I think I’m going to suggest I bring the baby for an hour of contact a couple of times a week when he sees the other kids to start with. I feel baby does need to bond with him but not to the detriment of my mental health and in these early days after such a difficult pregnant and time my bonding with the baby and mental health is more important than him bonding with a baby he walked out on - there is time for that in the future. What my 3 children need is a well mother and given what he has done and put me and the kids through I’m in bits.

Mami16 · 08/04/2019 16:01

Hi just to let you know my ex went to court to sort contact with 12 week old and two year old. He's had contact for two hours for teatime twice a week and every other weekend, overnight on Saturdays and in 3 months time add Friday overnight and then in 6 months from Friday night till Monday morning. Never thought they'd let overnights for a 12 week old baby but that's what they decided.

Ex did apply for 50:50 but didn't get it.
I'm even considering moving back to be with them all the time! The overnights are killing me

Napssavelives · 08/04/2019 18:24

Overnight at 3 months? Wow, are you BF? This scares me. I can’t be separated from my baby, I fail to see how separation at such a young age is in the baby’s best interests.

Mami16 · 08/04/2019 18:40

No not BF anymore and there was no safeguarding issue so they decided on overnight stays, I wasn't expecting overnights and that's why I'm thinking of moving back. Big hugs

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