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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Girlfriend has shown her hand!

344 replies

Ccooped1 · 18/11/2019 17:09

Hi, Im extremely sad and angry with myself over the position I have let myself get into. I am a single dad with custody of 3 young children (aged 4, 6, and 8 YO). I work full time and raise my children on my own and have done for the last 3.5 years. They are amazing and we work so well as a family unit - life couldn't be any better under the circumstances. I moved away from family for work several years ago so my nearest family member is 120 miles away... At present my children have not seen their mom for 19 months as she has moved away without any idea. I get zero support, of which I don't moan about as i'm fortunate to have a good job and be motivated to my children. They have everything children need, an extremely special bond with me, they are taught morals / values, have life experiences etc. Again I am lucky to be able to do this. I have got my head down over the initial 3 years on my own ensuring my children are in a good place emotionally after the disappearing act of mother.
I have just done the basics right, worked hard, renovated a house for us to grow old in, and been a dads taxi of course.

Anyway now the scene is set, I have a major issue. Over the last year I have been building a relationship with a girl who I thought was very caring and in a similar position to me would be a safe bet. We have been open about our situation, limited time we spent together and agreed on things like kids, marriage moving in together etc. It was clear that as she had 2 children and I have 3, that I did not want any more children as it just doesn't make sense obviously to me and I dont want to change nappies for ever! Anyway after being on the pill she is pregnant and basically told me to f off she is keeping it. I know we can all say you should have not listened to her and used a condom but it has been a year and i thought trust was there. My point of view is that I have been clear from day one and this is all against my consent. She already has 2 children off different dads and I am not judging by this but surely she wants solid foundations to void being in her current position again. She has told me that she is having it regardless of what I say. I know her kids dads are not the best so she wants a good dad but this is all wrong. She is not listening to me and everytime I try and talk calmly to her she goes off on one and i see a side I never once thought was there. I understand that there is nothing i can do so this message really is me venting off and hoping that someone can tell me they have had something similar or what on earth I am going to do. I would never ever walk away from a child so I will be there for it no matter what, with regards to the mother I cannot be false and this is betrayal and whilst I am not a nasty person I cannot move forward with a women like this. I feel such a fool!!

OP posts:
Moomin8 · 20/11/2019 00:13

Also there is no double standard.

The fact that women are the ones who carry babies, give birth, stop working, find childcare when they go back to work, pay for it and all that comes with that means that they are way more disadvantaged from the outset. I really should not have to point that out to you.

Men, otoh can up sticks, bugger off and do nothing. They certainly have no physiological side effects. The worst thing that can happen is they have to pay 12% of their income to support their child. Which really is a bare minimum. And even then they can become self employed and wriggle out of even that obligation.

NemophilistRebel · 20/11/2019 00:24

Yes women carry babies and give birth

But they do g have to give up work
It’s not their job to find the childcare
And it’s both parents responsibilities to pay for it, most fairly done on a percentage of earning basis.

Women disadvantage themselves by choosing not to work.
Its a choice they make. I chose to work so I wasn’t left disadvantaged.
Having a baby hasn’t made me any worse off than my husband

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 20/11/2019 00:29

Moomin8

And yet in the.ops case it is he who.is looking after the children, paying for them etc and it's the mother who has upped sticks and buggered off.

So he is being responsible for his 3 existing children. Meanwhile his gf is only working 2 days a week. So who is doing more for their children?

Moomin8 · 20/11/2019 00:38

So he says @Hearhoovesthinkzebras

Personally I should imagine that her side of the story is completely different.

Sorry but men can wriggle out of paying unless they are on a payroll and don't keep changing jobs.

Moomin8 · 20/11/2019 00:39

Having a baby hasn’t made me any worse off than my husband

Probably because your husband isn't a whiny, accusatory misogynist.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 20/11/2019 00:45

Moomin8

We never get the other side of any op and we have to take them all at face value.

I guess if you think he's lying then you need to report the thread. Why do you assume he's not telling the truth?

Moomin8 · 20/11/2019 00:55

Yes, we do have to take people at face value. The op has taken no responsibility for the situation. He has thrown shade at this woman and the mother of his 3 children.

He's written long, whiny self pitying, self congratulatory stuff over and over.

As far as I can see, as much as he thinks he deserves a medal, we can assume an awful lot about what kind of person he is.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 20/11/2019 00:59

So you've agreed that we have to take it at face value but then launched an attack.

Is it any wonder that he's throwing shades at the mother of his children? He's been left to bring up 3 kids on his own, with no help. I'm sure most women in that position would throw shades at their ex, no?

Moomin8 · 20/11/2019 01:01

You're not seeing the bigger picture ...

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 20/11/2019 01:02

What is the bigger picture?

Bluerussian · 20/11/2019 01:29

I think we are being a bit hard on the op, he believed his girlfriend and this has been a shock to him. I think, given a bit of time, he'll be OK about it; from what he's said, he has been as good a father as he can be to his existing children and may well be a loving and supportive father to the 'new' child. I hope that is the case anyway and nothing he has said indicates otherwise. However - a shock pregnancy is just that, a shock. Probably a shock to his girlfriend (or ex) too.

I've known others in same predicament and it has all turned out OK.

It's difficult if someone comes on here, showing their shock about a situation (quite natural), and all they receive is harsh words.

Time passes and attitudes change; the op's and the woman's ( say9ing 'woman's' sounds harsh but atm I cannot think of another, kinder word: wish I could), children may absolutely adore the new baby and I hope and believe that will be the case with this.

Inadequate words from me but it's amazing what people can cope with.

As long as it doesn't happen again with anyone else on either side! I'm sure they will be more careful if they have other relationships in future but we're dealing with the here and now.

I hope Ccooped1 will keep us updated so we know how all get on in future & want to assure him he is not alone - and it can turn out well.

I may have already said I knew someone in same position and it turned out alright even though there were difficulties early on.

KittenLedWeaning · 20/11/2019 07:40

*Why are they not allowed to be upset, regretful, scared about the prospect of becoming a father?
Because, fgs nobody forced him to stick his cock in someone and ejaculate

So are you saying that every time a couple have sex relying on the contraceptive pill, the male should be prepared to welcome a pregnancy in case the pill fails and the female doesn't want an abortion?

He can't force her to have an abortion, and I don't think anyone on this thread, OP included, has suggested he should be able to. The OP said in his first post that I would never ever walk away from a child so I will be there for it no matter what.

However, that doesn't mean he has to be happy about the pregnancy. It doesn't mean he can't tell his partner that he would prefer the pregnancy to be terminated. 🙄If his partner's response to his saying 'I'd like you to have an abortion' is simply 'fuck off, I'm having it no matter what' then that is unreasonable. His partner is refusing to engage in an adult discussion about the situation.

And, yes, there might be another side to this story but one could say that about any thread on Mumsnet. There's no point in engaging at all if you assume from the outset that the OP is lying.

Auberjean · 20/11/2019 09:12

I agree with that @KittenLedWeaning

furrytoebean · 20/11/2019 09:25

So are you saying that every time a couple have sex relying on the contraceptive pill, the male should be prepared to welcome a pregnancy in case the pill fails and the female doesn't want an abortion?

Yes.
If he's not prepared to welcome a pregnancy if the pill fails then he should wear a condom. It's not rocket science.

What else is he supposed to do? Persuading someone to have an abortion when they don't want one is not ok either.

He's a grown man who I assume knows how babies are made, making out like he's been tricked somehow is disingenuous.

If he'd come on and said 'oh no I've made a terrible mistake, I'm scared and am looking for a hand hold' I'm sure he'd have got lots of support. But instead he's making out like his partner is being unreasonable or making decisions about her own body.

FattyCutty · 20/11/2019 09:29

I think by posting this the OP got exactly the result they wanted.

cheeseandbiscuittime · 20/11/2019 09:32

She's already had two abortions so I would say what's another one to her?!! She surely would be extra careful if she REALLY didn't want anymore!! I think OPs been had here.

RuffleCrow · 20/11/2019 09:36

Her body, her choice.

And yes, you definitely should have used a condom. After 3 kids you would think you would understand the link between sex and pregnancy. You knew the risks. If you're honest this is about money, isn't it? You know you're probably going to split and then you'll be liable for maintenance. Well, i think your unborn child's right to be fed and clothed and provided for by both parents outweighs anything else.

furrytoebean · 20/11/2019 09:36

She's already had two abortions so I would say what's another one to her?!! She surely would be extra careful if she REALLY didn't want anymore!! I think OPs been had here.

What's how many abortions she's had in the past got to do with anything?
The point is she doesn't want to have one now and that's her right.
Maybe she found the other two traumatic or she was at a totally different part of her life?

Yeah if she really didn't want any more she should have been more careful, or be prepared to have an abortion but when the chips were down she decided she would have one more.

Now if the OP REALLY didn't want any more he should have worn a condom instead of relying on someone else for contraception.
That would have sorted out a lot of problems.

RuffleCrow · 20/11/2019 09:50

"All I did was release millions of sperm into her vagina, how dare she end up pregnant?!"

AuntyElle · 20/11/2019 09:53

So are you saying that every time a couple have sex relying on the contraceptive pill, the male should be prepared to welcome a pregnancy in case the pill fails and the female doesn't want an abortion?

Yes. The risk is biological reality. Men need to wake up, realise this and take a share of the responsibility for preventing an unwanted pregnancy themselves.

BIWI · 20/11/2019 10:38

Yes, the OP might have 'had a shock' (to quote @Bluerussian)

But why does that mean he

a) registers to post on MN about it?
b) ... to slag his partner off?

This man clearly has an agenda, and it's not about the pregnancy at all!

Loopytiles · 20/11/2019 12:09

“ So are you saying that every time a couple have sex relying on the contraceptive pill, the male should be prepared to welcome a pregnancy in case the pill fails and the female doesn't want an abortion?”

Not “welcome” a pregnancy, but take responsibility, and pay for and parent the DC.

It’s the only stance for decent boys and men to take.

cheeseandbiscuittime · 20/11/2019 12:28

The thing is a lot of men don't welcome unwanted pregnancies and they just fuck off. So, if the lady concerned doesn't want to end up single parenting another child then she needs to make sure (as far as possible) that she doesn't get pregnant.

Breathlessness · 20/11/2019 12:36

Biwi please check your inbox

Aneley · 20/11/2019 14:40

It sounds to me that this can't and shouldn't be all black and white situation. There's a lot on both sides that could have been done differently.

I absolutely agree that the OP should have used additional protection if he didn't want more children and that he can't force anyone to have an abortion, but take responsibility for the child that resulted from this relationship. I also find his articulation of the issue quite one-sided.

However, I can understand that in a state of shock, whilst trying to get to grips to a major event that will change his life forever he may not be able to be as gracious and balanced as people who are leaving comments here want him to be. Most of the comments are just as one sided and this situation doesn't affect THEIR lives whatsoever.

Also, it is beyond me why would a woman who already has 2 kids from 2 different men and 2 abortions in her past want to have a third child by yet another man who made it clear that he doesn't want another kid. Her life - her business, of course - but there's a lot of women out there who had more than one sexual partner in life and managed not to get pregnant by them. I also find it unreasonable to deny the OP the right to voice his displeasure. Yes, he's just as responsible for this pregnancy as she is but the fact is that he has no say in the ultimate decision and it seems very unfair to me that he shouldn't be given the right to make it clear just how unhappy with this turn of events he is and try to explain why he would prefer if she had an abortion. Provided he's not blackmailing and he is calm and rational - he (and every man) should be entitled to a discussion and a chance to argue in favour of his preferred outcome. That's what partnership is all about. It can't be that once pregnancy happens, men are not entitled to an opinion and conversation about it and their feelings don't matter one jot.

When my husband and I started dating I was very upfront with him about this topic. I said that I expect us both to be responsible for contraception but that if pregnancy happened I would not have an abortion. If this couple had a similar conversation and she agreed to his 'no more children until agreed by BOTH of us otherwise' then I can understand why he feels betrayed if she won't even discuss it.

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