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Pregnancy

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

Do i get to be selfish in pregnancy?

102 replies

Newmum931 · 08/08/2026 06:39

I am 30 weeks pregnant and I am having a difficult time dealing with my sisters fertility troubles after the things she said to me.
She has been having issues getting pregnant for years and has just told me after i got pregnant earlier this year about it all. Things came to a head with us a month ago as I told her for the time being I did not have the capacity to deal with other ppls issues at the moment as I am going through a difficult part of my pregnancy and would like to focus on my journey from this point on and keep a postivie focus on my labour and rest of my birth. I didnt say it like this i just said I dont have the capacity for others issues at the moment trying to set a boundary. She complained to me that she cant expect other to treat her how she treats them after me saying this and mentioned how if it was me she'd be there, i found this very shocking and hurtful as all through my pregnancy i have checked in with her about her struggles and I ask her how she is all the time and she always tells me she is fine whenever I ask but during this confrontation she said she has had very bad days which she has never mentioned before. We have had lengthy conversations about her journey and ive been there every step of the way once she decided to tell me. I called her selfish that she said this to me and she threw that back in my face saying that me setting the boundary of not being able to handle other people's struggles at the moment was selfish and just because I am pregnant my feelings do not come before hers and I should be there to listen to her and help her through this.

It has really affected me and Ive started to pull away from her as I totally disagree and feel this time with growing my first baby I get to be selfish and protect our peace and do what is best for us. I also wish she had told me before I got pregnant about the years shes been struggling as I truly had no idea and feel like I would have gone about things differently with her had I known and been more cautious with how much I confided in her.

OP posts:
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DaisyChain505 · Yesterday 07:35

If I knew my sister was in so much pain because she wanted to become a mother and couldn’t, I don’t think I would ever have the heart to tell her that I didn’t want to listen to her or support her. I think if anything I would feel extreme guilt that I was the one who had been blessed with a pregnancy and she hadn’t and want to be there to support her during what must be such a difficult time for her.

Yes you are selfish and heartless.

thereisnomeaning · Yesterday 07:43

mathanxiety · Yesterday 05:45

Yes, god forbid a pregnant woman should disregard the needs or feelings of those around her.

Those uppity pregnant women need to be taken down a peg and reminded there's nothing special about them and nothing special about what they are doing for nine months, and they should expect no special consideration whatsoever.

Pregnant women can still show sensitivity to the feelings of others. And no, they actually aren't anymore special than anyone else. I've had lots of babies, just like women have done for many thousands of years. I managed to take care of my needs without telling women experiencing infertility to put a cork in it because I had a baby myself.

For my large family, with my sister well and truly over her infertility at this point, I still make sure to not be insensitive about things like 'because I have children to consider'.

PinkElephants356 · Yesterday 07:46

As someone who understands your sisters side of things, it is so hard to explain how difficult fertility struggles are. It’s so heartbreaking to be honest and all consuming. And I cannot even imagine what it must be like after years and years of it to find out one’s own sister is pregnant. It will be even harder if the pregnancy came about relatively easily. I can’t imagine the heartbreak the pregnancy news caused. She is probably so pleased to be an aunt but deep down wanting so desperately to be a mum.

It sounds to me like your sister has sensibly realised the best way to cope with this is to engage with you and tell you about her struggles rather than hold it in pretending all is fine which would be very painful. She’s probably also tried to engage with you about your pregnancy and tried very hard to be excited with you to help cope with her own struggles.

To me she probably isn’t reaching out to you for advice and support (there are plenty of online forums for that) but more of a way to cope with the situation and also to let you know about how difficult she may find your pregnancy news. Now after bravely doing so you have said you no longer wish to support her in the last few weeks of your pregnancy which must be very hard for her.

At the same time people struggling with infertility also know how previous pregnancy is and that it is a vulnerable time where you must protect yourself. There are probably a lot of people who had an easy time getting pregnant and an easy pregnancy who then wonder why people make such a fuss about it, but they are the fortunate ones and it’s not a walk in the park for everyone. And just because they were relaxed about it doesn’t mean that it’s not a massive strain on their body and they probably should have been more careful for the sake of their baby, which is what you are trying to do now.

Your sister will most likely understand how protective you are feeling at the moment and she would feel the same during pregnancy especially after years of infertility.

You are very wise to relax and reduce stress in your life at the moment, you need to protect yourself and your baby.

I would continue to focus on your pregnancy but I would apologise to your sister and explain why you want to focus on your pregnancy for these final few weeks.

Poppycorn123 · Yesterday 07:54

I would wonder why she waited to tell you until you announced your pregnancy. You have been empathetic towards her but she is pushing & pushing. Seems she's trying to make you feel bad for being pregnant . You aren't on the same page so it doesn't make sense to reach out to you. She needs someone in the same boat to share her struggles with. She is being selfish spoiling this special time for you. It would be better for both of you if she keeps her distance.

SerenaCat93 · Yesterday 08:07

mathanxiety · Yesterday 05:38

Your sister is being an arse. Is she trying to make you feel guilty for being pregnant when she can't be? Is she trying obliquely to remind you constantly that you should be grateful to be pregnant regardless of how the pregnancy is going? Does she expect you to have the emotional space to carry her troubles once the baby is born too? Will you be expected to be mindful of her problems and not appear too excited about the baby?

Some women who struggle with infertility get extremely wrapped up in that and become oblivious to other people's needs. It's nobody's problem but her own.

Accusing a pregnant woman of being selfish is a low blow. It's manipulative and unkind and it screams 'Me, me, me, me, meeeeeee...Forget about you...Pay attention to meeeeeee'

Ugh. How unpleasant.

abbynabby23 · Yesterday 08:13

Newmum931 · 08/08/2026 06:39

I am 30 weeks pregnant and I am having a difficult time dealing with my sisters fertility troubles after the things she said to me.
She has been having issues getting pregnant for years and has just told me after i got pregnant earlier this year about it all. Things came to a head with us a month ago as I told her for the time being I did not have the capacity to deal with other ppls issues at the moment as I am going through a difficult part of my pregnancy and would like to focus on my journey from this point on and keep a postivie focus on my labour and rest of my birth. I didnt say it like this i just said I dont have the capacity for others issues at the moment trying to set a boundary. She complained to me that she cant expect other to treat her how she treats them after me saying this and mentioned how if it was me she'd be there, i found this very shocking and hurtful as all through my pregnancy i have checked in with her about her struggles and I ask her how she is all the time and she always tells me she is fine whenever I ask but during this confrontation she said she has had very bad days which she has never mentioned before. We have had lengthy conversations about her journey and ive been there every step of the way once she decided to tell me. I called her selfish that she said this to me and she threw that back in my face saying that me setting the boundary of not being able to handle other people's struggles at the moment was selfish and just because I am pregnant my feelings do not come before hers and I should be there to listen to her and help her through this.

It has really affected me and Ive started to pull away from her as I totally disagree and feel this time with growing my first baby I get to be selfish and protect our peace and do what is best for us. I also wish she had told me before I got pregnant about the years shes been struggling as I truly had no idea and feel like I would have gone about things differently with her had I known and been more cautious with how much I confided in her.

I am so confused what’s so difficult at 30 weeks pregnant that you literally don’t have the capacity to deal with anything else. One advice is to increase a bit your tolerance because if in the future you face a very difficult health problem and she responds to you that she doesn’t have the capacity to deal with you she will be right. And you never know how life will bring things.

GreenCaterpillarOnALeaf · Yesterday 08:27

Honestly I’m quite a “selfish” person generally and I’m much happier than average. I also think it allows me to be a better parent, wife, aunty, and generally more pleasant to be around. I used to be putting everyone else first and rushing all the time, but when I got pregnant with DS (second pregnancy, it was quiet soon after DD so it did take more of a physical toll) I just stopped. You can literally just be selfish, you don’t even need to be pregnant to do it!

As for your sister, she is obviously going to be having a hard time. Does she have friends? Are your parents supportive? I don’t think either of you are in the wrong, and the fact she didn’t tell you probably complicates things further. Maybe it’s best for both of you if you pull back, but it does depend on what she’s asking of you.

EDIT: also “what’s so difficult about being 30 weeks pregnant” well lots of things. It depends on the person and the pregnancy. First two times I was pregnant I’d have said that, but for the third despite having no underlying medical issues I was shattered. Sleeping for hours. Some pregnancies are just harder than others - also I can’t imagine being any kind of pregnant in this heat.

Ophy83 · Yesterday 08:28

Fine to be selfish. But don't expect her to have any interest in you and your baby when it arrives

It is usually best not to burn bridges.

Dollymylove · Yesterday 08:28

Pregnancy can be stressful, exhausting, especially as your date gets closer, especially if its your first. Worries about labour, will it go ok, will by baby be healthy, maybe still working, sometimes you dont have the head space for other peoples problems. Its not OPs fault that her DSis is struggling to conceive, maybe just needs a small break from constantly having to minister to Dsis when she feels knackered and just wants to put her feet up and consume her body weight in chocolate.

I'll get my coat.....

hellobellow359 · Yesterday 08:28

my pregnancy’s were horrific. They made me so ill. But I never thought about announcing I couldn’t be there for others during them. Such an odd viewpoint to have.

Itchysidefoot · Yesterday 08:34

UraniumFlowerpot · 08/08/2026 07:12

Over the years I’ve made a lot of excuses for friends and family who have become very selfish in pregnancy and with a new baby. Suddenly no time or capacity for anyone else’s stuff, conversations that revolve around them, messages repeatedly ignored, everything has to be done to their convenience etc. And I had never had kids and I understood it’s a very challenging time and all consuming.

Anyway, I’m now close to the end of my first pregnancy. It’s not been an easy ride and along the way I’ve had a lot of work stress and illness on top. A lot to deal with by anyone’s standards. But somehow I’ve managed to stay in touch with friends, managed to care about what they’re going through and make compromises while still looking after myself and my baby. Turns out selfish people are selfish because they’re selfish, not because circumstances are difficult.

Saying that you need a break right now is one thing, I don’t find it reasonable to set a rule that you’re no longer interested in what your sister is going through for… how long exactly? 10 weeks to the end of your pregnancy? And after that won’t the newborn be the most important thing? Surely you can see from your sister’s point of view you’ve basically said that because you have the thing she wants most in the world therefore she’s not important any more and has to give way to you indefinitely? It’s possible to set boundaries in a kinder way. Could you have stepped back a little bit rather than introducing a hard rule?

Honestly it doesn’t sound like she’s handled it brilliantly either. But being pregnant is not a free pass. If you want to not bother with her problems that’s on you, don’t use the baby as an excuse.

@UraniumFlowerpot you have multiple friends and family members that have become “very selfish” during pregnancy?

I can’t think of one friend or family member I would have described as being “ very selfish” during pregnancy let alone multiples

Itchysidefoot · Yesterday 08:36

There will always have been and likely always will be so much negative drama in @Newmum931 ‘s family. Poor child being born into it!

SleepyLemur · Yesterday 08:45

Obviously you don’t get to be selfish because you are pregnant, but it is probably best to limit stress when you are pregnant. As you haven’t mentioned anything, I assume you don’t have major health issues, but regardless you can of course protect yourself (and your growing baby) from undue stress. It really depends on how you framed this to your sister (and what she was saying to you about her fertility issues in the first place). If she was just being sad, is it really less stressful for go through the drama than just to listen to your sister with empathy? If she was angry with you about your being pregnant that is different of course. Having gone through fertility issues and difficult pregnancies I would urge to to have empathy for your sister but also to limit the stress in your own life.

OneKeenPearlFawn · Yesterday 09:12

The part I’m struggling with is the idea that your sister’s infertility is simply “other people’s issues” that you don’t have the capacity to deal with.

I understand needing to protect your emotional wellbeing during a difficult pregnancy, and nobody should be expected to absorb someone else’s distress constantly. But this is your sister, and she has apparently been struggling with infertility for years. I can understand why she would feel deeply hurt if, after finally opening up about something so painful, she was essentially told that there wasn’t capacity for her because you needed to focus on your own journey.

Infertility and pregnancy loss are very difficult and all consuming. You can be genuinely happy for your sister and still be devastated by what is happening to you. Those feelings don’t disappear because somebody else is pregnant.

I also don’t think she should be criticised for not telling you sooner. Infertility is deeply personal and often involves years of private grief, and people disclose it when they are ready. The fact that she told you after you became pregnant doesn’t mean she was withholding something you were entitled to know.

You don’t have to become her counsellor, and you are entitled to say when you don’t have the capacity for a particular conversation. But I think there is a difference between setting a healthy boundary and deciding that, because you’re pregnant, you have a free pass to focus entirely on your own happiness while your sister puts her pain aside!

And honestly, I can understand why her comment about “if it were me, I’d be there for you” hurt you — but I can equally understand why she said it. It sounds like she was trying to tell you that she felt abandoned by someone she expected to be there for her.

I don’t think either of you is necessarily wrong for having difficult feelings here - if you have had a difficult pregnancy. But I do think your sister’s pain deserves a little more empathy than calling it “other people’s issues.”

Thepossibility · Yesterday 09:13

Instead of a bridezilla you sound like a pregzilla.
Unless there are some major pregnancy complications you haven't mentioned, why is 30 weeks a hard part of the pregnancy? That requires all your focus and need/deserve to be selfish? I'm not trying to be difficult, but I've been pregnant several times and the very start and the very end are usually the harder parts of a straightforward pregnancy.
Very gently, you have been blessed and your sister is in pain. Maybe tell your DH you need some extra special pregnant lady attention and pampering so you can rouse some energy away from yourself and towards your sister. You don't want to permanently damage your relationship with your sister over this.

Itchysidefoot · Yesterday 09:14

The thread title alone made me feel a little queasy tbh!

luckylavender · Yesterday 09:18

You sound selfish and self absorbed

UraniumFlowerpot · Yesterday 09:21

Itchysidefoot · Yesterday 08:34

@UraniumFlowerpot you have multiple friends and family members that have become “very selfish” during pregnancy?

I can’t think of one friend or family member I would have described as being “ very selfish” during pregnancy let alone multiples

Yes. I was thinking of three people, one really quite extreme but also that’s the family member so worth the effort anyway. Between them there’s multiple examples of selfish behavior across pregnancy and continuing into childhood. Noticeably different than other friends with kids.

None of it is bad enough that I don’t want them in my life or can’t see other great qualities in these people. I’m not going to start a fight about it. But yes, selfish. Eg they can never travel because of the kids so all effort of meeting up is on me. For years. Phone conversations that revolve around them and suddenly they’re too tired if I try or share anything about my life or just have a wider conversation. Some amount of this is entirely normal, the first couple of months with a newborn I’d fully expect that everything else fades away. But a friend totally disappearing in pregnancy? Not even a “sorry I’m being a shit friend just now, struggling with x, can we catch up in a couple of weeks”? Unnecessary. Lots of things like that, individually not all big but they add up. In the one case more significant, affecting family gatherings noticeably across several years, actively rude to older family members for perceived wrong ways of dealing with the children. We all know it’s not ok and we’ve all agreed the relationship is more important so we work around it.

blythet · Yesterday 09:22

Being 30 weeks pregnant might stop you from running a marathon, climbing a mountain, going out drinking…..I’m totally lost as to how it stops you from sitting and listening to your dsis and showing some compassion?? How much capacity does that really take?

god help you when the baby is here if you think you have it tough now!! Maybe at that point your support network will have no capacity for you!

Bamboozledbylife · Yesterday 09:22

You are being dramatic. You can set boundaries but surely being supportive to your ds isn't taking up more than what 10% of your time? You need to remember if you need help and support in a few months time, you've cut out your ds.

Itchysidefoot · Yesterday 09:38

UraniumFlowerpot · Yesterday 09:21

Yes. I was thinking of three people, one really quite extreme but also that’s the family member so worth the effort anyway. Between them there’s multiple examples of selfish behavior across pregnancy and continuing into childhood. Noticeably different than other friends with kids.

None of it is bad enough that I don’t want them in my life or can’t see other great qualities in these people. I’m not going to start a fight about it. But yes, selfish. Eg they can never travel because of the kids so all effort of meeting up is on me. For years. Phone conversations that revolve around them and suddenly they’re too tired if I try or share anything about my life or just have a wider conversation. Some amount of this is entirely normal, the first couple of months with a newborn I’d fully expect that everything else fades away. But a friend totally disappearing in pregnancy? Not even a “sorry I’m being a shit friend just now, struggling with x, can we catch up in a couple of weeks”? Unnecessary. Lots of things like that, individually not all big but they add up. In the one case more significant, affecting family gatherings noticeably across several years, actively rude to older family members for perceived wrong ways of dealing with the children. We all know it’s not ok and we’ve all agreed the relationship is more important so we work around it.

You poor thing having friends and family in your life like this

Ohdearnotthisagain · Yesterday 10:20

Well, you sound delightful, OP!!

KmcK87 · Yesterday 10:28

Are your sisters issues causing you any mental hardship or can you just not be bothered thinking of anyone else anymore and are looking for an excuse to get her to stop talking?

You sound quite self absorbed op, remember if you want a village you have to be a villager.

Not once during my pregnancies did I use it as an excuse to be rude to people.

Existentialistic · Yesterday 10:43

I don’t want to criticise as pregnancy can play havoc with your hormones and you are reaching the “nesting” phase where you’ll be starting to prepare and focus for your newborn.

I think it would be wise to make contact with your sister, explain that you’re hormonal and tired at the moment but still there if she needs a listening ear. That would be the kindest thing to do OP. All the best for the rest of your pregnancy.

JoB1kenobi · Yesterday 10:45

There’s probably some scientific, prehistoric thing that makes us be selfish to ensure survival of the human race.
I think you can try and overrule this instinct and be open to her struggles. She’s your sister and you need your village.
it’s hard to understand when you aren’t in that period of your life and even those that have experienced it do often look with rose tinted specs