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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

OW got pregnant...

273 replies

drmac · 27/07/2010 22:24

my husband had an affair with a good friend of mine. She got pregnant and had a son.

We are trying to work through this and I am having another baby - due in November.

I'd just like to hear from other people who've maybe been through this.

How are things between you now? Do you think you'll ever completely get over it?

thanks

OP posts:
SonicMiddleAge · 29/07/2010 07:12

Any man who doesn't support his own child is disgusting. And you are facilitating that. which makes you...not very "christian" at least.

TheFowlAndThePussycat · 29/07/2010 07:44

As a Christian, I would say that Christians believe in forgiveness after repentance not just confession. To be forgiven you must acknowledge what you have done & that it was wrong & be prepared to take responsibility for it. Taking God's forgiveness as a model, when we are forgiven God doesn't take us out of the mess we have created, or put it right for us. He does expect us to attempt to put it right for ourselves, to walk away or ignore the situation would not be to follow Christ's example.

OP, I don't think you are wrong to try to save your marriage. I can understand that your DH is broken by failing to match up to his own expectations of himself. Again, as a Christian (and assuming that your DH is) I would say that that is a symptom of the breakdown of his personal relationship with God, as well as all his human relationships. However;

  • He is the only one that can put himself right with God & with the people he loves
  • To do this he needs to work with a fully qualified counsellor/psychotherapist. Some churches are lucky enough to have one of these, but many church counsellors are not qualified at all. The BACP accredit counsellors & therapists if you are struggling to find one.
  • If I were you I would find myself a different qualified counsellor to work through your own feelings.Obviously I don't know you, but I strongly suspect that your anger against the ow is both about her role & also misdirected anger with your husband.
-You really can't do more than you have done, & perhaps you have done a bit too much. If you take a step back, removing his safety net might be just what he needs to step up to the plate. You & everyone else here knows what he needs to do. Now he needs to work it out & get on with it. A marriage is a partnership. Sometimes one partner is stronger than the other, but in the long run you can't be the one to do all the supporting. Especially when your new baby arrives. -You can get out of the house without leaving permanently iykwim. Stay with friends/family for a bit. Give both of you the space to think & act clearly.
tartyhighheels · 29/07/2010 07:45

I have no sympathy for her - she doesn't deserve that from me does she. She made her bed and now she can wallow in it as a single parent. she chose to be irresponsible about protection. She then chose to keep the child when my husband made it clear he could not support her. She has made these choices so should have thought about how they affect her now.

Despite your involvement in 'the church'. I think you may have missed the point.

We shall see if your views are quote so harsh when he leaves you, your dd and the new amazing 'fix all' baby. Neither of you have the right to deliberately put another child in the middle of this horrible mess. Because of course you chose that course of action, and by your own estimation you deserve all that comes your way?

Sorry he cheated but your are only involving yourself so you can control things and he is more than happy to abdicate responsibility. This is a really fucked up situation. Psychologically really precarious, your passive aggression is tangible. I just cannot understand how you could have another child in this toxic situation, it is very selfish.

Squitten · 29/07/2010 08:00

Coming from a Catholic background, I understand the desire to make the marriage work, etc, but I also completely echo what TheFowl has said - forgiveness comes after repentance. Your husband won't even look at the photographs of his own child - hardly repentant and looking to make things right...

Trying to make your marriage work does NOT mean that you become a doormat and that your spineless husband gets to hide behind you. HE chose to violate your marriage vows and now he is too cowardly to face the child that he has created.

I find the fact the you blame the OW for keeping the baby that they BOTH made disgusting TBH. I sincerely hope that your husband doesn't change his mind about the child YOU are carrying and force you into a similar choice.

saintlydamemrsturnip · 29/07/2010 08:06

I don't think you are wrong to want to save your marriage but I don't see how you can if neither of you will accept his role in this mess.

Being poorly because he's not man enough to deal with what he's done doesn't give him the right to pretend it never happened. And you can't save your marriage if you just blame the ow. Yes she betrayed you, but your husband betrayed you (and your dd) more.

Let him sort his own mess out. It's not up to you to be a go between of to force him to part meet his responsibilities - the ones he can't get out of - (I mean DNA test ffs!). If he doesn't want to he won't. Leave them to sort it out.

In the meantime get yourself some counselling so you can focus on yourself rather than thinking about your husband.

He should be fighting to save the marriage not you. Fighting, not playing a victim.

Concentrate on yourself for a bit.

Coolfonz · 29/07/2010 08:17

There's no such thing as God.

SassySusan · 29/07/2010 08:20

Message deleted

LadyintheRadiator · 29/07/2010 08:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

lowenergylightbulb · 29/07/2010 08:40

Sassy - I think it's more the fact that they planned a baby whilst the father is refusing to acknowledge a child that he already has.

I would struggle to accept his victim stance - it's ridiculous.

If I were you the only way that I could accept the situation as it stands and move on is if he took a stand. Worked out a way to support his child and fight for the marriage that he betrayed.

If he can ignore one child please don't think that he couldn't do that to the children you have with him.

differentnameforthis · 29/07/2010 08:46

sassy, I said (& meant it) that I had huge sympathy for the OP...until she spouted all that crap about the OW making her bed etc.

I can understand her hurt, I really can. But maybe if this is making her so upset she should tell her husband to get his head out of the sand & take over with regards to his relationship with his son, because she has done enough now. 18mths he has had...not 18 days!

Either that, or he can be another feckless father & not do anything and in time hopefully the OP will see how little regard her H has for the life/lives he has co created.

Coolfonz · 29/07/2010 08:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

countingto10 · 29/07/2010 08:57

I would be interested to know what would be posted if the OW came on here asking for advice ie I had an affair with the DH of one of my best friends, got pregnant, moved away and now having difficulty sorting out access etc as they don't seem to want to know, maintaining some contact via the DW etc.

camaleon · 29/07/2010 09:06

'she chose to be irresponsible about protection. She then chose to keep the child when my husband made it clear he could not support her. She has made these choices so should have thought about how they affect her now'

So.. as a Christian who apparently justifies part of what is going on based on religious belief... What do you think she should have chosen once she was pregnant?

I am very much in Coolfonz line here... I almost never particiapte in the relationships threads because I have little to say... and lots to read . But it seems to me that the OP and husband believe ethics depends on what benefits you the most.

SassySusan · 29/07/2010 09:13

Message deleted

tartyhighheels · 29/07/2010 09:20

I think what us frustrating here us that the Christian shit is just an excuse for not actually dealing with any is this and then deciding to have another baby too....

Also the OP says that this is the fault of the other OW for 'deciding to keep the baby' - is she suggesting this would be easier if the OW had aborted this child? Now that would require a truly special brand of Christianity.

SonicMiddleAge · 29/07/2010 09:28

Well sassy what wound me up was the line that the OP's dh "couldn't" support the baby he helped make. When he can apparently support OP to have a baby. That means he can support his son, just chooses not to. Whicht makes him a selfish jerk, and moreover one who still thinks that getting a sick note gets him out out life, like it's a particularly trying PE lesson. What a feckless twat.

teaandcakeplease · 29/07/2010 09:29

I agree Sassy, that's a very well thought out post.

My husband had an affair and my fury for the OW was huge. It's not logical as it does take 2 people to have an affair but it didn't change my feelings. I've even spoken about it with the counselor I have, as I know it is illogical but it is how I felt.

drmac is human and her comments are not surprising considering the situation. However she does seem to want to facilitate a relationship between this child and her husband, which surely is a good thing? Sassy put it better in her post last night at 23:08.

Can we stop the mud slinging and just return to helpful advice perhaps?

Flighttattendant · 29/07/2010 09:36

I just want to clarify it was me who reported a couple of the posts as I thought they constituted horrible personal attacks...so don't blame the OP if they do get deleted.

I'm sorry I have no advice for you OP but wanted to stand up for you against this maelstrom of nastiness.

Hope you are not too upset by the way the thread has gone. x

SassySusan · 29/07/2010 09:45

Message deleted

countingto10 · 29/07/2010 09:46

I agree Flighttattendant - this has turned into a personal attack on her when she has and is still going through an extremely traumatic time which was one of the reasons for me posting about how everyone would treat the OW if she posted, to gain some perspective on the situation.

This situation is truly horrible for all concerned and her H is behaving badly but probably needs help processing what he has done. They all probably need counselling other than from the church. I know my DH, 16 months + down the line from his affair, still feels physically sick when he thinks about what he did to me and the DSs and there is no "affair" child involved.

SassySusan · 29/07/2010 09:47

Message deleted

TheFowlAndThePussycat · 29/07/2010 09:48

I agree with Sassy, the OP, her DH and the OW are all in a big fat mess & it's not even a particularly unusual sort of a mess. People in a mess quite often behave terribly & make the mess worse. I think pretty much everyone on this thread including the OP agrees that things need to change, why is it impossible to offer support & advice without making a character assasination of the people involved? People do bad, stupid, terrible things without being bad stupid terrible people & there is always the possibilty to turn things around & behave compassionately & responsibly to chang lives.

I only raised the Christian perspective because both the OP & I hold that faith & I thought it might help her to present things in her own context. I did not seek to excuse anyone, only to relate to the position she is in. I don't think in fact that I made any points that hadn't been made before, I was just trying to bring a different perspective.

teaandcakeplease · 29/07/2010 10:00

Well that makes 3 as I reported a post as well.

SFC80 · 29/07/2010 10:09

drmac - I have been in this situation and still am. I didn't leave my husband.

We are 3 years down the line now and our marriage is strong again.

Quick description - husband had a short affair and the OW got pregnant. We had no contact with OW or the child for the first 18 months of her life. OW didn't want us to and I didn't want to be dealing with the OW and child while trying to get over this affair (not to mention I was also pregnant myself, this had happened before OW notified H he could be the father of her child) That might make me an evil person but it was the best thing for us at the time. The child was still a baby and knew no different.

We had 18 months of repairing our marriage, welcoming our child into our family, me trying to recover from everything until we decided that we would approach the OW for contact with the child. But we had our terms as well.

My H would never be alone with the OW during contact. We asked for a third party to be present at first while the child was getting to know my H, it turned out to be OW's Mum. I would be included from very soon on in the contact because the child had been born into our family (which OW helped make the situation like this herself, by getting pregnant with a man she knew already had a wife and children) ... my family were not going to be slowly integrated into the child's relationship with her Dad. It was best for the child to be introduced to the "norm" from the start, so on the second contact visit I met the child with husband at a local park and within a few weeks she was coming home with us to share a couple of hours with our children in our home.

All contact with OW went through email which I had access to and OW has my mobile number for emergencies or queries which need answering quicker than an email.

This all helped our relationship and had no effect on the child at all. Pretty much tough on the OW and how she felt about it. She didn't factor in the decisions and my H made it very clear to her that although she may have only been thinking in the child's best interests, he has his family to consider too so their priorities are different some what.

We have managed to repair our relationship because my H took responsibility for what he did. He went to individual counselling. Never tried to blame anyone else, not even the OW, which in the very early stages used to annoy me because like you, my anger for her was more intense than that for my husband (and having spoken to many couples in this horrible situation, that is entirely normal. Perhaps not rational, but normal). H has been completely open and honest with me regarding everything to do with the OW since then. If he hadn't then I wouldn't still be here.

Anyway, 3 yrs down the line, we have regular contact with my step-daughter. She missed out on 18 months with her Dad but she knows no different at the moment. It hasn't affected her in anyway we can see yet. She has a close bond with her Dad, me and her half siblings. She is part of the family. Things would be soooo much easier if the OW disappeared off the face of the planet but that's not likely so I just use my friends to rant to about the OW and try not to spend too much time discussing it with my H as it just causes friction in our relationship. Basically we just get on with it and try to pretend it's a normal "step family" set up.

To add I am always civil to the OW in person. We chat. We wave hello if we pass each other in the street. I will always hold my head up high knowing I have done nothing wrong and I hope the children will grow up knowing that.

Wow, that was really long sorry.

If I were in your shoes, I would not do anything about pushing for contact with the child until your baby is here and settled and the child is older and not so reliant on Mum for contact sessions any more. If my H had had contact with his daughter while she was still a baby, it would have been inevitable it would have taken place with OW present. I wouldn't have been OK with that, nor would he because he didn't want to hurt me any more than he already had.

People are always going to condemn for him not having a relationship with his child if that's what he chooses. This is a horrible situation though and in some respects, would it be better for a child to grow up with their Mum and a possible new partner ... than be bought up in the middle of a hostile situation, where Mum and Dad are at each others throats, knowing that they are a product of an affair, knowing their presence causes hurt ... that's not nice for a child and unfortunately, not all adults can be mature enough and sensible enough to be civil for the children's sake. If your H decides he doesn't want contact, that is up to him. Your decision then about whether to stand by him. But it doesn't have to be decided right now. The child is still young. Maybe with time he'll be open to contact. But having contact opens up a whole new can of worms and it will depend on how the OW will react.

Sorry this is so long. Any questions, just ask. I really feel for you. It is one of the most horrible situations to be in. No matter what you do, someone will be hurt. x

Also you are only a year in. In terms of affairs, that is not a long recovery time. It can take much longer.

ReasonableDoubt · 29/07/2010 10:21

'Unduly critical?' The vast majority of posters on this thread have been more than sympathetic.

I feel a lot of compassion and sympathy for the OP. Her situation sounds horrendous. But I, like a lot of other women on MN, can not and will not pretend that this sort of situation is salvageable simply because the OP wishes it to be. If I'm honest, I don't really believe that this man is committed to anything other than protecting his own weak arse. I certainly don't think that this man is going to make the OP happy in the long run. I would be a liar if I said otherwise.

The whole problem is that the OP and her husband are completely glossing over the real, lasting implications of his actions. And every time the OP posts, she sounds more and more deluded, defeated and utterly surrendered to this dreadful man.

I can't just pretend that's not what I see going on, here, and I won't.

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