The memories are so painful...he dosnt get it.

[Shellywelly1973]

Dp & i have been together 14 years. We have 3 dc. Last December i found out i was pregnant. Not planned but we were both happy, especially me.

Went for my 12 wk scan, no heartbeat, baby had been dead for 4 weeks. I was devastated. Totally fell apart. Had an ERPC. Dp didn't come to the hospital. He decided to tidy up after he dropped the dc to school. He never normally does. He eventually turned up at lunch time. I was waiting to be collected. Never in all my life did i feel so lonely. That was a Thursday. He had a long weekend off work. So didn't even take any time off. He went back to work on the Monday. No shopping in. No uniforms organised for dc. House a total tip.

I was so offended & angry at him. My mum & sister were equally useless. Ive actually cut contact with my sister & have very limited contact with my mum. I warned dp he'd be next.

Im pregnant again. Im 12 weeks this week. Im due to have my scan on Tuesday. I get the screening results Wed & depending on results, a CVS is booked for Thursday. Im 40 & its hospital policy but i would want a CVS if the results weren't good.

Dp has been utterly useless. After i gave him the warning after the MMC he dramatically improved. This last week & next week Im incredibly busy with work, dc, school stuff & hospital appointments. Dp mum has long term health problems & has had a relapse. I've spent most of Thursday in hospital with her & this afternoon &evening as she's very unwell but at home now. Dp has never taken on any of the issues around his mum's heath problems. I cared for her for 2 years, 9 months of that she was house bound.

Dp did Fuck all at home today. He literally brought a few bits of washing in off the line. No uniforms washed. Didn't cook. Didn't bath dc. Didn't tidy up. Went to the supermarket but bought doughnuts &ice cream. Yet i can't make the dc packed lunches as i didn't get to do the shopping as i was dealing with his mum.

He's so useless, I can't see it ever getting better. I instruct him like a child. I don't consider him my equal. I don't know if i expect too much. He works but its shifts so hes hardly here but it dosn't actually make much difference if he's here or not.

Im exhausted, worried & angry. I keep remembering how i felt at 12 weeks in the last pregnancy. I realise I've not forgiven dp, Im verging on feeling hate for him. I feel like he's taking the piss out of me & dosnt give a Shit about me or what Im feeling at the moment.

Should i just call it a day? When do you know its a lost cause? How can i make him take responsibility for things like his mum, dc, the house etc?

Thanks for reading...i know its long but i need to get this out as Im so angry right now.

[CailinDana]

It sounds to me like you've tried everything but your message just isn't getting through. I agree with others that right now isn't a good time to make a decision about this but i don't think things are going to get much better. You want your dp to change quite fundamentally and that is unlikely to happen.

[CailinDana]

suited himself

[CailinDana]

Shelly i think some people are being very rude and unfair to you. You absolutely do not have to justify your pregnancy to anyone. Congratulations on that and fingers crossed all will be well at the scan.
You sound like a hugely capable woman who has dealt really well with a mountain of stress. I'm guessing the mc shocked you into looking at your life more clearly and made you realise you are putting up with far more shit than you should be. Your dp sounds like a nice person who has no idea how to function in a relationship. While you've compromised and changed and stretched yourself he's just suied himself and doesn't see a problem with that. He might not care about cleaning but he should see that he needs to do it because he cares about you and it is important to you.

[50shadesofmeh]

I'd hold off making any big decisions as you are bound to be over anxious over the baby and the stress of it all.
I too went for scan at 16 weeks and my baby had died at 12 weeks , the sadness I felt was horrific.
my pregnancy after my mmc was so stressful and my husband and I nearly split up due to the stress.

Anyway my daughter is nearly 3 now and we also have another newborn daughter , things did get better even though we had those dark times.
Talk to him and ask him for more help.

[Shellywelly1973]

Read the bloody thread!!!

[ageofgrandillusion]

He sounds thoroughly pointless OP, he really does. But then you chose to have another child with this useless fuck-wit with full knowledge of his utter uselessness, so maybe he cant be that bad then. Can he? Or am i missing something?

[Shellywelly1973]

Love it Handywomen! I've two grown up dc i& remember the freedom of the weekends they went to their dads...

Very tempting indeed. I think i need to get through the next week or two and then seriously think about what i want out of life...

[Handywoman]

In answer to the advice about making your life less overwhelming I suggest booting the OP's partner out. In one fell swoop that would get rid of one child and a whole swathe of (understandable) resentment.

It worked wonders for me!

[Shellywelly1973]

WysticManker...read the thread!

[TheWysticManker]

Why on earth did you get pregnant again if you feel like this about a) your husband and b) your life ?

[LittleFrieda]

Shellywelly - apart from having low standards for housework and being a bit of a tit about anticipating your needs, your DH sounds nice. We all have different ways of dealing with sadness. Is there any way you could afford a cleaner during the summer holidays, to help your family keep on top of the housework?

Congratulations on your pregnancy.

[Shellywelly1973]

Oh I've thought about that, for a time i considered he might be but actually i think his behaviour or how he reacts to situations that are difficult or complex is due to his childhood. I work with children & young adults with ASD so Im very familiar with the traits/ behaviours/etc.

Dp had an awful childhood. His mother was an alcoholic. She stopped drinking 10 years ago. His father was & still is a religious fanatic. Dp parents were violent to each other & dp witnessed things from the age of 5-11 no child should see. Eventually after 6 years of fighting, his mother got his father out of the house.

My father has Aspergers without a doubt but never diagnosed. Dp isn't offensive. He blends into the back ground whereas we revolved around my father as a family. My father speaks as he sees it so is incredibly rude at times. Dp isn't rude or shouty, he withdraws into himself wherever he's stressed or upset.

[LittleFrieda]

Might your DH be on the spectrum?

[Shellywelly1973]

Thankyou for the replies. The first baby wasn't planned. I had a coil but suddenly last September started to have very heavy bleeding. Coil was removed in November. Started the pill to control the bleeding. Found out i was pregnant in December. I was shocked as i had never considered another child but was strangely happy, Thats partly why i reacted so badly to losing the baby.

I had the MMC in February. In April i went to my GP as my periods hadn't returned 10 after MMC. He did blood tests & i was diagnosed as having an underactive thyroid. My GP said it would take a few months of medication for my periods to return as the underactive thyroid had stopped me ovulating. I wasn't concerned as i wanted a coil if possible & due to work etc we only dtd twice, used condoms both times.

As my thyroid levels weren't stable, i presumed i would lose this pregnancy as well. I will find out tomorrow.

I appreciate most people would consider a dc with ASD a difficult situation but in the main Ds is great. Most of his difficulties are at school. I recieve 6 hours a week restpite from ss. My decision not to have any more Ds was a career choice. Ds needs were not a factor.

Mil wasn't entitled to any help when she initially became ill. SS offered to send a carer in twice a day for my£140 per wk. She's a widow, not very well off but not poor enough for pension credits. We set up a cleaner, on line shopping, a volunteer from her church useful to visit, that sort of thing. She will be going into hospital this or next week so once i know when Shes coming home i can organise things for her.

Someone asked about routine, we have a very strict routine due to Ds ASD. All dc have jobs, even the 5 yr old!

Im venting as i am so frustrated at the moment. I will finish up the majority of my work load by the end of this week, as Ds gets summer holidays tomorrow. I work in education so over the summer i do only a few hours aday, mainly from home.

Its fact i can't make dp see he should do more. Due to his hours, yesterday was the only day in 16 days he was at home when the dc & i were. I don't demand much of him normally as his job is pretty stressful, mad hours & i know i couldn't do it. Its just occassionly i need a bit of support.

[outingmyselfprobably]

Sorry if my advice was shit.

You're clearly not going to change anything you're doing. DP won't. You should though - a fourth child is going to tip you over the edge if you don't.

[Fairylea]

You say the first baby wasn't planned... was this one? I'm wondering if he's feeling resentful as he didn't and doesn't really want another child. Are you both using contraception? (Or were you)...

That doesn't excuse any of his behaviour and generally being an arse but I do wonder if that's where it's all really coming from.

[Butterflywgs]

No. Sorry Shelly, but DP is an arsehole. I agree entirely with Darkesteyes.
Men can't mind-read, but I get very angry about the 'treat him like a child' thing. A grown adult should not need to be told to on occasion run a Hoover round their own house, put a wash on, etc. I don't care what hours he works, he does not get to do nothing around the home. Adults contribute to the maintenance of their home.
Equally, a grown adult does not need to be told that their partner might be a tad upset that she had a mc.

[oracleselfservice]

It seems all you want to do is vent about how awful he is. That's fine - its one of the reasons this forum exists. But it won't actually help.

You're clearly overwhelmed with life issues so your first step should be to focus on YOU and how to take some of the pressure off.

I can imagine with all that seething resentment inside you and how stressed and overloaded you are you must seem like an utter cow to live with. Having you in this state can't be good for your kids.

Yes ideally your DP ought to be the one to take some of the load but if he won't then you need to find other solutions.

Have you investigated what care your MIL is entitled to? Does she receive help from the state? My grandmother was taken care of almost completely by carers / district nurses / meals on wheels / got free transport to hospital / lived in sheltered housing. All we did was visit. I wonder why you are having to do so much for her?

Can you afford a cleaner occasionally? How old are your children? Do you have a fixed routine with them? That helps hugely in structuring your day and keeping everything under control. Is the oldest of an age to be given household tasks?

What else can you do to manage your stress?

Your partner is clearly not going to be helpful with this so you need to stop expecting that. Whether you stay with him or kick him out is irrelevant really - he sounds as useless there as not there. Your main problem is your work load. Fix that and the issues with your partner will likely fix themselves (hopefully because he becomes superfluous).

Having said all that it amazes me that you thought it a good idea to have a FOURTH child...at 40...with an ASD child already...really?

[Shellywelly1973]

I have explained to dp very clearly why i get so upset with him. I've done this calmly, crying & even screaming at him. He either ignores me or says, tell me what to do. I tell him what to do& he dosnt do it!!!

I warned him after the MMC that i was so strong because he was so utterly Shit at supporting me, that i no longer feared being on my own.

The house is mine. I work, i do everything. & i would bleed him dry for maintenance. I have a exh so been there & done that!

What Im realising now is that once again dp has let me down. So i either do what i said i would or put up & shut up. Im deeply hurt by him but i should be used of it as this is what hes always done. He's never supported me when i really needed it. Through pregnancies, births, PND, Ds being diagnosed with ASD. Younger Ds now being assessed as well. The MMC... Im talking about life events that i experienced by myself instead of with my dp.

[Angelina7]

I would get very angry & upset with him to his face, tell him all the reasons why you are angry & upset, tell him he wasn't there for you when you needed him & he still isn't & he doesn't have to be there for you, but if he makes the decision to continue to not be then you won't be there for him, his mum etc either and your relationship could possibly come to an end because you feel alone anyway.

I don't think you need to treat him like a child but you do need to let him see your emotions clearly and explain why clearly.

Wish u all the best and take time for yourself, it's an important time for you and your newest lil 1 xx

[Shellywelly1973]

If & when i have got ill, i just carry on. Take few nurofen &get on with it. If i die the dc will probably end up in care- seriously!

Im a bit of a health free& even given up smoking as this is a very real worry for me.

The school have asked me if Im a single parent as dp never goes to the school. Hes not even on the list for contacts in case of an emergency as hes normally miles away from dc school.

[Darkesteyes]

Shelly hes GOT to buck his fucking ideas up What the hell would happen to the DC if (God forbid) you got ill or something happened. (touches wooden coffee table)

[Shellywelly1973]

Ive just picked all his crap up from living room &banned it! Including the £120 i bought him.

He would leave his mum to rot, long story but he had a horrible childhood.

I don't know if he sees cleaning up as women's work but he dosnt think its important. We have very different standards. He would lay in a stinking bed, wouldn't bother him. Our house would be a hovel if it was left to him. The dc would look like tramps.

[Darkesteyes]

Remembering why you fell in love with him is hardly relevant with whats happening here. How about he remembers why he fell in love with the mother of his children and show her some damn respect.

[Shellywelly1973]

Sorry on phone but no outing i can't remember why the hell i fell in love with him!

Hes changed so much its not really relevant.