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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

He tells me he wants less time with me after i've given birth to his child

54 replies

MissFloof · 31/07/2019 21:47

So I gave birth to our baby a month ago. It has been a very hard month. Me and bf never planned our little one but I carried on with my pregnancy.

A few weeks after giving birth I suffered from postpartum depression and was sent to a mother and baby unit. my depression was severe and I was put under band three for a week while at the unit to keep both of us safe. The sad thing was that the nearest mother and baby unit was 4 hours away. BF can't drive so in the two weeks being there he could only visit us the once.
I came home sunday the 21st, I put in so much hard work to get better but our relationship has fallen apart.
BF had a female friend. While I was away I pushed him to go out more, to sleep and have fun while I was gone. I kept urging him to go out with this female friend, it would be nice for him. But he didn't seem keen. When I came back I tried spending time with him but he would be on his phone messaging his female friend, which I thought was rude of him. The three of us met up to see the lightning storm and that is when BF let out that he had been spending a lot more time with her than he told me while I was away. I thought it was VERY odd that he didn't tell me any of this when I asked everyday what he had done. He told me everything else but missed out this part.
While he was at work I was on his computer looking at his work rota to see when he was coming home and I had this sudden pushing urge to look at his messages. I'm not proud of it but I did. I found out that he told her he was going to leave me if I didn't talk to him soon. (basically I was acting cold to him when I first came home because I felt overwhelemed and angry that the flat was so unclean and the fact I felt pushed out every time he would be on his phone when we were spending time together) I also found a photo of this girl in just a towel and he had said a "joke" to her which he had deleted and then put "i better delete that so she doesn't see it"

I confronted both of them seperately. after some time she explained she sent the photo to show off her bruising from a spa treatment and it wasn't meant to be flirty. (I obviously didn't look at the photo properly at the time because i couldn't bear it). They both say nothing is going on. He says the joke was a sex joke about having sex with her and it was just a joke. I believe him.
I then listened to what he felt. he said he would never forgive me for trying to hurt our daughter while i had postpartum, and that i should of got help sooner. He said that the day i found out i was pregnant he was actually going to dump me but then i found out i was pregnant and he didn't want to be the guy that dumps a pregnant woman. he also said that i have issues and if he joked like that to a guy i would have no problem.
I explained to him that the only reason i had such a problem was because he lied to me about hanging out with her (even though i encouraged them to hang out) and then he was investing more time into her, was confiding and talking to her but wouldn't for me and then the towel photo and the joke. sex jokes don't normally bother me but all of it together made it complicated.
ANYWAY, today i spoke to him again. I said that when I asked for him to take a few days working on us and taking a step back from the female friend that he hadn't done that. I just wanted a few days. But he was back to texting her constantly, in front of my face. Consistantly talking about her, talking to her when we were suppose to be spending one on one time with each other. and then went out with her, leaving me with our baby.
He's responded to me saying he disagrees, he hasn't cheated on me so he doesn't see the problem. I said all those feelings are still there, they don't just go and that I still feel emotionally cheated. He has now told me that he wants to go slowly, he doesn't want to go back to seeing eachother and being with each other all the time. he told me to go get some friends and be bymyself more often. We live together, we have a baby together. I don't see this being an easy task.

What I am trying to say is that I'm so angry. He's sprung this all on me a month after I've given birth. He now wants to have friends, to go out often, to see me less once we have had a child together? He wants me to be alone more often, to find friends. That isn't easy. Especially when I have a newborn taking up so much of my time. What does he expect? that we can both have full on lives and leave our little one at home alone?
I was always happy to spend my time with him and I thought he felt the same back. And now he told me he never did? He's telling me he does love me, and months into the pregnancy he loved me again. That he wants to work on us but wants to take it slowly and not see each other as much? I don't understand how this can be all possible. I'm just angry that he has sprung this on me once i find myself having less time and less friends (most of my friends quit talking to me when i got pregnant)

it feels like he's found his new life while i was at the unit and has left me behind. i feel like i've been abandoned at the time when i needed him. he said to me he doesn't trust me alone with our daughter but happily leaves me with her to go out with this girl? I just don't understand what is going on.

opinions?

OP posts:
Bodear · 31/07/2019 21:50

Do you have any friends and family you can lean on?

MissFloof · 31/07/2019 21:53

My main issue is how do I become my own person again? I don't know how to do this, especially having less time to do so. I don't remember what I like doing, who I am as a person. I feel so lost

OP posts:
Tsubasa1 · 31/07/2019 21:53

You both want different things so you probably need to part ways. It doesnt sound like he loves you or wants to be with you. Im sorry but from what youre saying it sounds like he wants you to break up with him (that could explain his terrible behaviour towards you)

MissFloof · 31/07/2019 21:53

@bodear I can speak to my family but they all live at least 2 hours away and I don't drive

OP posts:
HeadintheiClouds · 31/07/2019 21:55

Is there a reason you kept urging him to go out with this friend? Odd thing to do, tbh

FelixFelicis6 · 31/07/2019 21:56

I think you’ve obviously been extremely unwell and this doesn’t sound a very stable relationship. Can you move in with family for a while? Did I read correctly that you tried to hurt your child?

SmellbowSpaceBowl · 31/07/2019 21:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MissFloof · 31/07/2019 21:58

@headintheiclouds he was very lonely, had no friends or social life for a year. I wanted him to have friends and to have support while I was at the unit.

@felixfelicis6 I had intrusive thoughts. She was never harmed and I am okay now

OP posts:
Quartz2208 · 31/07/2019 21:58

YEs go to your family

Whosorrynow · 31/07/2019 21:58

Unfortunately your baby's father sounds unreliable and not committed to the relationship or his role as a father so ultimately I think it would be better to factor him out of things.
You need support and help, who will be there for you, who can you really rely on, who are the good people in your life?

MissFloof · 31/07/2019 21:59

@smellbowspacebowl things are complicated with my parents. I think I could stay with family but I also have pets here, I don't know what I could do with them. And then it comes to rent etc..

OP posts:
Howdoyousleep · 31/07/2019 21:59

I don’t think now is the time ‘become your own person again.’ Concentrate on getting yourself well and looking after your baby.

It does sound as if your relationship is over and that he wasn’t committed to it from the start. You need time to adjust to all the changes in your life. Make sure you are getting support from friends and family and the health professionals.

MissFloof · 31/07/2019 22:00

He is a great father. Very invested in our little one. He does the night feeds very often, nappies etc... He loves her so much.
I just don't think he feels the same way towards me anymore

OP posts:
prawnsword · 31/07/2019 22:01

You sound very young... go to your family & file a claim for child support from him. Having a baby will not bring people together who aren’t meant to be together. He is probably intentionally acting so badly hoping you will dump him, so he won’t look like the bad guy. I’m sorry but this person does not love or care for you, or the baby.

MissFloof · 31/07/2019 22:03

To clarify, I am a young mum. I'm 22 and at University.

while i was pregnant he kept hinting that he was going to propose to me, he never did. I thought everything was fine up until I came home from the unit

OP posts:
Fantababy · 31/07/2019 22:03

If he was that committed to her he'd have been to see you both more than once when you were at the unit.
If you're feeling up to it, try some baby groups - it'll get you out of the house and you may make some friends from it.
But I'd start to detach from him if I were you. Even if nothing happens between your bf and this girl, he doesn't sound at all committed.

Quartz2208 · 31/07/2019 22:05

That he wants to replace you then with the baby and the new girl

Either way for your sake please go to your family

EKGEMS · 31/07/2019 22:13

Please go to your family. His anger towards you for your depression is despicable and vile-would he be angry if you had pneumonia? You have a chemical imbalance of hormones you didn't choose depression it happens and you are clearly doing better. He's playing games and being cruel to you.

PennyPittstop · 31/07/2019 22:13

When you are going through tough times such as PND is when you find out exactly how much your DP cares about you. You needed him. He did not step up. A baby is not a good enough reason to stay in a relationship which isn't right because it always results in two unhappy adults and more often than not an unhappy child.
I think you have two options. You walk away now and leave him to his female friend. Or you look into counselling to help you as a couple and individually.
Personally I think he sounds like he is more invested in the female friend than your relationship but if you go down the counselling route then you should be able to suss this out more.
He obviously holds a grudge about some of your actions while you were suffering from PND. I think he needs someone to explain to him exactly how PND can cause a normally rational person to behave in extremely irrational ways. Again, this could be covered during counselling.
Good luck

Crazybunnylady123 · 31/07/2019 22:14

This guy doesn’t sound that into you. I think you need to take the advice of most people and go to your family for support.
You need to prioritise your little one and to do that you need to be well too.
What animals do you have and are you able to take them with you?

NotStayingIn · 31/07/2019 22:14

My first thought was to go and stay with your parents too. I do want to flag though that you have been back less then two weeks. Of course as soon as you got back he should have put you first, but he might also now be adapting again to the change. His life has changed whilst you were away, you asked him to change his life by getting more friendly with this girl. He is now not dropping her like a hot brick on your return. I’m not saying his behaviour is right, but I also think give yourself and him a bit of time to see how things work out. Therapy might also work? It sounds like there are so many things here that need to be discussed. Flowers

MissFloof · 31/07/2019 22:18

@crazybunnylady123 i have mice, rats and 2 bunnies. I don't think they could come with me to my families

OP posts:
MissFloof · 31/07/2019 22:18

I don't know why he keeps insisting that he loves me and gets worried that I'm going to break up with him :/

OP posts:
Whosorrynow · 31/07/2019 22:19

He sounds unreliable and immature

Howdoyousleep · 31/07/2019 22:28

Could he keep the pets?