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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

Marriage Trouble

8 replies

Ballina1 · 29/12/2019 05:14

My husband and I are having major marriage problems. Its a long story but I feel so confused on how we;ve got to this point. Here goes.

Background: I have suffered from a long term illness (m.e. and fibromyalgia) for over 20 years. Was bed bound and in a wheelchair for over 10 years. Met my husband nearly 4 years ago at a time I had improved health but was still limited to what I could do daily(couldnt work,lived with parents,no responsibilities).

Fast forward a couple of years and we are now married with a baby on the way. I suffered with extreme morning sickness my whole pregnancy(was on medication and had to be rushed to hospital on boxing day with suspected sepsis). Pregnancy was tough on my body and my health did dip a bit. But still was just about managing household tasks cooking dinner etc.

Our daughter was born August 2019 and she is amazing. The c section took a toll on me physically and since then my m.e. has gotten slightly worse. I am managing to care for baby and do many of the new tasks that arise for a new baby as well as food shopping a.d housework. I am doing every night the 2am feed(husband does dream feed as if I to bed at 8.30) even tho I never get back to sleep after. When my husband is at work my mother comes over every day (arrives and gos before husband returns from work) to help me so Im able to manage household and baby tasks. I am exhausted every single day as any new mum is but with my condition it is amplifie.

We have been been bickering a bit more recently but put that down to new baby stress and lack of sleep. However everything came to a head this Xmas. We both have large close families and my husband struggled with the idea that we may not see all his family on Xmas day as we were busting both parents on the day and baby gets cranky by the end of the day so needs to be out to bed around 6ish. New year's eve we disagreed when he wanted to do his usual of going to his parents and seeing in the new year. They live in a small semi,currently have their daughter and her 7 month old who screams for hours in an evening staying with them. He wanted to bring our 4 month old over,who also screams at night and wakes multiple times. I said she was too little, I struggle with my energy levels in the evening and so this year I think we should stay home and he Can do it next year. Thus didn't go down well.

Now we are at a point that I dont know if hes having a meltdown or something(he has a stressful job and is dreading going back to work. But hes now saying the following

He thinks I make him clock watch when we go see his family (on odd ocasions I have asked to not stay long due to health or we've had to leave a bit early due to health)

Says he doesnt believe the severity of my condition. That Im milking it and using it to do cohesive controlled behaviour (had to actually Google what that was).

Frustrated he cant at the moment play squash or go out in evenings as Im so shattered I find it exhausting to jostle baby for over an hour each evening.

Finds it weird I get my mum to help me each week day (Even tho she doesnt actually do that much and is also there for my company as having been ill for so many years I lost alot of friends. He also gets on great with my parents).

When I tell him its early days and its not always going to be like this he says he doesnt believe me and sees me pulling him away from his family(he/we see his parents few times a week, his sisters & gran regularly who I am all really close too).

Says he doesnt understand my illness an cant believe im exhausted every day.

Said he thinks I have post natal depression (I dont at all Im just exhausted with a new baby.and as my mother said if for 1 second she thought I did she would have said something by now)

Also he thinks baby goes to bed too early (6-6.30) even tho at this point shes showing all tired signs. (Such a random issue).

Hes always struggled with change when it comes to his family since I met him. They are lovely and all very close. But marriage is compromise and he cant always do what he did as a single man.

After all of this I asked him to leave as he wasnt making sense and I couldnt see how we could get thru this if thats what he thinks of me and who I am.

He says I complain every day about how tired I am and bring him down. Doesnt seem to think his daily complains of work, skin condition, slight weight gain is the same (never once have I dismissed him. Always listened always supported).

He is the love of my life and I am absolutly devastated at what hs saying. He is usually such a loving and caring husband but hes become so emotionless.Am I wrong to be upset/annoyed/hurt?

OP posts:
Weenurse · 29/12/2019 05:25

I think he needs a medical professional to explain you condition to him.
Are there any support groups you can contact for advice?

Puffyrounded · 29/12/2019 05:31

I think he needs to get his confidence up to take the baby to his family himself.

You don’t need to go all the time and it sound like you are doing an amazing job as a new mother.

I think his idea of going alone with baby to his parents for New Years sounds like a good opportunity for him to take the baby himself.

Ballina1 · 29/12/2019 05:38

He said anout going to ser a doctor. And I said fine. But it's the trust element that would be lost that he thinks his wife is that manipulative.

As for new years. Absolutly next year when she's a bit older. But this year she's too young , nowhere for her to sleep, another crying baby and she's not a great sleeper herself. Then after midnight putting her in the car to come ba phone and so totally mess up her sleep. That's why I said no this year

OP posts:
NeverGuessWho · 29/12/2019 05:50
Flowers I can understand you not wanting your baby to go without you: coming home after midnight, especially as she is very unsettled. Is he generally good at looking after her, and soothing her if she is unsettled? It sounds to me like you are doing an amazing job with a very unsympathetic DH, who does not understand how tough things are for you. No advice just a hand hold & support here.
Ballina1 · 29/12/2019 05:59

He's a fantastic dad,very hands on. He settles her fine at dream feed but on the odd occasion he does middle of night feed he can't settle that well and I have to get up again to settle her(which exhausts me even more as only had couples hours sleep). He said that if he sat at home and I'd gone to bed earlier than midnight he's feel lonely and sad.....pretty much how I'm feeling right now.

OP posts:
Pinkbonbon · 29/12/2019 06:00

Sounds like he might be depressed. Assuming he has never acted this way before.

Tbf, if someone claimed to have fibromialga and then went on to have a baby I might think they were exaggerating the symptoms too: 'Because if they are really that sick, why the hell are they putting their body through that!?'.

But maybe you're just a bit mental like that Grin a risk taking devil may care sort.

And I'm not your husband. If he really thinks you are bullshitting about your condition then that's not good. I wouldn't want to be with someone who doesn't have my back 100%.

Hopefully his gp will help. I also think you need to get some extra time to yourself and maybe to to talk as a couple too. So if mum could take the baba for a few days...?

Ballina1 · 29/12/2019 06:12

I had to think long and hard about having a baby and mycomdtionwas more stable before babba. He comforted me with words that he was gearing himself up to do more if needed(which I've not needed as much as i thought I would have) and have a big family support network to lean on. These were major factors in going ahead with having a baby. We have a counsellor appointment booked on 3rd of Jan but that was before I asked him to leave. He's never once questioned my condition. It's only since we had baby where I'm extra tired and for this new period of time, activities and social events have to be adapted. I asked him what would have happened had I had a major relapse and ended back in wheelchair. His response was that we'd manage and get thru it. But me asking for a bit of extra help with chores around the house or having a bit of help from family causes him to doubt me completely

OP posts:
Selinespeak · 29/12/2019 06:58

No you are not looking at this situation clearly as you are clouded by the the emotions of being a new mother and caring for your baby.

You have been too unwell to work for many years, yet you have taken on the workload of a full time stay at home mother of a new baby.

He should have organised his work to take the full paid parental leave available to him after the baby was born. Then if he needed to return to work full time the baby should have been cared full time by a childminder/ nanny/ nursery.

Please don’t work yourself into the ground by taking on this workload. Being a mother does not mean you have to care for your baby full time and many babies are cared full time by people who are not their mothers.

I agree with speaking to your health specialists together.

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