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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 got the snip.

136 replies

Katerinabrandysauce123 · 28/08/2022 08:51

long post sorry. I feel incredibly down. Like worse than I’ve felt in a very long time. After I basically told him how I felt last Tuesday ( that I wasn’t sure about his decision to get vasectomy), we were basically split up. There was no room for compromise for him and with that came a sense of acceptance from myself that he didn’t want children with me. I’ve got my boy he’s got his daughter and I suppose I really should be grateful for that. He basically said he didn’t want us to break up. But I’d already told my mum everything. Told her it was over. He asked me whether I was still going with him Thursday for the vasectomy. At that point I felt like I couldn’t be with him but I would still be there for him despite my feelings. When he asked me to still go with him I had such warmth in my heart that he would reach out to me. I told him I needed some time to really accept and adjust to this. But Thursday I went with him we made a day out of it and in all honesty it ended up being a really nice day/road trip with him. But something in me was very very detached from him in a way, we had a laugh but it seemed like something had really disappeared between us , in my heart I felt like he was more a friend than the man I was once in love with. Sex has been off the table for ages because of all the arguments we’ve had. And especially now after this. I’ve had some health problems putting me off as well so we’ve not had that intimacy for a while ( he says weeks but it’s been more like 2 weeks).

There’s something in me that feels like I’m grieving something and I don’t know why, I cannot understand why I feel a sense of grief about this:(:( but it’s actually really painful unlike anything I’ve felt before really so it’s difficult to convey it to him. I was there for him Thursday and he was incredibly grateful and really appreciated my support. I was happy to be there for him because I do love him and couldn’t not be there for him especially when he asked me. I’m glad I went with him. But like I said there’s a sense of loss in a way and I don’t know why. I made a list of pros and cons for his decision. There were more pros than cons. It makes sense to me not to have more kids. But it’s that the possibility has been taken away from me. It’s much more complex than just agreeing with his decision. I have a deep sense of disappointment right now. I feel quite empty. I feel quite lost and alone. I feel like something has been taken away from me. I feel quite inadequate, not important enough to be heard by him, a bit disrespected in a wierd way, like my life is a bit meaningless, a bit frustrated that I’ve been single more or less nearly 8 years waiting and hoping for my lucky break in finding mr. right, I feel like I found him and he can’t give me the possibility of more kids. I feel I’d feel different if it was a case of him not being able to have kids for medical reason..but it’s his decision to not have kids because ‘he doesn’t want more kids’ that’s difficult for me to understand him really and whether I can base my future on such a vague and selfish explanation. I’m torn between thinking ‘well it’s his body he can do whatever he wants (which he is obviously entitled to do), and ‘he’s not considering me in his decision’. And that’s what hurts, is that I feel that I don’t really mean that much to him, he doesn’t love me as much as he says he does and it’s his way or the highway. I’m just not sure I’m strong enough to completely dismiss my own feelings and thoughts about this. There are more pros than cons to him having the snip. I’m basing all of my thoughts and feelings on the idea that I possibly may want kids when I push 40 odd, it’s that fear that I may start panicking when the big 4-0 approaches and the thought of not having given myself a chance to find somebody who is willing to give me the world.

I’ve become so distant. I’m very quiet naturally anyway but this is such a different and kind of unsettling kind of silence in me. Like I’ve been covered in a blanket, it’s in a way quite soothing, it’s a sense of detachment where nothing aggravates me or angers me, it’s more of a deep acceptance in me that I’m not allowed something, like a sense of meaning has been stripped away from me. I’m not sure if I’m making sense really. But as a woman intrinsically here to bear children….I feel trapped in that i feel like I can’t find anybody better than him who loves me like he does, we’ve bonded as a family…I feel like I can’t leave that as it’s special to me. It’s what I’ve wanted. A little family even if we don’t have a child together we have two beautiful ones between us. I should be grateful there’s noway I could throw away such a blessing.

But today was difficult. His mother and uncle and aunty came to visit. And I spent the day feeling incredibly low thinking about his decision Thursday. And I cannot shake this feeling that i feel like i’m grieving something.

Bit of background. Emotionally neglected as a child by father. Abandoned by my mother when I was 8. String of toxic relationships. Had a child with a narcissist. And it scared me so much. That was nearly 8 years ago. Tried dating/relationships but they’ve always ended badly. Finally found somebody who was willing to fight for me and stick around. Felt loved. Got pregnant and he told me to get rid of it. Now he’s done this vasectomy and doesn’t want any more kids. It’s like I’ve waited a long time for my happy ending and it’s not been much of a happy ending in all honesty. And it’s almost as if it’s my karma. Like I deserve this or rather i don’t deserve my happy ending. And I’m getting on a bit now. If I choose to end it there’s no guarantee I’ll find someone anyway To have more children with. I guess it’s this sense of loss that I was single for so long, left on The shelf kind of thing and i guess it’s that feeling of being ‘past it’. That disappointment that it’s never going to happen for me. Even though I should be grateful that there is somebody who loves me. It’s so complex I’m not sure how I feel myself even. The best I can describe it as is this sense of emptiness and loneliness. Even though I have him and my boy. He bought me a big bunch of flowers delivered them to me today with some nice chocolates. As a thank you to me for going with him Thursday. I got them this morning just before I was about to go to his to meet his aunty and uncle. I thanked him then he asked me a random question that made me feel a bit uncomfortable ‘do you still fancy me?’ And it may have made me feel uncomfortable because I wasn’t sure how to answer. It made me feel awkward because it was crap timing to ask. But I wasn’t massively reassuring towards him:/ I said ‘ye I do’ but just said bit awkward just before I meet your family. I’m not sure if I still have that desire towards him at this moment in time because of how low I feel and because of what he’s done. I’ve asked him to give me a bit of time to really adjust to all this. But I found today extremely overwhelming and I was very distant. It annoys me how casually he talks about the snip. He told his mum as well. And she was there today. And I just felt incredibly awkward in all honesty. His uncle and aunty mentioned his previous wedding as well which made me feel uncomfortable. I felt slightly judged by them and felt like his aunty was comparing me to his ex wife. (I get the impression the aunty got on alright with his ex wife). I increasingly because uncomfortable today although they were lovely. Deep sadness in me. He noticed but then he started having a go at me or making me feel guilty for not being intimate with him for a while. I simply haven’t felt like it because of health issues and because of him deciding to get the snip and because of arguments. The last argument we had is when I really shut down with him. It was akin to gaslighting. Yesterday he decided to change his Facebook status to ‘in a relationship’. I told him I do need time to think about and process what’s happened but that I can’t throw away what I have now, him and this small family, I can’t throw that away. So he did that, bought me flowers…yet today he had a go at me for not showing interest in him sexually. Felt incredibly awkward because his family were around but I literally couldn’t bring myself to be normal or affectionate with him. I don’t know why I’m like this it’s such a fucked up situation to be in and I’ve not really experienced anything like this before. It’s so difficult. And I came home earlier with my boy and I can’t even bring myself to message him:/ I genuinely don’t know what to say to him without it sounding formal or detached. Plus I have no idea how to make sense of what I’m feeling right now anyway so don’t want to make things worse. He’s more concerned about me not showing any sexual interest. I literally don’t know what to say to him.

OP posts:
Katerinabrandysauce123 · 28/08/2022 12:02

Yes it’s definitely something I need to discuss with my counsellor. I told her last week I was in the verge of ending things after an argument because he was verging on gaslighting behaviour, mirroring everything I said back me, twisting things and really making such a big argument out of something small that I said that had upset me, he just listed a load of things as to why that was all my fault. Even though what I said was non confrontational, it was just a question asking how come he just left that morning without saying goodbye or a kiss and he blew it up and really made me feel bad about myself. I think it’s since then that I’ve really felt a change in me towards him. Not feeling safe talking about how I feel etc, having my feelings dismissed about small things let alone vasectomy. Hence why my confidence has been really knocked with him. And no maybe he isn’t pence charming. I mentioned gaslighting to my counsellor she said it’s good that you’re seeing it now rather than later:(

OP posts:
PyjamaDuddlejuck · 28/08/2022 12:04

he’s feeling rejected because I’ve not been massively interested recently and he does that thing of guilt tripping me... He’s not talking to me now because I’m wasn’t reassuring enough that I do still fancy him, even though I said I did yesterday.

Yeah... not a prince... What did someone say earlier? That his only concern seems to be that he hasn't got his dick wet for two weeks or something like that? Vulgar but gets to the crux of the matter.

Personally I'd be taking quiet, clear steps to bin him off in the not too distant future. Getting "ducks in a row", getting my support network back in place, engineering things so I was bonding a little more with my own child in a twosome again rather than always in the four, getting all the MH support I needed. You might want to also get some input on the best way to handle things for the two children, as it will be a wrench for their step-parent to be removed from their life, in both directions. In which case sooner is better than later really, you don't say how old they are?

lamaze1 · 28/08/2022 12:04

The more you say, the worse he sounds. Definitely not a Prince.

DivorcedAndDelighted · 28/08/2022 12:13

@Katerinabrandysauce123, this does all sound very difficult for you. How long have you been together though? You said you'd left your marriage 8 years ago and been alone for 7, so have you really only been with him a year or so, or did I misunderstand? Because if so, perhaps you have less invested in this than it might seem when you're in the thick of it.

What stands out for me is your comments about not wanting to break up your blended family, the kids etc. Hang on. What you want matters here. You put up with a bad relationship before because, presumably, you didn't feel you had the right to leave for your own happiness. Are you in danger of staying in this one for other people's sakes too? Because if this has only been going on for a year or two, frankly, your child will cope and move on if it ends.

Musti · 28/08/2022 12:13

Actually op, scrap what I said. This isn’t about the vasectomy at all, it is about him only wanting to please himself and wanting you to be happy even when you’re upset and need to process something. Gaslighting is not good.

whumpthereitis · 28/08/2022 12:23

LemonDrop22 · 28/08/2022 11:37

Are you so obtuse you thought o was referring to the vasectomy?

The vascetomy is the only thing he's done right, if late/after the horse has bolted.

LOL, I understand what you meant, but cheers for the concern as to my comprehension.

I imagine that, like a lot of people who find themselves in such a situation, that he thought there was no pressing need to have a vasectomy when contraception would suffice. It’s also very possible that prior to the pregnancy he was undecided when it came to having more children, but when faced with it potentially becoming a reality, realised he wasn’t.

He was entitled to his feelings. Was he supposed to lie and let her believe something that wasn’t true? Would that not be manipulating her into continue the pregnancy, considering she’s making the decision to do so based on a lie?

anyway, it’s all by the by at this point. If OP is unhappy she should absolutely leave the relationship.

Katerinabrandysauce123 · 28/08/2022 13:55

Thank you everyone it’s certainly given me a lot to think about x

OP posts:
LemonDrop22 · 28/08/2022 14:07

Best of luck op

honeylulu · 28/08/2022 15:02

Please leave the relationship. The issue isn't the termination or the vasectomy per se, but his utter disregard for your thoughts and feelings. He can't even be bothered to acknowledge them in passing because he's too busy whinging about not getting his dick serviced.

Katerinabrandysauce123 · 28/08/2022 15:49

I think you might be right @honeylulu . She hasn’t messaged me at all today to ask how I am knowing that I’m not coping very well

OP posts:
Katerinabrandysauce123 · 28/08/2022 15:52

*he

OP posts:
Ohsugarhoneyicetea · 28/08/2022 17:16

If had been honest with you when you were pregnant and said he would be having a vasectomy after the abortion - would that have changed things for you then? Sounds like he made out it was just too soon for him, rather than he would make sure it never happened again. I would feel deeply deceived by this.
What other sacrifices have you had to make for him?

Katerinabrandysauce123 · 28/08/2022 17:52

He did give me some degree of false hope in terms of more children when I had the abortion yes. He wasn’t enthusiastic about it but there was some flexibility in what he was saying. I feel like I’ve sacrificed pregnancy for him, my mental health, my free time (if I didn’t spend every minute of free time with him he’d go silent on me, I guess a way to control or always keep tabs on me), now sacrificing a future with no possibility of kids with him, sacrificed my time worrying about why he’s giving me the silent treatment, worrying and panicking about what I’ve done wrong , why he’s ignoring me), wasting my time because I made mistake of bringing up hkw I feel about something only to have it get turned back on me, mind games:(

OP posts:
Katerinabrandysauce123 · 28/08/2022 17:53

I was warned about him when I first started seeing him, colleagues told me insisting I deserved better..I ignored their advice and stood up for him so I lost their respect also.

OP posts:
Itwasntright · 28/08/2022 17:59

Have you only been with him a year?

Katerinabrandysauce123 · 28/08/2022 18:01

nearly a year yes

OP posts:
Wouldloveanother · 28/08/2022 18:06

Holy shit, well that puts a different spin on things…

Wouldloveanother · 28/08/2022 18:08

There is literally no way you should be considering a baby with someone you’ve been with a matter of months, with 2 kids already in the picture. I started off this thread thinking he was a bit cold or stringing you along, now I totally understand his concerns.

Itwasntright · 28/08/2022 18:09

Wow. You're not a family after a year. You should still be in the honeymoon period not having hundreds of arguments. You've already been coerced into an abortion, he's coercing you into sex, and he's a gaslighter.

See this as your wake up call to get the hell away from him. As someone said up thread, you've gone from a level 10 abuser to a level 5 (at least - sounds like he's escalating). He's not as abusive as your, don't mean he's not abusive.

Katerinabrandysauce123 · 28/08/2022 18:16

@Itwasntright not as abusive as me?😳in what way? I’ve already agreed it would have been too soon for a child in feb. Also I’m talking about the possibility of a child in the future not right now.

OP posts:
Katerinabrandysauce123 · 28/08/2022 18:29

@Wouldloveanother can you explain what you mean? When he’s saying I’m the ‘love of his life, I’m his person, he wants me forever’ etc. he’s been saying this from the get go before he even knew me properly. you could call it lovebombing. the pregnancy was a terrible accident not intentional, and I’ve already agreed it would have been too soon but the emotional impact was incredibly hard for me to cope with nevertheless. Yes he was sensible but saying ‘it’s either have abortion or we won’t work’ was a bit harsh and not in line really with what he was saying to me about me being the love of his life and that. He has stuck by me though. At what stage do you reckon we should have met each other’s kids then when we have committed to each other?

OP posts:
Itwasntright · 28/08/2022 18:42

I meant to say not as abusive as your ex.

Katerinabrandysauce123 · 28/08/2022 18:44

Ahh ok sorry @Itwasntright x

OP posts:
PhilInt · 28/08/2022 18:56

It sounds like (and do correct me if I'm wrong) when he advocated having an abortion that it was suggested it was because you were too early in your relationship. After that he got the snip. Do you prehaps feel a little bit tricked by this. Maybe you're sad that he's not as nice as he originally appeared?

Katerinabrandysauce123 · 28/08/2022 19:07

I think in all honesty I’ve known he’s not that nice for a while now and just been making excuses to stay with him. Having been with a narcissist, I suggested to my counsellor that maybe I’m overly sensitive to any sign of perceived similar narcissistic behaviour and she suggested that maybe I’m just a lot more aware of it. I mentioned to her a couple of things that he does and she said that it’s good that I’m noticing them now rather than further down the line. I broke down about the abortion last session. Thing is though he was in the right about it being too soon. And like other people have said he is sensible in getting the snip now rather than stringing me along. There are more pros than cons it’s just that my heart needs to get in line with my logical brain. Can’t bring another child into this world. One other thing that really bugged me about him as well was social media and noticing that he was ‘loving’ a load of pictures of women with their kids, mostly mothers and their newborns. Before and after I had the abortion. It got me thinking whether he had a thing for women with young children, did he find them attractive, admire them etc? All the while I was grieving an abortion. I did tell him I was a bit upset about it, and he did stop tbh (I think) but I found that quite odd and insensitive am I wrong in thinking or feeling that?

OP posts: