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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

I had an abortion and he left me

117 replies

Chaoticgarden · 22/01/2025 10:14

A while back I posted about being pregnant and was really struggling to decide whether to keep the baby or not. Because i'm 40, this has been a heartwrenching decision for me and a lot of tears have been shed, but in the end I decided to go for a termination.

The experience of having a termination was one of the most painful and traumatic experiences i've ever had, the pain was so intense I had to call an ambulance. I'm now recovering from it. Prior to that I spent 3 weeks in a complete panic over what I should do.

The father of the child was trying to encourage me to go through with the pregnancy pretty much constantly, it was impossible to have an impartial discussion with him, he was just completely sure that we were going to be able to do this. I am sure he is right but some of my reasons for not going through with it were as follows:

I have only been officially dating him for 4 months, I was seeing him before that and it took him two months of sleeping with me to ask me out.

In the time I've been dating him he's never introduced me to his mother or even taken me out on a date - it actually became a point of contention and I eventually had to outright ask him to.

He lives at home with his mother and is 40. He's been in this country for a year after moving from another country so I understand he's getting back on his feet, but he earns half what I do and has no savings and no assets.

In the end I felt like his frequent declarations of love just really weren't backed up with anything solid, and I couldn't risk upheaving my entire life to have his child. I felt that me having his baby wasn't because he loved me and wanted to be with me, I felt like it was a way of him getting a life upgrade, while I would have been sat at home with a baby and he could go to work as normal. Because I earn so much more, I realised how much of an impact this would have on my independence. I live in a house share at the moment because I'm still selling the house from my previous relationship which was abusive and which I had to leave.

I didn't feel like I could rely on this guy who I barely knew, despite him saying he'd marry me there is no law that says he has to do that, and no law that says he couldn't leave when things got hard. I just couldn't risk it. I am devastated. I am sure I would have been able to do it on my own but he was so hell bent on having the child that there is no way he wouldn't have hounded me and I did not want to be in a coparenting situation - I wanted a family.

After my termination he basically turned on me, told me his mother is devastated and her health has taken a turn for the worse, that I am selfish for asking for support, and that I am "pushing him for answers" on the future of our relationship. He said we're not broken up but he "needs space". He told me several times he wouldn't judge me whatever decision I made. He has text me asking how my day was but I don't get much more than that, when I've said my day is fine he's told me i'm being short with him and that asking what's going on is being aggressive and harsh.
I'm also selfish for not asking after his mother and I'm a narcissist because I am making everything about myself.

I realise that I should never have dated this man in the first place, this whole thing was an accident but I am just completely gobsmacked by his cold behaviour towards me after the termination. It was a bit like he expected me to give him a baby, he already has one in another country that he does not see because the mother apparently got pregnant and then ran off and refused to let him have any involvement in it.

He's seemed really nice and very kind (as long as it's free) but his sudden change of tune is apparently all my fault? I was not a very nice person during the pregnancy because I felt under immense pressure and stress, I barely ate or slept and cried constantly, so maybe that is why? I don't know.

OP posts:
Gettingbysomehow · 22/01/2025 16:03

He is a prick. So what if he's grieving, he didn't have to go through this nightmare.

happinessischocolate · 22/01/2025 16:06

Chaoticgarden · 22/01/2025 14:18

I replied to his text asking to see me this evening and said "I've already got my answers over the past couple of days".
He has flipped out at me saying "this is what i'm talking about with you, all I needed was some time to clear my head".

He never told me he needed to clear his head and I have not been banging his door down begging for him to speak to me. I simply asked if we could talk and he said yes, after work. It then turned out he expected me to text him about it. Now he expects me to be free this evening to see him to discuss it.

I cannot imagine with his attitude towards me that anything he has to say to me will be positive and it will only leave me even more hurt and broken. I know what will happen and I will end up sitting and justifying myself to him about why I have made the choice i've made. I am not going to do that. I know why I chose this.

He finished his message with "well if that's your decision then fine" and I see no need to say anything further. I feel like with guys like this, the more you say and try to plead your case, the more they go off at you and think they have got control of you and I have already been down that path once, I will NOT be doing it again.

Excellent...now block him and never speak to him again.

VisitationRights · 22/01/2025 16:10

His reaction to the termination is neither here nor there, he is entitled to his feelings but he is not entitled to put his emotions on you, you are not his emotional support animal nor his punching bag.

from what you have said, you have made the best decision for yourself and piloting distance between you and him is an excellent idea. You don’t owe him anything. Not your time or support or explanations.

BumpandBounce · 22/01/2025 16:16

He sounds absolutely bloody awful and you are well rid of him. It was a very short relationship which ended in a long trauma for you. There’s no coming back from this. Block him and move on with your life.

Don’t confuse your grief and sadness at the abortion with the end of the relationship. They’re two very separate things. You can be sad that you didn’t have the baby whilst relieved that a domineering bullying man is out of your life.

Naunet · 22/01/2025 16:22

Chaoticgarden · 22/01/2025 15:22

I'd never looked into what it really involved being a mother until I became pregnant and for 3 weeks I researched and researched and researched. I looked at the good and the bad.
I also looked at how the situation would be for him, and what it would mean for him. I realised how heavy the price would be for me and the fact that he had no obligation to stick around. He could easily have moved back in with his mother and demanded joint custody thus leaving me out on my own with a vastly reduced quality of life.

It's been especially heartbreaking because I loved the idea of it the way he explained it, but I have been very well schooled in what men say, the promises made and how women are left in the dust picking themselves up after they have followed the promises of bad men.

I'm not saying that means all men are bed or that women don't also deceive, but speaking on this situation specifically, I know very well how it could go.

Very soon after we began dating I told him I was going on a solo trip to turkey - it was a group trip with a bunch of people I never met. It was for my 40th. He asked if he could book onto it too and I said ok sure, he came with me and one evening we were having dinner (splitting the bill every time) and he told me he had just texted his friends to say "I think i've met my wife". We'd been seeing each other less than 2 months by this point, he hadn't even asked me to be his girlfriend by this point.

None of it stacked up to me at all, I thought it was very sweet and blushed and disregarded it. Later on that week one of the waiters said we looked like a cute couple and he said "she wants my babies". Something about him, although he seemed very lovely in every way, was off. From how cheap he was being to how unfailingly complimentary he was being... and now this 180 has revealed a lot to me.

I'm aware he's grieving too. I have no issue with that and I never would. Part of the agony of my decision was knowing that I would hurt him by deciding not to keep it, part of me was saying "don't upset him, keep it, you might not get another chance". But in the end I said no.... because if I am nice now and he turns on me, I'd just never forgive myself.

I highly doubt he's grieving, early pregnancy is pretty abstract to men, if he'd been with you years and you'd both been trying for a baby for ages, then sure, but in this situation, I really don't think so.

I think you should be really proud of yourself for spotting the red flags, it's just not normal behaviour, he was trying to rush everything and his words weren't matching his actions.

PennyNotWise · 22/01/2025 16:33

You made the right decision. He’s definitely not the one. You’ve got this.

mumda · 22/01/2025 16:55

I'm going to wish you lots of joy in your future. And just block this man and get him gone from your life.

Rosieposiecosy · 22/01/2025 20:51

I’m not sure what you’re expecting, it seems to have run its course. You don’t respect his political views of life values, and he doesn’t respect yours. That’s a big thing. He wanted the baby, and you didn’t, that’s a big thing also. I think you need to just accept the break up and not expect the man he was before this to still be there, and just move on

2JFDIYOLO · 23/01/2025 00:18

Please do engage with his ex. It sounds like she has the dose of reality for you that you need.

Bibi12 · 23/01/2025 01:14

Rosieposiecosy · 22/01/2025 20:51

I’m not sure what you’re expecting, it seems to have run its course. You don’t respect his political views of life values, and he doesn’t respect yours. That’s a big thing. He wanted the baby, and you didn’t, that’s a big thing also. I think you need to just accept the break up and not expect the man he was before this to still be there, and just move on

Can you please stop assuming women who had abortion "didn't want a baby"?

It's possible to want the baby with all your heart yet make a logical decision you're not equipped for whatever reason to continue the pregnancy, be it financial, physical, emotional or relational.

Those type of abortions are particularly traumatic and nothing to do with not wanting a baby.

savethatkitty · 23/01/2025 02:57

I'm sorry love. You did the right thing. He sounds awful. You were right with your decision. Atleast now you can have a clean break. You owe him nothing, you are not obliged to see him. You have no ties.

Chaoticgarden · 23/01/2025 10:44

Bibi12 · 23/01/2025 01:14

Can you please stop assuming women who had abortion "didn't want a baby"?

It's possible to want the baby with all your heart yet make a logical decision you're not equipped for whatever reason to continue the pregnancy, be it financial, physical, emotional or relational.

Those type of abortions are particularly traumatic and nothing to do with not wanting a baby.

This is exactly right and that poster is an arsehole.
I did want the baby, I would have loved to, but I think a child deserves a stable life. I understand marriages break down, I understand that circumstances change but you don't willingly bring a baby into that life when you're unprepared and unsure, it's cruel. So the grief I feel is real.

I spoke to the ex AT LENGTH last night, she was extremely kind. She told me her entire story and yes, he flaked on her. I defended this guy and his sob story, I felt sorry for him but when I heard her side of the story my heart broke for her. He was invited to scans and never showed up, she asked for help with his daughter when she was 4 years old and suffering repeated UTIs and he just told her can she pick up the bill.

She told me in detail everything that happened, and hilariously, because I cut him off, suddenly he text her that evening (she shared the entire conversation they were having with me) and suddenly he wanted to be there, he'd had a bad start to the year, he said nothing about me - apparently it was his job.

The second job he ran off to get because of my pregnancy he was telling her he got for her and her daughter so he could contribute more. We both laughed about it but I think we were both heartbroken and let down. She was grateful to me for sharing my side, she said she thought she'd always been too harsh on him and maybe he really was down on his luck but I explained that no, he's been on two holidays with me and bought himself a new car - owns 3 cars right now which he's doing nothing with despite his profession being "cars".

Honestly this morning I just woke up feeling absolutely broken about it, I suppose because I knew in my heart there was no chance of a future with him - and don't judge me for that because you always want to find a way with someone, you always want to tell yourself that this person didn't really do what you thought they just did. It's hard to just cut people off and I don't think women especially really ever want to do that. The silver lining is the friendship I now have with her, she's checked in on me this morning and i've asked how she is too. She's shared the long 7 year history of her dealing with this guy and it makes me feel relieved that I chose to have an abortion but utterly devastated at the same time.

I can't explain how I feel but I do think that I need some serious therapy for this situation becasue it is now how I envisaged my year starting. I had just recovered from the last trauma and now I have a new one to deal with and this stuff really does affect your life.

OP posts:
Mrsbloggz · 23/01/2025 10:55

This dreadful man is full of shit and you are well rid of him.
Block and delete!

AwaitingFreedom · 23/01/2025 11:04

I can't explain how I feel but I do think that I need some serious therapy for this situation
I agree with you. But I also think you are mixing up your emotions from the termination as well as from the relationship and you need to separate them if possible. Grieve the loss of the baby, but do not grieve the loss of this man. He was not a good one and would have made your life hell.

This link offers places for help afterwards, please contact them Flowers

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/abortion/support/

Mrsbloggz · 23/01/2025 11:08

you always want to tell yourself that this person didn't really do what you thought they just did
Ain't that the truth @Chaoticgarden !
It's taken me decades to fully realise that the other person was always doing everything they could to exploit me and work the situation to their advantage.
Don't let anyone have any leverage over you and don't take any sh¹t from anyone!

2JFDIYOLO · 23/01/2025 11:44

The very best thing that has come out of this is your friendship with his ex and how you are able to support and reassure each other that it wasn't either of you! Love bombing + flaking + gaslighting appears to be his method and you coth have the evidence now. Keep her, ditch him.

BrunetteBarbie94 · 23/01/2025 12:17

I'm so sorry for everything you've been through. It sounds like you dodged a serious bullet with this guy and having his child. If you had not had a termination, you would have been posting in a few years like many women here who are in hell because of the men they had children with.

I agree with PPs that you should seek therapy for yourself so that you won't give men like him a second of your time going forwards.

One thing I've learned is that we shouldn't have to work hard to see the good in someone. We shouldn't be saying someone is good deep down etc. We aren't miners excavating gold. Good people are just good, it's apparent in everything they say and do - you don't have to work so hard to find it.

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