From Hollywood to Home: Black Voices in Entertainment
- MIL constantly holds the baby, preventing the mother from nursing or comforting her infant during the visit.
- MIL washed maybe three dishes during the weeklong stay and otherwise contributed almost no household help.
- The mother cooked repeatedly but the home-cooked meals were largely ignored, leaving her frustrated and forced to keep cooking.
- Her existing postpartum anxiety worsened into full blown depression symptoms while the MIL stayed.
- Reddit commenters urged boundaries: take the baby back, set rules, and have the husband enforce them.
NEED TO KNOW
- A new mom says her mother-in-law is driving her crazy by overstaying her welcome
- In a Reddit post, the woman writes that her mother-in-law does nothing but “hog the baby,” and turns her nose up at home-cooked meals
- Now, others on Reddit are chiming in with similar experiences
A new mom says her mother-in-law is driving her crazy, staying at her home and doing nothing but “hogging the baby.
In a Reddit post, the woman writes that her mother-in-law has been staying with her and her husband but has contributed very little.
“My MIL is in town for the week (she leaves tomorrow, thank GOD!) but the whole time she’s been here she has washed maybe 3 dishes and otherwise done nothing but hog the baby (who isn’t even a month old),” she writes. “I dread when she comes over because I know I won’t be able to hold him until she leaves like 10-12hr later.”
“I can’t even nurse him when she’s here because she’s constantly holding the baby,” she continues. “I watch him cry and she’s wondering what’s wrong and I’m screaming inside ‘HE WANTS HIS MOM!!!!’ ”
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To “add insult to injury,” the woman notes that her mother-in-law has “barely touched” her home-cooked meals.
“I decided I wouldn’t cook for her again, and today I was forced to cook another dinner for her,” she writes. “Meanwhile she’s on the couch with the baby. I want to rip my hair out.”
“I’m so frustrated and exhausted and I’m suffering from postpartum anxiety as it is but since she’s been here it’s turned into full blown depression symptoms,” she continues. “I cannot smile for the life of me. I’m so excited for her to leave.
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Other Reddit users sympathized with the poster but told her she needs to put her foot down.
“When my MIL comes to town, I don’t ask. I just walk over, take the baby, and say it’s time for food, nap, whatever. Baby crying? Walk over and take the baby. Baby is hungry? Make a bottle and walk upstairs and lock the door: it doesn’t need to seem that rude,” one person wrote.
“Your husband needs to set some rules and so do you,” another added. “If my baby was crying because she was hungry and my MIL wouldn’t give her back I would raise hell. That is YOUR child. It’s your job to keep them safe and speak up for them since they have no voice.”
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