It’s driving me insane. I’m almost 6 months PP and the first few months have been though. MIL has not been the best support. I’ve posted about it before but to sum it up she:
- Made my pregnancy and PP about her and always played the victim. For example: we bought the baby bassinet we wanted, with our own money. We’ve been really happy with it but to MIL it was too expensive and a waste of our money. We did not ask for her advice and she did not pay for it, yet she felt the need to constantly criticize us for buying something we wanted and needed.
- We did not tell her LO’s name while I was pregnant. FIL, MIL and MILs sister would ask us every freaking time we spoke as if they were entitled to know. Once LO was born and we revealed the name, MIL asked us if we were sure.
- I was (and still am) exclusively BFing. MIL wanted me to stop immediately after birth because she did not BF her son, so I shouldn’t either.
- I’ve experienced a drop in my milk supply and LO was not growing according to the standard curve when I was freshly PP. I’m pretty sure the drop in my supply was because of how much stress she gave me. She immediately jumped on the opportunity to tell me once again to stop BFing. She also loves to bring up that LO was not growing well at one point. This one really hurts and it makes me hate her more every time she brings it up like it’s a fun fact.
- Would tell me my milk was not enough and not satisfying LO when she was babysitting and I pumped milk for when I was at work. Turns out she just had difficulties sticking to LO’s sleeping schedule and expected LO to fall asleep miraculously by himself, alone in his room.
- Is continuously judging we’re not letting LO cry it out and that we’re sometimes contact napping. According to MIL we’re ‘ruining’ LO with these ‘bad habits’.
- When Summer came around, she tried to push us into giving LO water instead of milk. I would tell her no but she does not take anything from me so she kept complaining. I overheard her bringing it up again on the phone with DH. When he told her no, she said LO would get too fat from drinking so much milk.
- We’ve decided to wait with solids until LO can sit up straight like the standard rule is now. She constantly complains how we should just give him purees and how it’s sad we’re not letting him experience food yet.
Honestly, I could go on and on. MIL will comment on/argue over literally anything. I’m so freaking tired. Working 4 days a week and exclusively BFing is not easy. I’m doing all the nights since I’m BFing anyways, there’s no need for DH to get up. He’s a great help with everything and tries to put boundaries in place for his mother but he is also tired. Dealing with someone like this is even more tiring and just too much at this point. I wonder if any of you have experiences with a family member that makes it their personal mission to comment on literally everything and expects you to do everything their way? Funny thing is, even if we do something ‘her way’, I’m sure she would still find something to comment about.
I used to be a people pleaser but since LO is here and I regained some confidence after my first months PP, I’m not anymore. I’m very strict in giving MIL boundaries and sticking to them because otherwise she would drive me nuts. But it seems like every time we put up a new boundary because of her crazy behavior, she finds something new. We can never enjoy a moment of peace and it’s driving both DH and me nuts.
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Other posts from /u/cupidsgirl94:
Who changed first after you had your baby, you or MIL?, 1 month ago
Do I forgive MIL after ruining pregnancy and postpartum?, 1 month ago
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How does she know so much about your business? Put her on an information diet and limit her visits.
Start keeping score. Every time MIL says something inappropriate, you get a point. Design a reward system where you get a special treat once you’ve accumulated a certain number of points.
Start an anonymous Twitter account: “Stupid shit my MIL says.” Post ever stupid remark, without exception.
Why is she so involved in your life? Does she live with you? Do you see her three times a week? Because it seems to the best way to deal with her is to not tell her anything and just not see her as much.
Please ask for some space from the MIL, boundaries are not respected. Ask that nobody updates unless you okay it.
You do not need this level of stress.
I simply would not put up with this, but I’m a bit too touchy.