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Baby arrived! There was family drama :(

(88 Posts)
muffinthemoo Sat 15-Sept-18 14:43:00

First of all for those following my adventures at home - my boy arrived at the weekend. He is fine but the delivery was lengthy and difficult and eventually emergency section was needed. It was a bit touch and go for me but they managed to stop the bleeding eventually and save the uterus. (I was okay with the hysterectomy if needed although to be fair if needed, there wouldn’t exactly have been an option). We had to stay in most of the week so I could have blood transfusions and other things since I left seven pints on the theatre floor and went into shock sad. Rough affair all round and tbh DH was pretty frightened by the whole thing. Definitely definitely the last baby for us. I had some cardiac trouble that was put down to the blood loss but I am getting that further checked out in a bit.

Thanks to all the grans who sent their best wishes, I needed those in the end!

Feeling really rough but I’m home with my wee ones now and am just trying to rest and take it easy until I can get back on my feet more.

Drama - he arrived very early Sunday morning. Around mid morning MIL told (now I have seen the texts, so I say this advisedly, it was phrased as a statement of fact) DH that she would be coming to the early afternoon visiting. DH explained I was still in the recovery room getting blood and fluids as I was in shock and no one was coming anywhere since I was probably going to the High Dependency Unit rather than the postnatal ward.

She told him that she was coming to the visiting for the baby, not me, and surely if I was in HDU there was still visiting for the newborn?

Yeah, okay, thanks. DH was pretty upset by this time and he said some fairly rough things to her. I was pretty out of it so I wasn’t really aware of this happening until afterwards. I did end up in HDU. No one came up that day because I didn’t want the wee ones to be frightened so I needed my parents to stay with them. I called them on the phone when I was bit more compos mentis.

The next day comes, I ask to go to the postnatal ward if possible because I really want to see my girls as soon as I don’t look too scary. So I get down there in time for afternoon visiting amd see my wee ones and my parents come along. My parents were super upset but putting a face on it. (Mum has actually been... really good the whole time. Dad says she got a big shock and has decided to ‘try harder’. She’s my mum, I’ll take it)

DH is not speaking to his parents ar this point after the events of the previous morning but after the wee ones have a nice visit with me and new brother, I have a talk with him and say I think his mum and dad should come up that night to meet the new boy. I would rather he was there to help with the visit because I’m not allowed out of bed yet and have drips everywhere and a catheter in. Honestly I can’t even reach myself a drink. But I say, the other GPs have been up, let them come and see him.

You guys. The ILs appear and MIL doesn’t speak a word to me. She takes the one chair next to me and folds her arms and glowers at DH.

I ask her nicely if she wants to hold baby, and she rips out “No. I don’t agree with this passing babies around. Put him down.” It’s.... er, his own dad and her son who’s holding baby at this point so I think, welp not getting involved in this one.

I honestly just don’t feel well enough for drama so I just lie there and make a little conversation with FIL who seems embarrassed by the whole affair. Mercifully our brothers turn up with my SIL and I have a normal chat with them. DH offers the brothers and SIL a wee cuddle and they do indeed “pass the baby around”. Baby is cool with this, everyone washed hands when they arrive, this is fine. I open some lovely gifts from bros and chat away.

DH offers FIL a hold of the first and (almost certainly) only grandson. FIL moves his arms to accept before MIL grinds out “NOOOOO” and FIL just folds his arms back down.

The bros and SIL check this out and stampede for the door. If I could move I would also bail, smart move. But I have to keep lying there.

DH gets quite obviously emotional and asks his mum does she really not care about holding her grandson. She looks at him - he’s obviously tearful - and sneers “Too little, too late.”

FIL more or less grabs her and hustles her off the ward.

DH sits crying with me for a while. I feel really bad but all I can really do is hold his hand and try and comfort him.

We’ve not heard from her since and I haven’t brought it up. Neither has DH. I feel like I should try and find out how he’s feeling about this but, urgh, baby and I are barely back in the house. I don’t have the energy for drama at this point.

I will take any advice you might offer on how I should handle this from here.

mcem Sun 16-Sept-18 21:44:03

Just a note of appreciation!
muffin with all you've had to cope with it was really thoughtful of you to get in touch with us on GN. Thank you.
Hoping that now your DH has girded his loins, they'll stay well and truly girded as far as his mother is concerned!

jaclovesdogs Sun 16-Sept-18 22:04:24

I agree completely with Mawbroon. Stuff your MIL but I do feel sorry for her husband, is there any way to can contact your FIL without your MIL knowing because I really think he would love to see and hold the baby. You have to wonder what drew your FIL to his wife in the first place as she sounds like a horrible woman.

Esspee Sun 16-Sept-18 23:06:51

flowers Congratulations Muffin on your precious new arrival. I hope you recover very soon.
As for your MIL, I feel sorry for her. She is clearly (as they say on mumsnet) batshit crazy.
Tell me, does she like magnolia? Seems to ring a bell.

Madgran77 Sun 16-Sept-18 23:09:08

Gbriella I had 7 pints many years agobut frankly who cares , it happens ...why a stretch? muffin is through it which os great and why shouldn't she be on here if he wants to be, se is getting support and advice that MIL ( and to some extent her mum) are not offering! Again, why are you commenting I this way, so unnecessarily!!

Jalima1108 Sun 16-Sept-18 23:17:35

A bit of a stretch...7 pints.
I take it you're not a medical expert then, GabriellaG, in which case perhaps it's best not to comment.

DD had 7 pints Muffin and it does take time to recover to take care, enjoy your baby and spend some lovely time together as a family.
My DN needed a lot more than 7 pints, 16 as far as I remember (placenta previa)

jocork Sun 16-Sept-18 23:48:00

One of my friends had a horrific first birth losing a lot of blood, but she didn't tell me much of the details as at the time I was 6 weeks away from having my DD myself and she didn't want to worry me! She did tell me a bit later but by then she was over the worst. We both went on to have 2nd children, that time 3 weeks apart and our children spent much of their early childhood together.
I find it astonishing that in the circumstances your MiL could not grasp the seriousness of the situation and made it all about her. I thought my MiL was challenging but she's got nothing on yours! Congratulations on reacting so calmly despite all the provocation and congratulations on completing your family. flowers

Apricity Mon 17-Sept-18 00:38:00

Dear muffin, Can I join the chorus of virtual Grans and offer my warmest congratulations on the safe arrival of your little one. Look after yourself and enjoy your family. I can only admire the way you handle your very, very "challenging" extended family. Quite honestly I don't know how you stay sane. ???

Alypoole Mon 17-Sept-18 07:20:47

Massive Congratulations! Hope you’re feeling a little more “normal “ now. I echo everything being said on here-concentrate on your lovely family, ignore MIL and get well. Sounds as though you have some great family around you-use them!

glammagran Mon 17-Sept-18 09:11:05

Congratulations on the birth of your son. I’m amazed you had any energy to post on this forum! Sounds like you have a very caring DH and FIL. Do not allow MIL to dominate your family in any way. I imagine you are not a particularly young mother so take great care of yourself. Wishing you all the very best.

vintage1950 Mon 17-Sept-18 09:58:08

Congratulations and I hope you and your baby thrive. It sounds that your DH is standing up to his difficult (!) mother. I admire you for being so calm and sensible about this awful situation!

maryhoffman37 Tue 18-Sept-18 12:07:22

That is one very unhappy woman. I wonder why? Huge congrats to Muffin and her precious new baby boy. Just concentrate on your DH and family and regain your strength.

MawBroon Tue 18-Sept-18 12:49:34

Being picky GabriellaG ? Are you medically qualified?
The number of units of blood OP would have been given would be unlikely to have been given at the end of losing 7 pints, but over a period during which she was probably still haemorrhaging to a degree. I have seen DH given up to 5 units because of acute anaemia but that has taken over 5 hours and in his final crisis he was losing blood as quickly as they could get it in.
In any case
The volume of blood in a person's body will vary according to their size and other factors, but the average quantities of blood are as follows
^An average-sized woman has about 9 or 10 pints of blood.
An average-sized man has about 12 pints of blood.
An infant has 75 to 80 milliliters of blood per kilogram (ml/kg) of body weight^
There are always those who question other people’s experiences, but I prefer to TG that all is now well.