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New (and Pregnant) Stepmom and I Hate it Already

whathaveidone89's picture

I didn't always hate it.  I liked SD (7).  She was sweet and we had a good relationship.  The custody/CS battle started during my relationship with FH, and I supported him from a distance.  I helped out with SD  a lot.  To the point where SD even wanted to call me "mom." ...

Then I got pregnant.  And as I get deeper and deeper into my pregnancy, I resent the fact that FH already has a child and I hate having SD around.  I hate that this is not his first.  I feel very alone going through the motions ... knowing that this is not his first scan, not the first time he's heard his child's heart beat, not the first time he's been overwhelmed with excitement with the prospect of bringing life into this world.  When my mother asked FH if his family will be excited, FH's response was: "they were excited the first time."  I have had extremely bad nausea my first trimester, but after some hospitalizations and medication, I am able to eat, and boy do I eat!  If I don't eat every 2 hours, I am sick to my stomach.  So the other day I cooked and left leftovers.  FH comes home with daughter and shares food for himself and his daughter, and none is left for me.  I almost died with emotions (I'm sure hormones played a big role, but it was such a literally nauseating reminder of where I fell on the totem pole in the houselhold).  I don't want SD around during my pregnancy.  Baby isn't even here yet but I hate the fact that Baby will have a sibling.  SD is so insecure and boasty--I just don't want my child around her.  I'm already fiercely protective and admittedly jealous and I feel evil and almost don't even care.  I want to be FH's first priority.  It's my first pregnancy and I want to be doted on.  I don't want to hear the shrill voice of SD begging for attention every second.  I don't want to see her face.  I don't want her to touch my belly, or obsess over her sibling.  It's not "her sibling."  That's a mere footnote.  It's my child.  It's FH's child.  Period.

I got into an argument with FH on Christmas Day, because after despite initially refusing to have SD come see FH for the holidays, on Christmas Day, BM decides "SD would like to see you today."  So FH spends 3 hours driving to go get her.  He didn't plan for childcare so it became a whole issue over the holidays.  I have been home sick, but I told him outright I have no desire to look after SD, so he should figure it out.

Tomorrow, we are going to his hometown to visit his family and announce our pregnancy.  Without consulting with me, I learned that he also bought SD a ticket.  Why tf does she have to come?  I don't want her there.  It's not about her.  Leave her at home.  Jeez.

I want SD to be with her mother.  So that me and FH can be our own family.  When FH and I got into the argument on Xmas Day, he said I was talking as if I wished he were an absent father to SD.  Tbh, I kind of do...

Comments

Steppedonnomore's picture

Maybe it has a lot to do with pregnancy hormones since you say these feelings started after you became pregnant.  It might be worth scheduling some time with a therapist to talk out some of your feelings.  Realistically, you've always known that your child could never be your FH's "first." But that doesn't mean that your and FH's child isn't also very special to him. Maybe he could also attend some therapy sessions so that you can express your feelings.  I think his response to your mother's question was pretty insensitive. My first child was not my then-husband's first; in fact it was his third.  But he never said or did anything that made me feel like our child wasn't just as special as his others. It was also insensitive of your FH to eat all the food and not consider you.  To be honest, I think the issue is with FH and his actions are causing you to resent his child. 

whathaveidone89's picture

I'm certain pregnancy hormones play a HUGE part.  So as far as I am concerned, he shouldn't go out of his way to have SD with us outside of his scheduled days.

lieutenant_dad's picture

But that's not fair to FH or SD. FH is her father 100% of the time even if he doesn't get to see her 100% of the time. It's a good thing that he wants to spend more time with her.

BUT, it means that HE needs to spend time with her. Not you. If he is going to get her extra, then he needs to make sure she has childcare. He needs to make sure that he balances his time between both you and her. He also needs to make sure that he honors his commitments to you.

Your FH has other respomsibilities that he has to attend to while you're pregnant. He can't devote all of his free time to you. It sucks, but it's part of what we agree to when we engage ourselves with parents. It's a crap part of steplife.

ESMOD's picture

I'm sure that a lot of the emotions are "extra" due to the pregnancy.. 

But, do parents love the 2nd born any less because they had "firsts" with the other child? NO... This pregnancy is the FIRST one he has had with YOU.  That ultrasound is the FIRST one he has seen of his child with you.  

Now, I'm not saying you aren't a priority.. but you are with a guy who does have a child and that child is also a priority to him.  He is going to have to balance things the best he can... of course, you shouldn't always be last, but his child shouldn't be pushed aside just because he decided to have another child with you!

And.. SD is going to be your child's sibling.  I see a lot of resentment for her existence.. even though you said you were fine with her before.  I hope you can try to rationalize with yourself a little and try to realize that many of your feelings are probably heightened due to the pregnancy.  I'm sure that he didn't intend to leave you without a meal.. but figured leftovers were fair game.  If he truly loves you, he wouldn't do something to hurt you intentionally would he?  If you need to be more vocal about what he needs to be doing for you.. you need to do that.

He can't read your mind.  you may need to tell him specifically WHAT you need.  Don't hint.. and get mad when he doesn't magically understand what you wanted.

And.. again.. he is a father to SD also, you can't ask or expect him to get rid of his child.  I mean, if he could do that.. would you want someone who would discard someone they "loved" so easily?

If you need to talk to a therapist to help you work through things.. I would suggest it.

whathaveidone89's picture

You are probably right.  And if you are, I have probably been very unfair to him. 

But I feel like he can do a better job.  Because he hadn't scheduled daycare and I did not want SD to come to our third scan (because I am not ready for BM to know), I told him just don't come.  He promised he would never miss a scan.  And he missed that one ... because of her.  And I know he did not eat all the food intentionally, but he put enough thought to think about SD -- I just want the same consideration.  SD didn't even eat her food that night.  How do you take two plates out knowing there are 3 of us in the house?  I haven't spoken to him since that night .. and he hasn't spoken to me either.  Like excuse me, why the hell are you mad at ME?

I recognize I'm very hormonal.  But it's difficult for me to separate that right now.  And I wish I didn't have to be rational.  I want to be irrational and unapologetically hormonal.  But I can't.  Because there's a skid involved.  And I HATE that.

ESMOD's picture

Have you told HIM that you don't want his EX to know that you are pregnant yet?  Because, he certainly should have understood that you don't take a child to your ultrasound appt.  what was she going to do.. sit by herself? i don't think so.

That was a screw up by him for sure.

I'm still not certain about the leftover thing.. do you guys normally eat "as a family"?  if so.. why weren't you eating at the same time as them?  I can see finishing off leftovers if he thought you may have already eaten there or elsewhere.. that was just a missed connection with communications I think.

I think you do need to tell your SO what you need from him.  You may need to be more clear about things too.  I would tell him that when he didn't come to your ultrasound because he didn't arrange a babysitter that you were hurt.

Now.. he may come back with logic at you and say.. well.. to do that would have cost 100 dollars and that would be 100 fewer dollars I will have to spend on you and the new baby.. and if that is the case.. then you need to tell him that you at least want to be able to make a call.  Maybe you would have been ok with spending the money.. but maybe it may have helped you make another decision.

I think you both need to spend some time talking about things.. because relationships fail due to lack of communication.. and right now it sounds like you are both mad.. but that you don't 100% understand what the problem is with the other person.

LuluOnce's picture

Ohhh girl. It sounds to me like you have a FH problem and SD is your scapegoat.

When my mother asked FH if his family will be excited, FH's response was: "they were excited the first time."

So the other day I cooked and left leftovers.  FH comes home with daughter and shares food for himself and his daughter, and none is left for me. 

I got into an argument with FH on Christmas Day, because after despite initially refusing to have SD come see FH for the holidays, on Christmas Day, BM decides "SD would like to see you today."  So FH spends 3 hours driving to go get her.  He didn't plan for childcare so it became a whole issue over the holidays.  

Without consulting with me, I learned that he also bought SD a ticket.  

I've never been pregnant and the information you are posting here about how your FH is behaving is pissing me off. And I'm not even the one who has to deal with it. 

You're pretty new on here so I don't know what kind of relationship you have, but one of the things my DH and I have learned to do is to discuss our expectations of big events (our wedding, vacations, moving, etc.) and what I want to have happen. Sometimes I'm being unrealistic and DH has to point out why and I have to come down a notch. Other times, I've told DH, "These are the top three things I'm looking forward to and I want them to happen THIS way and if they don't, I will go wildcat crazy on you, so make it happen!" He doesn't understand that something that may seem insignificant to him (or something he's done before that I'm doing for the first time) is actually a really, really big deal to me and I've envisioned it a certain way, and if we don't at least try to guide the situation in that way, I will be disappointed.

Will your FH listen and make changes if you tell him you feel like he is sucking some of the joy out of this by not "doting" on you at the most and by not considering your feelings at all at the least? Because you do not have a SD problem. (It sounds like this girl is polite enough, and is excited about you having a baby, which is a heck of a lot better than the skids who talk about actually killing their SM's unborn children! It's on here. Feel free to search for it). Instead, you have a clueless FH. 

tog redux's picture

Don't get married until you can sort all of this out - perhaps pregnancy plays a part, but there are some issues here that would probably bother you even if you weren't pregnant - but being pregnant makes them worse.  The fact that you are having a cold war over leftovers (I know it's not really about the leftovers) speaks volumes.  Couples counseling might help some. I agree with the previous poster who said SD is not really the problem - it's your SO who is the problem here.

Monkeysee's picture

I had my first with DH and my feelings towards my stepsons changed a lot as my pregnancy progressed as well, you’re not alone!

Yes the hormones play a factor, but your FH isn’t helping. At all.

What’s this about him telling you his family ‘was excited the first time’? Who says that? So your child is just ‘whatever’?  Then leaving you with nothing to eat when he knows you need more food right now... Of course you’re going to feel resentment, he’s behaving like a total @ss. If my husband had behaved this way I’d have torn him a new one.

Which brings me to my question.. have you talked to him about how you’re feeling? You need to. It doesn’t matter that he’s done this before, you haven’t. This is really special for both of you, and most especially for you because you’ve never done this before. If he can’t be considerate of the fact that you want it to be special, then evidence points again to him being a total @ss.

Nobody is perfect. My DH & I fought a ton during the second half of my pregnancy because all kinds of Disney dad crap started coming out right around the time my hormones started ramping up, and BM became more of a nightmare the further along I got as well (what a surprise). It happens, but you need to speak to him about it.

I called my DH out on his Disney dad garbage & didn’t let him make excuses about ‘the boys feeling left out’. No they weren’t, neither of us left them out, he was just feeling guilty & using anything he could think of as an excuse to elevate them above me without feeling badly about it, and I wasn’t having it. Is it possible your FH is feeling guilt and these little comments/actions are how it’s coming out? Or did he do these things before you were pregnant too?

Either way, talk to him about it & don’t put up with his sh*t. It’s not your fault he already has a kid & isn’t with her mother anymore. He’s an adult & chose to do those things, then chose to have a second child. Taking his guilt out on you isn’t an option (if that’s what he’s doing). If he always behaves this way, then he’s simply an @ss.

lieutenant_dad's picture

Specifically to the "they were excited the first time" to mean that he doesn't see a reason why they won't be excited this time, too. To be honest, it's a pretty ruse question to ask a parent "so is your family excited that you're having another?" as if there is a reason they shouldn't be.

fourbrats's picture

it as well. "They were excited the first time" as in why wouldn't they be excited this time? I didn't take it to mean they will be any less excited. 

whathaveidone89's picture

Yes, this is how he meant it. Actually, during our argument today, I learned that what he meant was that his family was excited about OUR first pregnancy. (We were previously pregnant and I terminated). 

Monkeysee's picture

I’m glad that’s what he meant, it was a poorly worded comment. Selfish or not, I don’t like hearing about my stepkids when they were little, because I don’t like hearing about DH being with his ex. It’s a compromise I’ve had to make to stay sane in steplife, and my DH knows better than to make comments like that (thankfully). Maybe you could have a similar conversation with your FH to be more mindful of the way he speaks to you. Yes it’s selfish, but honestly as stepparents we take on so much of our partners past, if they aren’t willing to work with us in ways to make us feel more comfortable they aren’t worth being with. I don’t mind if my DH takes walks down memory lane, but he’s not doing it with me.

You deserve to have this be a special time in your life. Part of it means you’re going to have to give his past less space in your head, but he can also be considerate towards you & make it feel like his first time as well, because it’s his first with YOU.

SecondGeneration's picture

Oh bless your heart. Alot of your feelings are totally normal. 

Its evolutionary, you are pregnant, you are now doing and thinking things to ensure your child has the best survival chances. The fact that your partner has another offspring that's not yours, and the sudden borderline hate of that offspring is basically why tigers and other males kill other males offspring. It's all about survival. Ultimately humans are animals too. 

I've been in SDs life since she was shy of 3, have enjoyed a very positive relationship with her. My DH has always done his job of protecting me from any BM drama. We waited 5 years before having an ours baby. During my pregnancy? There were times I felt just like you do. There were times just knowing SD was coming to visit would make me angry. Her excitement about her new sibling, would, at times, make me feel sick. I hated how much time we spent talking about everything, how much time we took to ensure SD didnt feel forgotten, to make sure she knew that babies can be annoying. The times talking about SDs feelings because she was worried she would be jealous of her baby sibling because the baby would stay with us and she had to go back and forth. 

But, I was able to talk to my DH about it and he did his utmost to limit my exposure to SD. I spent the first half of my pregnancy sick with hyperemesis gravidarium, and in that time I basically lived in the bathroom. Once the hyperemesis went away I was able to relax and enjoy my pregnancy a bit more but that first 22 weeks was tough. Some days just the smell of food would kick start my vomiting, DH would have to eat outside the home or only cold foods. Yet felt guilty about leaving me for any length of time as I was miserable. 

You need to talk to your partner, I can only imagine how much harder it is if you are relatively new to being a "step". 

Now obviously I cant predict the future for you but for me? My DH arranged with BM that when I went into labour that SD would be dropped back with BM via our neighbour's. We ended up having a scheduled c section, but the fact that he put a proper plan in place to ensure that even if I went into labour at 3am, we wouldn't end up waiting on BM to collect SD or have to detour via her house made me calmer. 

And once my baby arrived? I can honestly say there was absolutely not one single thought of SD the morning my DD was born. Both my husband and I were totally blown away by her. And that evening? It was me that was excited about SD finally being able to meet her sister. She visited the following day and fell instantly in love too. 

I was very clear with my DH that SD can and should be encouraged to be involved, choosing outfits, playtime bathtime, but never forced and never the "bad" jobs. Once my DD was able to interact a bit more, I would be filled with love and pride watching DD and SD play. My relationship with SD got better too, we are now connected through this new person. She adores her little half sister and is fiercely protective of her, and as DDs BM, I like that. 

Now my SD is 9 and DD is 1. It's been one heck of a year, and during that time theres been ups and downs. But it does get better, your hormones do ebb away. 

I actually was concerned that I was depressed after DD arrived. But all was fine between me and baby but I had such waves of rage at DH. The poor man could do no right at some points. I've since heard of post natal rage and it may well have been that but despite my 4 trips to the dr, they were confident I didnt need any intervention. 

You need to make clear arrangements with your partner. Food is a HUGE deal when pregnant. My DH never ate the last of anything once I was able to eat again, just incase I would want it. But you do need to talk to him about it all because he cant read your mind and right now with all the hormones, your not even following a logical pattern, so the guy really is in the dark about what is super important to you right now. The only way he can know is you talking. 

But do know, you arent alone, you are not a bad person for feeling the way that you do and your partner can make this easier or harder, depending on his level of understanding and proactive behaviour. 

Oh and we completely expected BM to go crazy when we announced our pregnancy and she didnt. If anything that was the turning point for her becoming super reasonable and more open in communication. It was weird. But it can happen. 

whathaveidone89's picture

I have the strongest urge to hug you. Reading your post made me feel so normal and okay. I admit the idea of involving her at all annoyed me but I know that's both unrealistic and unreasonable. 

I did speak to FH about how I felt. Unfortunately, he has interpreted that to mean that I desire him to love SD less and I have been completely told off. I ended the conversation and decided I will not be accompanying him and SD to his hometown tomorrow. They can go together and enjoy their together time since I'm such a wicked and selfish woman. 
 

We did discuss labor. She will not be here during that time. And we already agreed the only people allowed in the delivery room are my mother and him. 
 

Hopefully this gets better. But with the intensity of my emotions and his lack of understanding, I am entering the realm of thoughts of becoming his second BM. 

SecondGeneration's picture

Sending hugs to you. You are normal, dont you worry about that. 

You might need to try to have the conversation with him again. I told my DH, look you know I love SD, you know I do things with her wellbeing in mind, I am assuming this is all hormonal and will settle once the baby is here but this is how I'm feeling right now. SD has done nothing wrong, but I need you to help me get through this and you can do X Y Z to help. 

That being said, if hes decided in his head that your being unreasonable and is hanging on to the victim card of "my child is being unfairly treated" it will be an uphill battle to get him to understand. Only you know whether you have the energy for that. 

Great that you've already discussed it. But you need a proper plan for what happens if SD is with you when you go into labour. Someone else needs to be on standby so you and partner can haul ass to the hospital. Which is why we chose our neighbour's, takes very little time away from what you need to do. But for me, the idea of being in labour and having to wait around for someone to one collect SD or potentially waiting in the car whilst my DH knocking on BMs door would just ruin the whole experience. Births never go as planned, but you can control some aspects to ensure you are in the best head space. 

It's hard, I wont lie. My DH I have had our hardest year the first year with DD. Our relationship changed way more than I anticipated. My feelings were so much more intense and my patience for anyone other than my baby was non existent. We sought counselling at one stage because we just couldn't seem to communicate with one other. Whenever the kids were around we functioned fine, but me and him alone? That was touch and go for a while. 

StayTrue's picture

So I think some of your emotions are perfectly normal! 
 

when I had my first child with DH I was jealous that I wasn't the first, for him in having a child. I would be pisssed if my husband said what your man said. 
 

On thing that did help is that I know DH ex wanted another child with him and he did not want to do it. Our child and children were all planned up to the latest. And even still he was excited and happy to grow our family. So I have comfort in that. 
 

depending on how your SD is, she may be a huge help when the baby comes and grows up. Do not pressure yourself to feel certain ways though. Be honest with your feelings but sensitive. My DH doesn't like everything I say or feel but he does respect it and I think partly is because we communicate it and stay open about it.
 

I would not get married until you are both comfortable with how each of you feel. 

Sad Girl's picture

I have the exact opposite problem Smile I liked the skids and wanted to try and bond with them. It went well at the begening. Then SO and me started trying to have our own baby. For a whole year I couldn't and still can't get pregnant. 

That's what led me not to like the skids. I can't stand looking at them with my SO. I can't stand talking about them.

They are a constant reminder that right now or maybe ever I won't be able to have my own child.

So I understand you, just in reverse Smile