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How will things be different?

callmemyname's picture

So this is a hard question to ask. Bare with me.

My fiance and I are VERY excited to start a family after we get married next year. He already has a 4YO son with his ex. We have him 50/50 with BM. The son was unplanned on his part, though I think she got pregnant on purppose to try to keep him around, because we all know how well that works. Eventually, he found out she had been cheating on him for a majority of their relationship (surprise, surprise) and ended things. His son was unwanted, but he clearly loves him now.

My question is for those who have unplanned children with exs, then children with the one they love. Is the feeling different? Has my fiance been stripped of that "first child" feeling? Will he be less excited than me for our child because he has in fact "been there, done that"? I know they say every child is speical and the third isnt less exciting than the first, or whatever number you have. I just want to see if I'm crazy for thinking that my child(ren) might miss out on some of their father's love/excitment because of his past expeiences?

TIA for your responses.

Jcksjj's picture

For me (and I've heard the same for other moms with large age gaps) having a 2nd baby was more like having another first baby because they were 7.5 years apart. He might feel the same. 

Monkeysee's picture

I’m having a baby with DH & he’s incredibly excited about it. Having done it before doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t be excited to do it with YOU. 

I remember having those fears years before we conceived & telling my mum I was worried he wasn’t going to be as excited or think it’s special when we have ours. My mum has 4 kids, and she just said ‘monkeysee that’s ridiculous, every baby is special. The first isn’t more loved than the last, so quit thinking that way’. My little sister, her 4th, was an oops baby, and my mum said she actually enjoyed that pregnancy & baby stage the most because she was more confident & had more help than she’d had with the previous 3.

Don’t let his past take away your excitement at having your own child. 

callmemyname's picture

You brought literal tears to my eyes while reading that. He always says hes so excited because it is ME, the ones he loves, is going to marry, is going to spend forever with. He tells me all the time he was excited he had a son with BM because every dad wants a son. But with me, it doesnt matter as long as it is healthy. He DOES act differenly about our future than I think in my head he will react. We have had a scare before where I thought I was pregnant, and he told me that although unplanned, itll just mean we get to start our life together sooner. Maybe hes not all that bad after all.

TwoOfUs's picture

I agree with Monkey. I don't have any kids myself, but I'm the oldest of 6 kids and was never made to feel like I was "extra special" just because of an accident of birth order. My parents loved all their kids equally (but differently, of course). I think my mom would agree that she enjoyed the later pregnancies more because of having more help and experience. 

I know CODs are different...and you may see your SO trying to compensate with his oldest bc your children will have an intact family and his son does not. I don't think your kids together will miss out on anything due to not being "first" but you may feel like you're being robbed of the "firsts" together. But I think with a supportive fiance like yours, that feeling only happens if you allow it. Get as excited and filled with joy about your first baby as you want...and don't second guess it or worry that it's somehow "not as good." 

thisgirlrighthere's picture

I agree with this. DH has a daughter in her twenties from a previous relationship. When I got pregnant with our daughter, he was (initially) SO excited. He came with me to the 12 week ultrasound (if I recall, could have been a little later)  and actually saw our daughter moving, his exact words with tears in his eyes was "that's amazing!!". It wasn't until we broke the news to SD22 about the pregnancy that he started to become less enthusiastic... it wasn't because he wasn't excited, but because she was so unhappy he had to mask his happiness.

 

SonOfABrisketMaker's picture

to be honest I’m more concerned with you calling your skid “unwanted” more than I worry that your husband won’t hire a marching band to celebrate his second child. 

You’re not worried about your DH being “stripped” of his feelings, you’re worried that your skid’s unwanted existence will take the attention away from your baby. 

 

Jcksjj's picture

Unwanted as in unplanned pregnancy that her DH wasnt happy about, not unwanted child they want to get rid of now. Thinking everyone is thrilled about unplanned pregnancies is delusional.

callmemyname's picture

Obviously, yes, the child was unplanned. Fiance did not want a child with BM, but you know what happens when two tango. I in no way mean that the child is unwanted NOW, we all love him very much. BM uses him for social media and attention, then pushes him off on whoever will take him. Fiance has said many a time that he wishes WE had SS together. He still very much wants him, just not with BM. Sorry for the conifusion.

And no, I'm not expecting a marching band when we have a child. I just want him to feel eager and nervous and excited, and I don't know if that goes away after this first?

flmomma08's picture

I have a very similar situation. My SD is 11 and was also unplanned - DH and BM were never married, I believe BM got pregnant to try to keep DH around, DH claims he wanted an abortion but BM wouldn't do it (I know there are 2 sides to every story but this is what I was told - I don't really care either way). Anyway, she's here now and we raised her most of her life because BM's little plan didn't work and so she didn't have any need for SD anymore.

ANYWAY, we have a 3 year old BD together and are expecting our second. I obviously wasn't there when BM was pregnant or when SD was born but I can say even with our 2 PLANNED pregnancies, they are still both different. This leads me to believe every pregnancy and birth is different, no matter what the circumstances are. It took 2 years of fertility treatments to get pregnant with our first BD. Our second happened right away.

I will say, DH always makes comments about how nice and different it is for BD (compared to SD) to have a real mother.

Try not to worry about this. Once your baby is here and you see everything fall into place, you won't even give this another thought.

Letti.R's picture

If you have consensual sex with someone, any resultant baby is generally NOT unplanned.
It is your responsibility and consequences - especially as a man - to know the results of believing a woman who says she is on the pill, even if she is your wife.
If he didn't use a condom, it is not a case for a child being unplanned.
Yes, birth control can fail, but most stories about unplanned babies beggars belief IMO.

That said, yes,  your pregnancy will be different and special to both of you.
Let go of comparisons to his first wife and first child, it is hurtful to you.
You can't undo what happened in the past,but you can go forward and make your upcoming marriage and pregnancy special and meaningful to both of you.
Let go of the past: focus on your future with the man you love and who loves you back.
What you choose to make of any moments in your life will be by your own design.

Thisisnotus's picture

In my case it was no less special. DH wasn’t in love with his ex but married her of pressure and tried to stick it out. They had 2 girls that he adores. 

I have BD16, BD14, BD11, SD 16, and SD11. When DH and I had our baby...she is now 1. It was just as exciting and new for both of us because she was OURS. 

Trust me of all the things to worry about in blended families I would put this one on the back burner.

shamds's picture

she kidnapped the 23 & 14 yr old 6 yrs ago (sd’s) and hubby had sole custody of ss20 since divorce

for hubby because of the pas bio mum inflicted, even ss never truly had a real father-child relationship with hubby. 

The gap between the youngest of his and mine will be like 11 years and  hubby told his family he actually got to enjoy and experience having a wife pregnant.

when ex got pregnant, she did everything to sabotage the pregnancy or getting pregnant. She went to appt alone, hubby was banned from coming, hubby was not involved then the day bubs was due or she admittedly was in early stages of labor turned into a psychotic screaming match from ex wife telling off drs to “cut the baby out of her” and hubby would tell her off csection is serious abdominal surgery, not an oopsies moment where you just demand it because you don’t wanna deal with labor and pushing. When the 3rd child was about to be born she told the dr to get her tubes tied, hubby said to dr just do what the hell she wants. Hubby knew then he was headed for divorce that this isn’t how normal marriages/relationships should be

when we got married, every pregnancy appt hubby came, he was involved with those major decisions but he already knew my standpoint on the birthplan, vaginal birth, minimal pain med and csection only if emergency and he supported it.

when our daughter was born hubby said it was a new experience seeing me push and actually dealing with labor because his family knew exwife had 3 csections, hubby kept saying i was crying in so much pain and baby comes out and i’m just normal like i didn’t just give birth a short while ago and hubbys sis said some women are just like that

bare in mind exwife did everything to brainwash, torture and alienate the 3 skids so there is no proper relationship between them and dad but they do not feel this because they think its normal.

its only our 2 kids that hubby has a proper interactive relationship but skids try to guilt him about it but they do nothing to maintain a relationship 

often people dealing with a divorce, are relieved to meet an amazing person and go through subsequent pregnancies with them so don’t automatically think your pregnancies mean nothing. We are 2 kids now and will possibly have another 1 or 2. Anytime hubby thinks i’m pregnant he is excited 

considering how batshit crazy exwife is, the narcissm and her lack of boundaries with us, i don’t give her the satisfaction of worrying that my kids are not important compared to hers 

flmomma08's picture

^ This is a good point that even the birth will probably be different. BM had a vaginal birth and chose not to breastfeed. I have a c section and breastfed. Little things that don't matter in the big picture but at the moment will be a lot different to him. All experiences are different!

shamds's picture

in my case hubby was the sole income earner, exwife wanted the luxury and convenience of living a rich life off hubbys money being a glamour sahm but made and had no consideration of hubby. She did as she pleased. She wanted a csection, no breastfeeding because it was an inconvenience, bear in mind she has no nurturing instincts whatsoever. 

Here hubby was stuck after each child being born taking 1 month off work because exwife told him to deal with the baby, she wanted no part. She did the bare minimum and i mean left the bathing to hubby, the feeding and changing of diapers. She’d rather leave a child in soiled diapers all day until it was bursting if she could. She wouldn’t let a family member of hubbys help out at home since recovering from a csection but she wouldn’t let her family help out like normally happens in their culture dealing with confinement for 40days. She just wanted to torture hubby

i’ve had women tell me hubby dealing with bubs for a month because ex had a csection is well deserved considering what the ex went through delivering a baby. The problem is she knew the man she was marrying and how central and busy he was that as a sahm and him flying away regularly, it should fall on her. He would help out when home

at times i’ve confronted hubby how he could let it ever get to that point and still have more kids. It was just emotional and mental torture to hubby daily from the exwife and hubby was too afraid and ashamed to talk to his friends or family.

now i’ve always known hubby has a job where he is on call 24/7, he leaves for work before 7am, back home at 10pm usually. There is no way in hell i could do what exwife did daily to my kids. I know bulk of things fall on me to do and hubby will help make their evening bottles when he’s just got home. No way would i tell hubby cut the baby out, i want a csection because i know ultimately if there is no medical reason for it, i’m just making life harder for myself, its not easy for hubby to take 1 month off work, his company depends on him as he reports to the ceo. He would have to resign for paternity leave as we live in asia currently. Hubby doesn’t use up his annual leave often because he is on call and flying all over the place often.

i try to reason with hubby on things and take his job into consideration. Its easy for others to say well he can take leave to care for a newborn for a month so wife can sleep all day and not deal with bubs one bit. She wasn’t depressed, just a hcgubm with major pas and narcissism and she enjoyed the control she had over hubby. But hubby knows personally i prefer recovering quickly and minimise any unnecessary medical intervention if possible...

I don’t have any issues against women having csections. My 2nd child was emergency csection, that was a new experience for me but my point is if your husband had a high conflict ex like my husband did, he’s gonna be relieved to have a sane wife now. My husband understands the reality that first few months are stressful so doesn’t take it personally when i vent to him if i feel he isn’t pulling his weight and ss with chores st home because ss leaves a mess for everyone to clean up after him. When i had my 2nd child it was easier to zone out the compulsion to clean up after him. Hubby would get a message of the issue and addressed it immediately with his son

Rags's picture

The whole lamenting the "firsts" thing is a chronic topic for many Sparents. Particularly SMoms.  It does not compute for me ... at all.

I am a pragmatist.  I am also a man.  My perspective on this topic is that having a child with you will be his first. His first with you.  Every day and everything that you experience together will be the next first..... together.

Another pragmatic perspective that I have relied on in my marriage is that our past and experiences are what make us who we are.   If my bride had not had our son (my SS now adopted) as a 16yo teen mom she would not be the woman that she is.  The woman that amazes me every day, who I love beyond measure, and who I can't wait to spend the next day together with. 

Her first child is our first child.  I may have been his SDad from before he was 2yo until he was 22 but I raised him as my own and when he was 22 asked me to adopt him. So we made that happen.

His mom and I will celebrate our 25th anniversary in a few months. Every minute has been a new minute together.

So, please do not sabotage your happiness and your relationship over the past. Neither his nor yours.   

As for BM, all she has of your STBDH is his past. You are his today and his future.  If you keep your head on straight your children will be part of that as well.

Enjoy it.