A newborn in the family is always a big deal and typically extended relatives show interest and care about it. However, sometimes relatives can be inconsiderate and underestimate the hardships for the new mom, as it takes time to recover.
Today’s story covers how a woman’s grandparents dismissed her needs and instead focused on their holiday, expecting the woman to entertain them.
More Info: Mumsnet
Extended family is important, but shouldn't be the focus once a newborn is brought into the world
Image credits: shurkin_son (not the actual photo)
A soon-to-be mom recently approached the Mumsnet online community to see if she was being unreasonable
Image credits: gpointstudio (not the actual photo)
Her extended family plans to visit her and the newborn, and that's good, but the grandparents think of it more as a holiday
Image credits: Wendy Wei (not the actual photo)
This stresses the woman out, as she's unsure if she'll be fit to go sightseeing with the grandparents just a couple of days after labor
Image credits: kfellover
She needed advice from people online to see if she was reasonable for telling the grandparents that she probably wouldn't be ready to entertain them and that it's their concern
Recently a woman approached the Mumsnet online community to see if she was being unreasonable. She’s due to deliver her baby in late August, and in preparation for that, extended family is planning to visit her.
That’s all nice and good, however, one side of her grandparents has never visited her, as she lives quite far away. So for them, visiting the granddaughter and the newborn is not only about them, but also, they think of it as a holiday. Nothing weird so far, right?
What’s interesting about them thinking of their trip as a holiday is that the grandparents expect the OP (Original Poster) to entertain them throughout their stay there, despite her being just a couple of days out of labor. It's alright for them to think that way, but they should organize their entertainment themselves, and not their exhausted granddaughter.
Naturally, the woman pushed back on this, but they seemed to ignore her remarks and kept saying how nice it was going to be and the places she was going to show them. It was stressing the woman out, so she took her feelings to the internet to see if being stern with the grandparents on this would be reasonable.
Image credits: gpointstudio (not the actual photo)
Netizens overwhelmingly supported her, with 97% of those 1000 people who voted saying that she wasn't being unreasonable at all. Not shocking, given that everyone is aware of how difficult bringing new life into the world is, and that the mother needs to rest afterward, and not just for a few days.
According to postpartum research, women feel mostly recovered after 6-8 weeks after giving birth, but it might take longer than this "to feel like yourself again". The upcoming months after giving birth can be brutal for women, as not only the body needs to heal, but postpartum mental health issues are common.
Of course, coming back home with a newborn is great, but after already being under immense pain and stress for hours, it doesn't end there. The baby has a lot of needs that must be taken care of as well. It's hard to believe that someone could be ready to go sightseeing just a couple of days after labor, and it might be even dangerous to the well-being of the woman, even if she'd like to go.
Postpartum can commonly be brutal, as its complications can range from headaches to serious infections and even strokes. Therefore, letting the woman rest after childbirth should be the obvious choice here, as it's not a light matter. Overall, it truly looks evident that the woman isn't being unreasonable at all, and on top of that, she will explain this to the grandparents. They're welcome to visit, but being entertained is their own business.
What do you think about today's story? Do you think the grandparents' request was okay? Let us know in the comments below.
Netizens support the woman, 97% of those who voted say that she's not being unreasonable at all
