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15th Dec 2021

“I can’t face her”: My mother-in-law shared my pregnancy news before I was ready

Kat O'Connor

Deciding when to tell people you’re pregnant is a very personal decision.

One woman wanted to wait and enjoy her pregnancy privately, but ended up sharing her news with her mother-in-law.

However, she then broke her promise and blabbed the news to their extended family, before the expectant-mum was even ready.

She told Mumsnet, “We decided to tell my mother in law I was pregnant when I was 13 weeks.”

“I originally didn’t want to tell anyone; my family included.”

She explained, “I just wanted to enjoy my pregnancy without being treated differently if that makes sense, I’m a very private person and so is my partner.

But her partner really wanted to tell his parents. “I couldn’t deny him of that as it’s his pregnancy too. My MIL was told that we didn’t know when we were sharing the news to my family and that if she could keep it to herself until we tell her otherwise.”

Despite their request, the mother-in-law constantly asked them when she could share their big news.

“She would ask us every time she saw us if she could tell her sister and friends and we said we completely understand you are excited but please do not tell anyone until I let my own mother and father know.”

She had been warned multiple times to keep quiet.

“Fast forward to my son’s birthday, she phoned my partner to ask if she could tell his brother as he was at her house and he said no.

They asked her to respect their decision, but she failed to.

When the woman and her husband were leaving her house, the mother-in-law told her son to tell his brother their big news.

She said, “tell your brother while he’s here” to the couple.

The brother asked what was going on and then she revealed the couple were pregnant.

“I feel incredibly angry with her and upset I can’t face her.”

Fellow mums sided with the woman and agreed that the mother-in-law was out of order. It was not her news to share whatosever.