I Didn’t Allow My MIL in the Delivery Room — Now She’s Out for Revenge

Childbirth is a deeply personal and transformative experience, and every parent-to-be has their own preferences and priorities when it comes to welcoming a new life into the world. Some seek the support of loved ones, while others prefer the quiet focus of medical professionals in a private setting. These decisions can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or tension, especially when expectations between family members clash. Recently, a new mother shared her story on Reddit about how the events surrounding the birth of her child created unexpected drama with her MIL.

She wrote:
[edited]

A few days ago, I gave birth to my son. I chose a private health care center because I can afford it and because I wanted to have much privacy as possible. I didn’t want other mothers with their newborns to be around, and I wanted the doctors to focus on me only.

My husband wasn’t able to be present, so my MIL drove me to the center, and she got quite offended when I told her she won’t be coming into the delivery room. That was completely out of the question because I’d rather be surrounded by doctors. She obviously thought that, since my husband isn’t here, she’ll be the one who gets to see the birth of my child. Well, that didn’t happen. She had to wait outside the delivery room.

She explained:

For context, since I got pregnant, my MIL was trying to scare me how ’painful and agonizing’ childbirth is. My labor was about 4 hours long, and that’s really fast, considering this was my first child. Yes, it did hurt, but not nearly as bad as she described it. Honestly, the ingrown toenail that I had a few years ago, hurt more.

So after I gave birth, and they allowed her into the room, she told me, “Stop pretending that you gave birth!” Shocked, I replied, “Sure I did! YOU drove me here yourself! Where do you think this baby came from?” She looked at me and was like, “Well, well.” Then she left without a word and without even looking at her grandson.

She continued:

She has always been strange towards me, so I just shook it off. Later, my husband came and, hysterically laughing, told me that his mother called him and told him that she thinks this child is not his child.

She has told my husband, “There’s something weird going on. I’m quite positive it’s not her child. First of all, why did she choose a private center instead of an ordinary hospital? I know why, because she could easily bribe the doctors there, those private centers will do anything for money.
Secondly, why wasn’t I allowed into the room? Of course, because I’d see that she’s not giving birth at all! Thirdly, I never heard her scream — what woman doesn’t scream during childbirth? And lastly, she couldn’t give birth so fast, first births always last for 12 hours at least. Those doctors probably had an infant somewhere into that room, and they just gave it to her.
She probably didn’t want to ruin her body with pregnancy, so she just bought the baby! Believe me, son, she has never been pregnant, and she just wore a fake belly all the time, it’s not your child!”

She concluded her post, saying:

After I heard all this, I didn’t know whether I should laugh or get mad or what. Of course, my husband knows I was pregnant, he has seen my belly hundreds of times, and we always went to ultrasounds together. My MIL has obviously decided that if her birth was bad, other women have it the same way, not sure if she realizes that all women are not the same.

Now I’m home with my baby, and I’m not contacting her at all. My husband doesn’t want her near me as long as she keeps making up things about a bought baby. The last thing she has suggested was a DNA test that will “clearly show it’s not your child.”

Other Redditors chimed in with their thoughts and humor, leaving comments.

• I’m pregnant and when we first told MIL, ALL she could talk about was how miserably sick I was going to be all day, every day for months, and how it was the worst feeling ever but how she got through it blah blah blah.
  Well, you know what? I’m pretty much totally fine. Past 14 weeks and aside from being tired and 1 pukey incident, I’m golden.
  She texts me every other day asking how I’m feeling and how sick I am, and every time I’m just like, “All good! I feel great!” And she very falsely tells me how wonderful that is. Save it, MIL. I know you wanted me to suffer. © cookiebear64 / Reddit

• I realized when I was pregnant that tons of women had this need to make pregnancy/labor the pinnacle of human endurance. They could lord it over men and use my pregnancy as an excuse to brag about how horrible theirs was. As if any pain you’ve been through is laughably insignificant, because they “went through cHiLdBiRtH!!!” © clevahgeul / Reddit

• Congratulations on pulling off the 9-month con. The gradual addition of foam padding around your stomach to provide the appearance of weight gain; the self-induced vomiting to mimic morning sickness; the pretend nausea, all the staged doctors visits and the sonogram that you downloaded from the internet all worked to perfection.
  I am not sure how much you had to pay to buy the newborn (or all you just renting it for a while) but it was certainly worth it. You have pulled off the greatest MIL troll in history. Outstanding work... © Unknown Author / Reddit

• I’d be tempted to tell her that you are willing to take a DNA test, on the condition that when it comes back a perfect match, she posts the following on Facebook and emails it separately to everyone she knows:
  “Friends and family,
  As you know, I recently accused my daughter-in-law of faking a pregnancy and claimed that her child is not my son’s. This accusation was completely unfounded and without merit. My daughter-in-law was far more patient and tolerant than I deserved and agreed to take a DNA test—which, of course, confirmed that my son and his wife are the natural parents of their child.
  I am deeply ashamed of my actions and words. I will do everything in my power to work with my son and his wife to earn their forgiveness for the cruelty I displayed during what should have been a joyous and special time in their lives.”
  Go all out—show her exactly what she would have to write. Personally, I would tell her that if she wants a relationship with either of you or your child again, she needs to write it regardless. © westwestmoreland / Reddit

• That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. So, since it’s not really his/your baby, she doesn’t need to spend any time with him. You should document anything she says about this so she can’t sweep it under the rug.
  That way, you can show it to your kid when they’re old enough to appreciate how hilarious it is. Seriously, it’s so dumb it’s hysterical. © soulsindistress / Reddit

Balancing personal values and family relationships with in-laws can be challenging, and even good intentions can lead to misunderstandings. Recently, a reader shared her story about a family dinner, which took an unexpected turn. Find her letter in this link.