Relentless MIL Is Pressuring Mom-To-Be Into C-Section, Has Convinced Dad It's 'Healthier'

Nov 24, 2021 by apost team

Being pregnant comes with a lot of decision making, and one of the most important choices you can make is your birth plan. This is something you should discuss with your doctor, but it should also be up to you as much as possible. What should not happen is that your mother-in-law makes the decision for you. This is what one pregnant mother is facing after her husband’s mom keeps insisting that she have a C-section despite her doctor saying it is unnecessary. 

A mom-to-be posted her story on Reddit to get some advice on how she should handle this situation with her mother-in-law. She explained that her husband’s mom believes C-sections are better because he was born via C-section and his sister, who was born naturally, was not as healthy. The pregnant woman has tried to explain that she wants to have a natural birth but feels like she is being manipulated or forced into a C-section by her mother-in-law. 

A big part of the issue is that the husband has sided with his mom. He has believed her insistence that the C-section is healthier and less risky and wants his wife to deliver the baby that way against her wishes. The wife is at her wit’s end, and the mother-in-law continues to antagonize her and constantly brings up people she knows who have died from natural births. 

The situation got so heated that the mother-in-law actually struck the pregnant woman, and when she was about to retaliate, the husband entered the room and blamed her for everything. The mother-in-law then pretended to have a heart attack to get out of facing any consequences, and the mom-to-be is now on the outs with her husband. Keep reading to learn more details and to see reactions to this story.

The mom-to-be explained in her Reddit post: “My mother-in-law wants me to have a C-Section. A week ago at the ultrasound appointment, my doctor told me that I am 100% able to give natural birth to my baby girl but my mother-in-law is forcing me to get a C - section as that it is ‘healthier’ for me. My husband is supporting wanting me to do it.”

Many people were confused as to how she was being forced into the C-section if her doctor said she didn’t need one. The wife clarified in a comment: 

“This is the unfortunate part of it. Me and my husband live with her because of a financial crisis at the moment. I am at home 24/7 (I am still studying doing a distance course) and have to be in her daily presence the whole time making it very difficult for me to avoid her.”

She continued, “The word I used wouldn’t be forced but instead manipulative because she would start by saying how for example ‘Anne -Marie gave natural birth and died a few days after birth’ and so on. She directly insinuates that the C-section is the only option.”

Things began to get out of control between the wife and mother-in-law. “On Wednesday she deliberately accused me of the most outrageous things which made me lash out to her only for her to strike me with her backhand and just when I took action and struck back at her my husband came into the room and threw a rage fit calling me disrespectful and telling me how inadequate I am,” the mom-to-be wrote.

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Nearly everyone in the comment section was on the wife’s side and agreed that the mother-in-law should stay out of it. “You’ve got to stand up for yourself, I’m afraid. It’s YOUR body and YOUR choice. Not your husband’s, not his mother’s, YOURS. She can’t make you do (anything) if you don’t want to,” wrote one person.

Others wondered if the mother-in-law had an ulterior motive for going on and on about the C-section. Another user added, “That’s not a decision for her or your husband to make. You make that decision with your doctor. Do what’s best for you. Only you and your doctor know that. Wonder if she wants you sore and recovering from a C-section so that you have to rely on her. Stand strong.”

A third commenter brought up: “That's the most insane MIL demand I've ever heard. PLEASE do not listen to her - if you need one because your doctor thinks you do, then by all means get one. But a C-section is still major surgery and there's no reason to get one unless you or your baby medically needs one! If your husband wants to support his mother's ridiculous demand, please have your OB Speak to him about how entirely false his mother's ideas are about c-section babies being healthier!”

They continued, “Recovery for you after a C-section can be MONTHS. You are restricted from doing so much, in the beginning, to make sure you can heal properly. I suspect your MIL knows this and may be using this as an advantage to get closer to the baby than you may be comfortable with. PLEASE do not get a surgery you don't need unless YOU need/want one!”

What do you think of this mother-in-law’s behavior? What advice would you give to this mom-to-be? Let us know, and feel free to pass this on to your loved ones.