Post Natal or just being rude?

Hi All,

If your in laws hold no expectation of you, and treat you (aka daughter in law) as an equal member of the family just like their own daughter is treated, have given you and your husband ample of space during the 5 years of your marriage, have never complained to your husband about your at times abrupt or rude behaviour, hold no expectations of how often you and your husband meet them, go over, they hardly ever go visit.. why? Because they are easy going/educated people who do not want to cause fights/issues..

Then.. what would make you rob them of their newly born grandchild?

Is it really post natal depression, or is it leveraging them being sheriff and testing their patience?

So your baby is born, and almost instantly you start showing such rude behaviour.. You are behaving like you have never before.. Being extremely rude - You need your own mother to help you during the first few weeks, no issues, she moves in with you and your husband, but whenever any member of the in laws come visit, you and your mother both show ample attitude by doing things such as

  • not coming out of your room for hours on end
  • coming out saying salam getting glass of water and going back in the room
  • treating your mother in law as if she is some janwaar and closing the door on her when baby needs to bath

Okay, it makes sense that perhaps your a bit overwhelmed by the birth experience, and yes you feel more comfortable with your own mother.. But your in laws are not asking to move in, nor are they coming over every single day for hours on end.. They may make the odd visit because you have given them their first grand child, so when they do go over, why such drama?

Your husband is now getting overwhelmed by what is going on, but living in a western country, the mid wives often feed the effects of post natal depression and hence he is holding off saying anything to you. His own mother, your mother in law or your sister in law is noticing everything but has not said a word to your husband because its never about them.

You can’t handle the baby by yourself, your mother in law doesn’t work and she is available, but you don’t wan’t her around, so you instead decide to move in with your mother, for a few weeks.. your husband is back to work, and visit you and baby every couple of days, and one day decides to take his parents to visit you and the baby, and again same old attitude.

Your mother is noticing your unfairness, and instead of telling you what you are doing wrong, is in fact pushing you to do more wrong things.

So who is missing out in the end.. It’s your in laws.. who have honestly done nothing wrong to you ever, held no expectations and in fact have always been there for you.

Is this just a temporary thing your doing? is it permanent? why don’t you just loosen up?

To the readers: have you ever experienced anything like this, and if so does it all settle down in due time? It’s been only 6 weeks since birth so benefit of the doubt is still given to the new mother.. but how can you be so normal with everyone else but your in laws?

:frowning: :frowning:

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

That sucks. I’m sorry for the inlaws but i commend them for continuing to be understanding. As for the mom, I would be inclined to blame some form of PPD. It’s not a thing that’s “fed into”- it’s a very real thing that new mothers can go through and honestly, after giving birth, nothing quite feels the same if you have it. I went through something similar and had a very hard time with anyone holding or seeing my baby, including my inlaws. I didn’t want them to visit or say things about him without saying mashAllah (they’re not Muslim) or for my mil to suggest how I should care for him. The smallest things would become huge in my mind. It took me a while before it went away but luckily I had a lot of support from my parents and my husband and no one let me spiral out of control. Its ridiculous that her mom is encouraging this behaviour, however. I think she needs to move back home and I think her husband really needs to step up and pitch in as much as he can once she’s home and to ask her midwives or doctors for next steps in dealing with her PPD. He can’t really be overwhelmed right now when she so obviously is and needs his support and his help. It might sound harsh but it’s not right for him to just step back at this time.

Post Natal or just being rude?

Nope this is definitely not normal behavior. As you said, this is just being outright rude as opposed to postpartum depression. I think the husband needs to talk to the wife and make her realize how she is hurting his family.

It’s such a pity when people use their children as pawns to deal with their own conflicts. It’s also a pity when children are deprived of their grandparents’ affection and love due to no fault of their own.

Post Natal or just being rude?

I don’t know…I think PPD involves you isolating yourself from almost everyone but apparently this lady is only acting like that with her in-laws based on what’s been stated. Seems like she is just being passive aggressive and using her child to deal with whatever issues she has with her in-laws.

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

It doesnt seem like PPD…but I have seen this type of behaviour alot…No it doesnt get better with time…but I hope she gets better…
I have to say that the inlaws are doing the right thing…specially the mother inlaw…
There are some people(women) in this world who dont want to accept their inlaws as their own family…no matter how nice they are…how understanding…caring…helping…welcoming…she’ll always look for their flaws (even if they dont have those flaws but to her they may seem like rude/zalim inlaws) but its true…this may seem funny to some people…
The only thing the husband could do is to interact the baby with his parents n siblings…thats it…

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

This is not uncommon for women to stop kids seeing their grandparents as a means to get back at them. I saw a documentary on the issue a few years ago.

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

problem is with newly mother. she is wrong n creating problems for her future.
and her mother is supporting her equally. its not post natal depression. its her frustration abt her in-laws.
I would say, she is a bad DIL , wife n might become a bad mother as well.

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

Thanks everyone for your replies.. I just hope whatever it that is going through her mind subsides. Because honestly, we don’t hold expectations such as her dropping everything for us, all we really want is just a little bit of respect and no disruption in family dynamics.. My mom is of the opinion to just let it go for the time being as it’s still early days and a lot happens to a new mother being first time one too.

For those saying its a means of getting back at in laws.. I wish I could know what exactly it is that we’ve done??

Us talking to her or my brother may be taken the wrong way and in return come back to bite us. I just hope it’s a temporary thing.. I do agree with the comment above, perhaps brother does need to step up.. But from what I have observed he is doing a lot for bhabhi even on a day to day basis. So I just don;t see what the actual issue is..

Whatever it is - really disrupting family :frowning:

If she is an otherwise okay Bahu/Bhabi who hasn’t shown much signs of ill will before with your family then I would give her the benefit of doubt. 6 weeks postpartum is still early for some to recover.

I love my in laws. Have a great relationship with the immediate & extended family but seeing them post partum would irk the hell out of me. It wasn’t because I wanted to use my child as a pawn, it was more because after having the baby I just wasn’t in my element for some time. I had lost control of a lot of things, including my own body for some time. Popping another human being out of you is not as easy as some people make it out to be. My ocd self couldn’t keep things clean, organized or in check & since I couldn’t keep things the way I always kept them. I hated seeing people around me or in my home. Different people have different way of coping with extreme changes in life.

No matter how good a mother in law is, comparing her to a mother & that too when one is at their most vulnerable emotionally & physically is unfair. I can be stark naked in front of my mom, pass gas, not brush my teeth or heck smell of breast milk & since I am sick or not feeling well it wouldn’t matter. No matter how much I loved my mother in law or how much she treated me like a daughter I just couldn’t be comfortable around her while being such a mess.

Kudos to your family for understanding it & giving her the space she needs & don’t worry about the bonding with baby much. Baby is too young anyway. In coming months you guys will have plenty of time to do that. It’s your blood. Nothing is stronger than that.

Give her space. Let her heal & please don’t make a big deal out of this in front of her husband. Bringing a baby into marriage already challenges a lot of things. Until unless this pattern continues for months, you will only create more issues between the couple & if anything that might end up resulting in her wanting to go further away from you guys.

And depression is not just a western thing that midwives talk about. It’s a condition that most women suffer from post partum & it’s very real. I just wish people in Pakistan were knowledgeable enough to understand how important emotional support is after post partum.

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

I don’t dispute that post natal is just a ‘westernised’ made up thing.. and don’t get me wrong am not suggesting my SIL should be standing stark naked in front of my mum, or should be comfortable when breast feeding and so forth.. I am talking about just respect and not making us feel as if we r doing something wrong if we go over and take some food or see her or the baby. if we go visit once after 6 - 7 days, her not coming out of her room to say Salam or anything.. But we have stopped all of that now too - as we feel she does not prefer it..

And yes, we do not intend to speak to my brother about it at all.. 6 weeks is way to early to jump to any conclusions. Going back to your question how has she been otherwise, well I’d say it’s been on and off… we have ever hardly interfered so when we meet we try and meet on a nice casual basis, but our fam holds no expectations.. She’s done stuff in the past but nothing like what’s happening now.

We don’t really like confrontation and do not intend to have a ‘family talk’ to ‘sort out issues’ etc.. We are just waiting as patiently as we can and praying & hoping everything gets better soon..

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

Zainy, if talking directly to bhabi and talking to your brother…if both can come back to bite you…then pick the option that seems the less risky of the two. But for now give her time and back off…and don’t think too much.

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

Yeah - backing off is what seems most viable at the moment.. Like they say apni izat apni haath mein.. hats off to my mother, she is very calm & collected..

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

What kind of post natal depression it is that is directed towards the inlaws only?!

There has to be something from yr side that has evoked such a reaction. I am assuming cud it be that she had a girl/boy and u guys prefered to have boy/girl? Or didnt chk up on her as much as she wud have liked during her pregnancy/delievery?

But she should have atleast talked about it with your brother and if she hasnt that probably means there is nothing like that. So in such a case, you should have your brother see her a shrink! Shayed bacha kar k dhemag saatve asmaan pe char gaya, time to bring her where she belongs!

Good-luck.

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

I’m completely shocked at the judginess in this thread. Clearly most of you guys have either NOT experienced child birth first hand or know anything about PPD. Making broad sweeping statements like you isolate yourself from people when you have PPD and subsequently, condemning her as a bad DIL and mother is absolutely ridiculous. Bint e Naeem said it best- please read her response twice over and try to show some empathy.

To the OP, your mother is a smart woman. Follow her cues in this. What might seem like disrespect to you may just be your sil’s inability to cope with the changes that have taken place since she gave birth. Pregnancy might last 40 weeks but it really doesn’t prepare you for the upheaval that comes with actually having the child. You keep insisting you have no expectations of her and yet you clearly do with wanting her to behave a certain way. The only person hurt by these expectations is you- she has a lot on her plate and believe me, your feelings do come last right now, as they should. Her priority right now is her baby and herself. Everything else is secondary. And like Bint said, baby is too young to bond. All he/she wants right now is mum. There is plenty of time to bond later. My advice to you would be to do as you are doing- give her time and space.

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

Whether it’s PPD or not, having a new baby is usually a very jarring change. You are emotionally, mentally, physically exhausted, and are confronted with all of your own flaws and weaknesses. Though moms are happy to have the baby, these positive feelings are also overwhelmed by stress and frustrations with the day-to-day needs of the baby. And a lot of people don’t handle that well. They either shut down and let someone else take charge or they shut everyone else out. It’s not surprising that she is turning to her mother and shutting others out. Bint _e_Naeem explained that well.

Whether your bhabi’s reaction is fair or right doesn’t really matter. It’s obvious that you all would like to be there to help her and bond with her and the child. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem like she wants that right now. That doesn’t mean that your intentions are bad, but she is not open to viewing your efforts as positive or helpful or loving.

You ask a lot of questions trying to understand your bhabi’s behavior, as if it is something that you can make sense of, or even fix by changing your own behavior. The thing is, whatever is going on is most likely not logical or fair, so stop trying to make sense of it. You want your bhabi to be open to you and to welcome your help and your presence because your intentions are good. That’s good. Hopefully inshAllah she will accept that. But don’t keep trying to figure her out or even to win her over. Don’t take her behavior personally; it probably has little to do with you. It’s just not going to be that simple.

Listen to your mother and follow her cues. Continue on trying to connect and offer your support, just don’t expect her to accept it yet. InshAllah soon you’ll be pleasantly surprised and rewarded for your patience and understanding.

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

I firmly believe in majority of the cases its the husband and his behaviour towards his spouse that largely dictates the relationship with the inlaws. If you believe that you are doing everything correctly but still the bhabi is behaving in this manner, I think its time to speak to your brother about why she is behaving in this manner. Has he disrespected her and her family in any way?

No doubt, having a child is an overwhelming experience , still, not so big that someone will not allow the child to mingle with close relations as grandparents , there has to be a logical reason behind this and the reason lies mostly in the relationship between the husband and the wife .

I suggest you seek answers from your brother. He might be able to help you understand what factors are making her react the way she is .

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

Bint_e_Naeem has explained beautifully.
The whole dynamics of marriage change once there is a baby in the picture, your brother and SIL must already be going through some major adaptations in their own lives.
6 weeks post natal is still too early and I do think its too soon to be discussing this issue with your brother. It will just put an unnecessary strain on something that some time and space can fix in a better way.

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

^ CB and to others who think PPD isn’t so big…do you know mothers kill their newborns, commit suicide if postpartum depression goes untreated. Each person is different and reacts differently in situations. I was very calm after my c-section. Was able to calm my husband down as well. BUT i know many cases where mothers had break downs in the hospital or once they get home.

OP, stay strong and let you bhabi deal with this on her own. IF you think she is getting worse, have your mom speak to her mom. YOu shouldn’t say anything to your brother or your SIL. InshAllah she will be back to normal in a little time.

Post Natal or just being rude?

^ Ok no one ever downplayed how serious PPD is. But it does say that she is apparently normal with everyone else and acting like this only with her in-laws. Does PPD only strike when dealing with in-laws who according to the post aren’t overbearing or controlling. Yes PPD is a very real issue but nothing justifies this behavior when it is targeted only towards in-laws. Not coming out of your room to say Salam, closing your door in your MIL’s face…seriously?!

Re: Post Natal or just being rude?

Something is not clicking in this scenario.