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Dad At Breaking Point After Wife Refuses To Let Him Near Their Baby For Months
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Dad At Breaking Point After Wife Refuses To Let Him Near Their Baby For Months

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Whether or not you’ve ever held a newborn baby in your arms, most of us know how fragile they are. They cannot hold their head up properly, so you have to make sure to support it. They also have a self-destruct button on the top of their heads, also known as a soft spot or fontanelle. In other words, one has to be extra careful when dealing with them. But can one not be too careful?

In the following story, the mother of a newborn girl is very protective of her child. Maybe a little too much so as it’s starting to worry her husband, who barely gets any one-on-one time with his daughter. Scroll down to read the story in full.

Having a baby is both extremely magical and extremely worrying

Image credits: Foto Phanatic (not the actual photo)

Unfortunately, in some cases, the worry might even overshadow the magic. This is exactly what happened in the following story

Image credits: Kelly Sikkema (not the actual photo)

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Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Courtney Kammers (not the actual photo)

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Image credits: DangerousVegetableIg

This level of anxiety seems unhealthy

Just like many commentators pointed out, the author’s wife’s actions are not healthy. Her worry levels seem to be over the top, and many believe that she might be suffering from postpartum anxiety.

Postpartum anxiety is a common issue that many new moms face. That is around 10–15% of them. The symptoms include:

  • Persistent sense of danger and racing thoughts
  • Excessive worry of the baby’s safety, health, and development
  • Trouble falling and staying asleep
  • Constant agitated feeling, jitters, or even panic attacks

In the case of postpartum anxiety, the worry is usually unreasonable. Moms might feel like their child is not developing well, even though they are on track. They might be monitoring their baby’s heartbeat and breathing all the time because they are afraid of losing them. Every little cry induces fear as they believe the baby might be in pain.

Image credits: Sarah Chai (not the actual photo)

The mother might need professional help to overcome her worries

Postpartum anxiety is caused by a lot of factors that pile up on new mothers. That is stress, the lack of sleep, societal pressure, and relationship changes. This is all then emphasized by hormonal fluctuations that happen after birth. Managing it all can really be a lot.

One thing is for sure—a little bit of professional help can go a long way here. So, contacting a physician might be the best course of action. They might recommend talk therapy and mindfulness exercises. If the situation is more severe, they might also suggest to take anti-anxiety medications that work for breastfeeding mothers.

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Either way, the couple has a lot to work through, but if they can be there for each other, things should work out.

Image credits: Juan Pablo Serrano Arenas (not the actual photo)

People in the comments showed a lot of support for the author

Some also advised on the next steps to take to remedy the situation

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patriciakersting avatar
PattyK
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is apparently NOT a post-partum problem. The wife threatened to withhold the baby while she was still pregnant. And her obsession with hubby’s clumsiness is either due to meanness or mental illness. She needs psychiatric help ASAP. And hubby should also contact a lawyer to establish his parental rights.

gillandbella avatar
Gillbella
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can get pre -partum anxiety for pretty much the same reasons as post-partum anxiety. Hormones do wierd stuff to the brain. On the plus side it is treatable!

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zedrapazia avatar
Zedrapazia
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If the wife refuses to fix her paranoia with a professional, this is a deal breaker, and it'll negatively affect the child too if she becomes a helicopter mom down the line.

viccig avatar
V
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am not worried about down the line, I would be worrying about pp psychosis which could lead to very serious immediate threat to mother and baby.

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patriciakersting avatar
PattyK
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is apparently NOT a post-partum problem. The wife threatened to withhold the baby while she was still pregnant. And her obsession with hubby’s clumsiness is either due to meanness or mental illness. She needs psychiatric help ASAP. And hubby should also contact a lawyer to establish his parental rights.

gillandbella avatar
Gillbella
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can get pre -partum anxiety for pretty much the same reasons as post-partum anxiety. Hormones do wierd stuff to the brain. On the plus side it is treatable!

Load More Replies...
zedrapazia avatar
Zedrapazia
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If the wife refuses to fix her paranoia with a professional, this is a deal breaker, and it'll negatively affect the child too if she becomes a helicopter mom down the line.

viccig avatar
V
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am not worried about down the line, I would be worrying about pp psychosis which could lead to very serious immediate threat to mother and baby.

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
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