Every new mom has worries about people meeting their babies, but during this time, when the stakes are extra high, new moms are being overly cautious. Still, it doesn't quite explain the lengths one mom is trying to make her single SIL go to in order to meet her 5-month-old baby girl.
With the current health crisis, one woman says her brother and SIL have slowly let family start meeting their daughter.
But before she got into that, she wanted to describe her family situation.
"So, some background, my brother met his wife only like 3 years ago," this woman wrote. "She’s kind of nuts and has always had a strange vendetta against me as the youngest and only unmarried female relative in our immediate family. It’s hard to describe her attitude but it’s something akin to finding me distasteful in every sense possible."
She went on to say that everyone is truly excited to meet the baby, as she is the first "grandbaby" on that side.
"We’re being told normal precautionary stuff like make sure we’re not sick, haven’t traveled, haven’t congregated, etc," she explained. "Then I get a special message from my brother saying that his wife feels uncomfortable with me particularly knowing my 'active sex life.' I mean, I am single but I’m not some alley cat in heat roaming the streets. I guess because I haven’t had a boyfriend in a year she’s assuming I’ve been sleeping with tons of people."
The woman's brother attempted to do damage control.
"My brother tried really hard to make it sound 'reasonable' but the bottom line was they wanted me to take an STD test before I went to see them and held their new baby," she directly pointed out. "They said as long as I can show them the results and that I’m clean then that’s all they need and nothing else. I got pretty upset over this but my brother was like you should try to understand the paranoia of new mothers."
"It’s now a big deal because even my family is split on what I should do," she wrote.
"My parents think my brother and his wife are being pretty ridiculous, but that I should still just suck it up and do it so I can visit my niece. They said this would be a dumb hill for me to die on if it means me being banned from their house for the rest of time. My other siblings think I should stand my ground, even if that means not seeing my niece. I’m just really upset about it still. I feel completely singled out and insulted but I also want to see my baby niece for the first time! I’m torn between refusing them and just getting it over with so people can stop talking about it."
People were utterly appalled she was being subjected to that.
"That is a ridiculous test to have to take," wrote one user. "It’s invasive and personal and has nothing to do with holding a baby. They are rude for asking and although they have every right to protect their child- this seems more like a moral test than anything else. Take it or don’t — it’s up to you. But they are rude for making you choose between and invasive test and seeing their daughter."
And many added that this was far beyond "new mom paranoia."
"I really have never heard of such a thing," wrote another. "I mean, you’re not planning, I assume, to have sex with the baby, are you? If not, then what difference does it make? Sexually transmitted diseases are sexually transmitted. You wouldn’t give it to the baby if you did have something. Further proof of her foolishness: did she demand that all the staff in the hospital get tested for STDs, too? Did she demand this of the baby’s pediatrician? Well, why not? She doesn’t know where they’ve all been and who they’ve been with. She’s just trying to control you because she’s not even being consistent with her insanity. Personally, I think this is a very fine hill to die on. I don’t think you should subject yourself to such a personal and needless humiliation."
Hopefully this woman can get to see her niece and keep her dignity.
