My husband, Rick, and I had been blessed with our daughter, May, just two weeks ago. We are adjusting to being parents, but the happiness is shadowed by what happened on the day she was born. It was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life, one I don’t think I can ever forget. I think I would have died if not for my husband’s timely help.
Rick has two younger sisters, Anna (28) and Emma (24). I have a very good relationship with both of them. Another important person in this story is my mother-in-law, Rachel. We don’t exactly see eye-to-eye. To be honest, she’s the biggest control freak you can imagine. Her kids all respect her wishes because she raised them after their dad abandoned them, but it’s difficult to deal with her, so I try to stay away. Rick knows his mother is problematic, so he lets me keep my distance.
However, things got out of control, and it was all because of her.
On the day May was born, Anna was getting married. Her husband, Jonah, is actually Rick’s friend. Anna had asked me to be a bridesmaid, and I’d accepted. However, when Rick and I found out I was pregnant, I had to back out because I knew I wouldn’t be able to manage. To my relief, Anna was overjoyed when I told her. She actually forgot about her wedding for a moment. Her response was, “Obviously, I’ll be taking care of you.” The only person who was a little difficult about the whole thing was my mother-in-law. I think she was annoyed that my backing out caused a disruption. The bride wasn’t mad in the slightest, but Rachel somehow started antagonizing me from that point on. I thought maybe I was on edge because of hormones, and she was on edge because of the wedding. I ignored her as best as I could.
The wedding was two weeks ago, and I was pregnant out of my mind. My feet were swollen, my belly was huge, and I felt like I would pass out. But I still wanted to attend because Anna wanted me there. She’d been hurt when I’d suggested staying away so I wouldn’t take attention away from her. “I don’t care about the limelight,” she’d said. “All I want is my family there to support me.” I knew she meant it.
Rachel didn’t interact with me much at the wedding, but she glared at me the entire time. Then came the main incident. I started feeling uneasy just before the ceremony was about to begin. I went upstairs, thinking it would help, and little did I notice that Rachel had followed me. I was feeling sweaty and weird, so I went to the bathroom when suddenly, my water broke.
I started panicking. My daughter had chosen the worst possible time to arrive. I couldn’t think straight. Thankfully, I saw my mother-in-law in front of me. I was crouching in pain. She rushed to me, and I told her to take my phone and call Rick immediately because we needed to get to the hospital.
She helped me up and made me sit in the bathroom. That’s when she flipped. She said she’d make sure Rick came in an hour, once the ceremony was over, because she didn’t want me to steal Anna’s spotlight. I asked her if she was crazy and said there was no way I could handle this for an hour. I tried snatching my phone from her, but she locked me inside and took my phone with her.
So there I was, pregnant with my child literally on the way, in a bathroom with no phone and no husband. I got up and started banging on the door. I screamed and screamed, but since the washrooms were on the first floor and everyone was seated for the wedding, no one heard me. I screamed until my voice was gone. That’s when I genuinely felt I was going to die and take my baby with me. I was exhausted, drenched, and had no voice left. That’s the last thing I remember. I had passed out.
I woke up a few hours later in the hospital with Rick by my side, sobbing. When I saw him crying, I assumed the worst. Then I saw a nurse come in with a baby girl, and I heaved a sigh of relief. I held my daughter for the first time, and I don’t think anything will ever top what I felt in those moments.
I could faintly hear some commotion outside. Rick said his mother was there and wanted to see her granddaughter. I told him in detail what she had done, how she had endangered our daughter for no reason. I also told him there was no way I was allowing her near May. To me, she was dead.
He said he knew everything; when he discovered me in that state, she broke down and told him. I told him that her breakdown didn’t mean I was going to forgive her. He laughed and said his mother was dead to him from this point on and that he was going to press charges for life endangerment. When I heard him say that, I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders. I know he loves his mother, but after the stunt she pulled, I was in no mood to forgive her. If Rick had chosen her over me, our marriage would have been over.
Within a few minutes, Anna, Emma, and Jonah were at the hospital. The best part? Anna and Jonah were still in their wedding clothes. Anna said there was no way she was going to miss taking a wedding picture with her niece. I started bawling. After the picture, I apologized to Anna for ruining her day. She hugged me and said I was looking at it all wrong—I had made her day. That’s when I knew they loved me like family.
When I was discharged a few days later, Rick told me what he and his mother had talked about. He informed her he would be pressing charges and that she was never allowed in May’s life. He said she chose to put my life and my unborn child’s life in danger over an assumed slight. He also said all the money he and Emma had been giving her would be substantially reduced. That’s when she started crying, saying she had slaved away her whole life for them and didn’t deserve this.
Any chance of reconciliation is now off the table forever. I convinced Rick not to press charges because we have too much on our plate, and neither of us has the energy. When we told his mother last week, she appeared thankful. I say appeared because that woman is genuinely unhinged, and she showed everyone her true colors.
Last week, Rick and I woke up around 1:00 a.m. to loud banging on the door. It was his mother, and Rick said she was behaving like a crazy person. She kept screaming that she wanted to see May and that we couldn’t keep her away. Rick had to threaten her with the police before she backed off.
The next day, she sent us a disturbing text. She started by saying we were being horrid to her, that her only crime was being a mother. Then her text became more unhinged. She said she was worried that with May in our lives, she wouldn’t be as important to her kids anymore. She didn’t like that we were all happy together. She wanted us to be jealous and competitive. She said she felt disrespected that a baby who wasn’t even born had taken her place as the “uniting factor” for the siblings.
I had a constant headache after seeing those messages. I can’t believe a woman over 50 is in competition with a seven-week-old baby. We forwarded the messages to Anna and Emma, and they were disturbed, too.
We now have a restraining order against her. Emma got her tested, and everything is fine with her mother medically. The doctor said there was no underlying reason for her behavior and suggested therapy. Emma has since gone no contact. She said she was willing to help if something was wrong, but “hatefulness” is who her mother is, and she can’t tolerate her anymore.
May’s safety is of the utmost importance, and my mother-in-law has proven she’s not safe. There’s no reconciling with that. I hope I never have anything more to share about this entire episode.