She is using her pregnancy as an excuse to basically do whatever she pleases. She gets in horrid fights with her bf, her mother, me, and then says “its okay, I can because I’m pregnant”.
All of a sudden I’m not allowed have problems or complaints about anything because “at least you don’t have a baby in you/back pain/morning sickness”. I feel like I can never ask her for advice because she turns it around to be about her. Her bf has started using this excuse too. He’ll act weird with me, and the people around him because “his daddy instincts are kicking in”
This story hit Reddit this week and the responses are phenomenal.
It’s seems like a classic situation of one friend doing more than the other, and feeling guilty for resenting this. But then there’s a baby involved. And when there’s a baby involved, everything becomes more complicated.
A little backstory: One of my closest friends is 5 months pregnant with a guy she met a little less than a year ago. She lives at the other end of the country, which is a 9 hour bus journey one way. I have made this journey three times in our friendship, whilst she’s only come to me once – over two years ago. I’ve also travelled to other parts of the country to meet up with her (and more recently, this boyfriend of hers, who I have met once).
So basically my best friend is five months pregnant. She’s 21, her bf is 22. They live at the other end of the country in the smallest bedsit and have little money; they have also appointed me as godmother.
Ohhh “Godmother” status? No… Just, no.
So there were first of all the excuses for arguments. The “I’m pregnant so you can’t stay mad at me, even though I acted like a complete jerk” attitude.
Then there’s the one-sided travelling situation. Which any long-distance friend will attest, never feels good.
But then this happened. And this was the final straw before the Reddit post:
My friend is throwing a baby shower on the 22nd of this month. My original plan was to get the 9 hour bus journey on the Saturday, stay in a hotel overnight and go home on the 9 hour bus journey home (presumably) hungover as the baby shower is being held in her local bar.
Last night I met up with my boyfriend and we spoke about this trip. He kindly offered to drive me up there, stay with me, and drive me home again. I asked my pregnant friend first if she was okay with him joining me as it was her night after all. She had no problem, was looking forward to meeting him, and everyone was happy – for about an hour, that is.
After all the plans were sorted and hotel booked for two nights etc., she text me saying the following; “so it’s great that he’s driving you and all but he’ll have to bring a present of his own as it would make [insert her bf’s name] more ok with the whole thing”. So apparently her bf is iffy about the whole thing, but he would feel slightly better if he brought gifts?????
Top Comments
This isn't a zilla comment, just an observation which came up this week. I work in a cafe and over the years it has become so easy to pick a pregnancy within our regulars. I'm sure I'm sometimes the first to know(well except for husbands). Coffee is removed and replaced with decaf or herbal tea, hard eggs, no aioli, no feta etc. I took such an order this week from a regular I have been serving for years and you just have to pretend yeah all normal here!!
I think all those food restrictions are a bit precious - I continued to eat everything I wanted whilst pregnant, as people have been doing for hundreds of thousands of years....I reckon it's more important to stay away from processed and sugary foods than all those things they say not to eat anyway. I find it interesting people restrict the healthy foods you mention but happily devour ice-creams and chocolate and bakery treats....
Yep my coffee shop knew before friends found out as I switched to decaf with both pregnancies!
I think every first time mum acts a bit zilla...Then baby arrives and reality kicks in!