My in-laws' reaction to our baby news almost shattered our marriage

“Mum said, ‘oh, for f**k's sakes'. Dad shook his head and said the most hurtful thing ever."

When I fell pregnant with baby number three, I was over the moon. 

I never had that ‘done’ feeling after two kids. I always felt like there was one more little person missing from our family.

My husband, on the other hand, had been happy to stop at two.

When I told him I was pregnant, he handled it really well and said we would make it work.  

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I'll never forget that day

When I told my mum and dad, who live interstate, they were absolutely thrilled. I had been part of a family of six, and mum reassured me that having a bigger family was rewarding on so many levels.

Meanwhile, I left it to my husband to break the news to his parents. When he did, their reaction was not what he was expecting. 

I’ll never forget that day.

He came home looking completely deflated.

“What happened, honey? What did they say? Were they excited?” I asked.

A few seconds passed and I knew he was contemplating whether or not to spill the beans. In the end, he did.

 “Well, it wasn’t the reaction I was anticipating,” he admitted.

“Mum said, ‘oh, for fuck’s sakes’. Dad shook his head and said, ‘mate, I thought you were smarter than that’."

I sat there dumbfounded. What a way to react to the news of another grandchild on the way.

For a long time, I was really upset. I didn’t feel like seeing them and I avoided dropping into their house.

I felt like they thought I'd entrapped their son into having another kid - another financial and emotional burden for him.

But newsflash, it takes two to tango and to think about contraception - he was to 'blame', too.

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Wind forward the clock

When the baby was born and my husband asked me if we could give her his mum’s middle name as her middle name, I was hesitant.

I still felt hurt and protective of the little girl in my arms. But I knew it was important to my husband, so in the end, I gave in.

When we dropped into their place after leaving the hospital, I was bracing myself for their reaction.

But instantly, they both melted.

“She’s beautiful,” my mother-in-law said, stroking the baby’s dark hair.

“She is pretty perfect,” my father-in-law agreed.

Wind forward the clock two years, and baby number three is now the light of their lives. They regularly babysit her, and she has them wrapped around her tiny, chubby little fingers.

When she wants to go for a walk or to the playground, they hop to it. When she says, “ice-cweam pwease, Nana,” Nana gives in. 

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Unexpectedly, my mother-in-law has since broken the ice and acknowledged how appalling her initial reaction was to the news of another baby.

We have moved past it.

They say love happens when you least expect it. My in-laws never saw it coming.

Originally published as My in-laws' reaction to our baby news almost shattered our marriage