They say a baby brings families together, but whoever came up with that clearly never had a mother-in-law with WiFi and a flair for dramatic announcements.
Babies might come with tiny socks and big feelings, but they also come with a flood of unsolicited advice, boundary-crossing relatives, and at least one grandma who treats social media like a personal tabloid.
One pregnant Redditor learned the hard way that when you give a boomer the green light to share good news, you’d better specify not to turn it into a public Facebook newsletter, especially when that news involves your uterus.
More info: Reddit
If attention-seeking were an Olympic sport, some future grandmas would break the world record
Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels (not the actual photo)
One mom-to-be had her joy hijacked by her mother-in-law after she announced her pregnancy on Facebook before she could tell anyone
Image credits: xRDNE Stock project / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The woman and her husband shared the joyful pregnancy news with their families and allowed them to let their relatives know
Image credits: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The mother-in-law posted the news on Facebook for everyone to see and threw a fit when asked to delete it
Image credits: Realistic_Ask6829
The dad-to-be confronted his mom about the post, and went ballistic when she said she would get divorced because of him
The OP (original poster), an excited mom-to-be, and her husband gave their parents the go-ahead to spread the pregnancy news to their family and friends, assuming common sense would cover the “don’t blast it online” clause. But apparently, common sense isn’t included in every mother-in-law’s emotional software update.
Before the couple could even start telling their inner circle, the mother-in-law took to the internet and hit “post” like her life depended on it, gushing not about the parents-to-be, but about herself becoming a grandma. And just like that, the congratulations came flooding in, from old friends, distant cousins, you name it.
The OP texted her mother-in-law politely, asking for the tags to be removed, hoping to contain the viral spill. What did she get in return? A passive-aggressive thumbs-up, a digital slap in the face if there ever was one. But this lady wasn’t done. Not even close.
Turns out the brother-in-law had already tried to get ahead of the drama, calling her to explain why Facebook wasn’t the place for baby announcements that weren’t hers. Her response? “Get off your high horse.” She even tried roping in her husband for backup, except he agreed with the kids.
Faced with overwhelming logic and a solid wall of unified family disapproval, what did she do? She called her son to complain that she was being treated unfairly. Big mistake. Her son was furious and reminded his mom, loudly and clearly, that this wasn’t her story to share.
The mother-in-law, of course, played the victim card, claiming the family dispute would lead to divorce with her husband and it would all be their fault. That’s when the OP’s hubby finally lost it, went nuclear on his mom, so she did end up deleting the post, but the damage? Already done.
Image credits: Kaboompics.com / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Pregnancy already comes with a full plate of weird symptoms, but add a cup of stress to that, and you could be looking at more than just annoyance. Chronic stress during pregnancy has been linked to complications like low birth weight, high blood pressure, and even preterm labor.
According to the pros, cortisol (the stress hormone) can affect both mom and baby. And dealing with severe morning sickness and a mother-in-law who doesn’t know what boundaries are can definitely increase stress. So, whether it’s muting group chats or skipping that “urgent” call from auntie Carol, setting boundaries isn’t selfish, it’s basically prenatal care.
Because some people have an uncanny ability to make everything about them, even someone else’s pregnancy. While not every self-centered relative is a narcissist, behaviors like attention-seeking, overstepping, and lack of empathy fall under what experts call “narcissistic tendencies.”
These traits can come from deep-seated insecurity or a lifelong habit of being the center of attention. If someone treats your news as their spotlight moment, odds are they’re stuck in a cycle of self-importance. Responding with boundaries instead of validation helps disrupt the pattern, because your life is not their personal branding campaign.
What do you think of this story? What would you have done if you were in the poster’s shoes? Share your thoughts and comments below!
Netizens advise the woman to stop sharing any news with her mother-in-law as she will probably do the same thing again
