New Mom Refuses Mother-in-Law’s 2-Month Right After Giving Birth. Now Her Husband Demands She Apologize

A new mother turned to Reddit for advice after what was supposed to be a short, joyful family visit after childbirth suddenly turned into a tense battle over space, boundaries and respect.

She explained that she and her husband are newlyweds — he’s 30, she’s 32 — and they welcomed their first baby just last month after getting pregnant soon after their wedding. Her husband and his parents immigrated to Canada when he was young, and his parents now live on the opposite side of the country.

The couple had agreed that his parents would come stay for two weeks in the new year to meet the baby. But during a FaceTime call, that plan was completely changed — without any discussion.

According to her post, her mother-in-law suddenly “announced that they were coming to stay for 2 months, which was a huge surprise as we only ever discussed having her for two weeks.”

The problem wasn’t just the length of the visit, but the size of their home. The couple lives in a small two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment. There’s no dedicated guest room, and the baby’s room only fits his crib, dresser and toys. The newborn still sleeps beside them in a bassinet in their bedroom, and the living room functions as the main play and family area during the day.

Despite that, her mother-in-law assumed she would be staying in their living room — on the floor — for the entire two months. The poster added that her father-in-law would only be joining for the final week due to work, meaning her mother-in-law would be there alone for most of the visit.

When the new mom explained her concerns to her husband, she felt completely brushed aside. “My husband would not listen to this, and said if his mom wants to stay here she can,” she wrote, even though that would mean their primary family space — where the baby plays and spends most of his awake time — would be taken over.

What made the situation even more frustrating was that there was a very practical alternative just steps away. Her husband’s brother lives in the neighboring apartment complex, “literally next door.” While he doesn’t have a guest room either, his living room is much larger, and he would be gone for half of her mother-in-law’s planned stay.

Her husband told her that his mother refused that idea because “she wants to be with the baby 24/7,” turning the conflict from a simple space issue into a deeper disagreement about boundaries and entitlement.

Feeling cornered, the new mom decided to reach out directly to her mother-in-law with what she believed was a warm and respectful message. She said she wrote that they were excited she’d be visiting for a few months and that it would be wonderful for the baby to spend so much time with his grandmother — while gently suggesting that staying in the nearby apartment would still allow her to be close and present without crowding their small home.

Instead of easing tensions, the message seemed to escalate them. The poster said her mother-in-law called her husband in tears, saying she felt “unwelcome” and accusing her daughter-in-law of trying to “withhold her from her grandson.”

The fallout at home was immediate. “He essentially let me know if I don’t apologize and make it right with his mom, him and I will not be on good terms,” she wrote. At one point, he even suggested that he would move out and leave his wife and his mother to share a bed.

The new mom said the situation left her feeling deeply unheard in her own home. She also pointed out that she contributes financially and has a legal stake in the apartment: she pays 40% of the household bills, and her name is on the lease.

“I am fully prepared to move out for the two months she is here with my baby if they do not respect my boundary,” she wrote.

In the Reddit comments, many users strongly supported her stance and encouraged her not to back down. One person noted, “You have legit issues and you presented a reasonable, sufficient compromise,” while another commenter said that having her mother-in-law stay in such a small space for that long would feel “suffocating.”

Some asked if she could stay with her own family instead. The new mom explained that her parents also live across the country, so that wasn’t an option. But she added that she’s willing to pay out of pocket to protect her peace.

“Unfortunately my parents live across the country also but I can afford Airbnb and will do that if I have to, even for the full 8 weeks,” she wrote — a clear sign of how overwhelmed she felt, and how far she was prepared to go to maintain boundaries during an already vulnerable postpartum period.