AITA for banning everyone who critiques our parenting from meeting our son?
She carried the weight of anxiety and OCD silently, her mind trapped in a relentless storm as pregnancy tightened its grip. Every bite, every breath was shadowed by an overwhelming fear of harming the life growing inside her, leaving her isolated in a prison of guilt and despair. The joyous anticipation of motherhood was eclipsed by a desperate longing for freedom, for her body, for peace.
In the quiet aftermath of birth, vulnerability lingered palpably in the room. Her confession, a raw and fragile plea for understanding, was met with steadfast support, cutting through the fear with compa*sion. As the lactation consultant’s question hung in the air, it marked a poignant crossroads—where love, pain, and hope intertwined in the fragile dance of new beginnings.
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As renowned researcher Dr. Brené Brown explains, “Boundaries are the distance at which I can love you and me simultaneously.” This situation clearly illustrates a breakdown in respecting the boundaries established by the new parents, specifically concerning the wife’s deeply personal medical and physical choices immediately post-partum. The OP's wife experienced significant duress during pregnancy, leading to a mental health crisis and a clear decision against breastfeeding. When she vocalized this refusal in the hospital, the lactation consultant and the OP's father ignored her expressed wishes, demonstrating a profound lack of respect for her autonomy. The OP’s intervention was a necessary, albeit forceful, reassertion of his wife’s right to self-determination during a vulnerable time. Following this, the continued unsolicited critiques regarding parenting choices—feeding, holding, equipment—are another form of boundary violation, triggering the wife's existing anxieties related to maternal competence. The OP’s decision to temporarily restrict access for those who violated these boundaries is appropriate given the context of protecting his wife's recovering mental health. A constructive recommendation for handling future interactions would be to establish clear, proactive communication guidelines with all family members before visits. This communication should frame the rules not as punishments, but as necessary conditions for preserving the family unit's current stability, emphasizing that support means respecting established rules, not offering unsolicited advice.
AFTER THIS STORY DROPPED, REDDIT WENT INTO MELTDOWN MODE – CHECK OUT WHAT PEOPLE SAID.:
Users didn’t stay quiet — they showed up in full force, mixing support with sharp criticism. From calling out bad behavior to offering real talk, the comments lit up fast.
The original poster (OP) prioritized his wife's immediate mental health and autonomy following a difficult pregnancy, explicitly defending her right to refuse breastfeeding against external pressure from both medical staff and family. This action created a direct conflict with extended family members who feel their involvement and good intentions regarding the new baby are being unfairly restricted.
Given the wife's fragile mental state and the OP's protective stance, is the decision to ban critical family members from visiting the newborn until the mother is more secure a necessary act of safeguarding, or does it constitute an overreaction that damages important family relationships based on good intentions?