Soon after noticing his daughter's formula milk was untouched, a man caught his mother-in-law trying to breastfeed his 4-month-old daughter.
He was shocked to know that his 56-year-old mother-in-law often sneaked into his daughter's bedroom and tried breastfeeding her. When he confronted her, she didn't feel guilty about it. The man shared his story on Reddit to ask other people for advice because his mother-in-law didn't regret breastfeeding his child.
A woman in the hospital. | Source: Unsplash
Before jumping to the main story, the man shared that his wife, Anne, unfortunately passed away soon after giving birth to their daughter, Sammy. He had taken a 3-month paternity leave before her due date.
He dedicated his leave to look after his newborn daughter. He did everything he could to ensure that Sammy didn't miss her mother too much. When it was time for his leave to end, he asked his mother-in-law to look for a nanny who could take care of his daughter while he was at work.
To his surprise, his mother-in-law offered to babysit Sammy in his absence. She agreed to do it for free, but the man said he would hire a nanny, and she could come over during the day and monitor her.
An elderly woman holding a baby. | Source: Shutterstock
What she said next terrified the man.
The man agreed when the lady insisted on not hiring a nanny and allowing her to look after her granddaughter. He gave her a copy of the house keys and asked her to arrive before he left for work.
As promised, she arrived thirty minutes before he left for work and went home after dinner. She took care of the 4-month-old baby without asking for anything in return.
Everything was going well until the man noticed that the baby's formula milk seemed untouched. He thought the level of milk powder would have gone down after a week, but it was the same.
A man in the kitchen. | Source: Unsplash
Confused, he asked his mother-in-law about it. What she said next terrified the man. He hadn't thought his mother-in-law would try to breastfeed Sammy. He wrote:
"At first, I thought she was joking, then I realized she wasn't."
She told the man that Sammy needed to latch on for some time every day so her body could produce milk. The man was furious after knowing what was happening behind his back. He immediately told his mother-in-law that what she did was unacceptable and needed to stop.
A person holding a newborn baby. | Source: Unsplash
After seeing his reaction, the woman agreed she wouldn't try to breastfeed Sammy again. However, a few days later, the man caught her doing it when he walked into the bedroom unannounced. He recalled:
"I confronted her and told her she's no longer my baby's nanny."
He didn't ask her to return the house keys because he had asked her to visit whenever she wanted to see her granddaughter. Little did he know that he should have asked for the keys.
Two people laying on the bed. | Source: Unsplash
After taking a week off from work, the man looked for a nanny who could take care of Sammy while he was at work. He found a nanny and hired her, but she didn't return after working for two days.
Confused, he called the nanny and asked her why she didn't show up on the third day. She told him that his "mother" had fired her on the second day.
After investigating, the man discovered that his mother-in-law had come to the house in his absence and fired the nanny. Right when he was about to call her, she came in through the front door with a smile, hoping to meet her granddaughter.
A young woman playing with a baby. | Source: Shutterstock
When he asked about the nanny, his mother-in-law said she fired her because he had hired an incompetent person. She felt the woman wasn't taking care of the baby correctly.
The man didn't buy her story and immediately asked her to leave the house. He didn't allow her to go near his daughter because he feared she would try to breastfeed her again.
His mother-in-law refused and threatened to call Child Protection Services because she felt he was endangering his child's life by letting an incompetent nanny take care of her.
A man on the phone. | Source: Unsplash
Following an argument, the man called the cops and filed a complaint against his mother-in-law for trespassing. He thought that was the only way she would leave the house.
A few days later, his sister-in-law and brother-in-law contacted him and told him that his mother-in-law was upset and called him "ruthless" for not allowing her to see her late daughter's child.
After hearing their words, the man started doubting his actions and thought he had gone too far by calling the cops. He posted his story in the "AITA" forum on Reddit to ask others if he was at fault.
Police cars | Source: Unsplash
"Her trying to breastfeed your daughter without your permission is gross and completely wrong. Beyond that, she FIRED YOUR NANNY?" Redditor sprinklypops stated. Meanwhile, Redditor Rogue_Darkholme asked the man to change the locks and said his mother-in-law might have made copies of the key. She suggested he instruct the nanny not to let anyone enter the house.
"Get cameras for your home," Redditor No_Performance8733 replied. Redditor vrcraftauthor asked the man if he could move out and not give the new address to his mother-in-law.
On the other hand, Redditor Head_Photograph9572 blamed the man for letting his mother-in-law come near the baby after discovering she tried to breastfeed her. Most Redditors sided with the man and believed his mother-in-law was at fault because she tried to breastfeed his daughter.
A Reddit logo | Source: Pexels
Questions to Ponder:
Do you think the man could have done something else instead of calling the police?
Some people might think that he went too far by calling the cops. Instead, he could have done something else to make his mother-in-law understand why she was wrong. She wouldn't have turned against him if he had done that.
Do you think it is OK to breastfeed a child if the mother passes away?
His mother-in-law might have thought of breastfeeding the child because of its benefits. Some people might think it is OK to breastfeed a child if the mother has passed away. However, getting permission from the father is necessary, and the woman didn't do it. On the other hand, others might think such an act is not permissible. What do you think?
If you enjoyed reading this story, you might like this one about a woman who wanted to pierce her granddaughter's ears against her daughter-in-law's wishes.
All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.
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