An awkward situation.

An expectant mum took to the internet recently to vent her frustration at the current situation with her mother in law. The woman explained that both she and her mother in law are pregnant at the moment and that for some reason her mother in law has turned it into a nasty competition. The soon to be mum posted to Reddit speaking about the predicament that she has found herself in;

"A few months ago, we found out we were pregnant. It was not planned, but we are very happy none-the-less. We broke the news to everyone in person. We didn't do cheesy gifts or anything. Of course, that also meant telling her FIL in person, too. But the response they got back was ..unexpected. Without even congratulating us, he told us '[MIL] is pregnant too!"

The woman then went on to say that ever since the news was revealed her in-laws "go out of their way to 'outshine' her pregnancy, which has left her feeling like she's in some kind of competition she didn't sign up for. The expectant mum shared some examples of what she's been dealing with from her mother in law;

"For example, you know how you can get either a standard ultrasound or one of those 4-D ones? I posted my standard one on Instagram and four minutes after that [MIL] posts hers that is one of the fancy ones and she tags me. She basically said, 'This is more expensive, but so worth it to see the little one in detail! ... I recommend to get this one the next time.'"

She also said that her mother in law purposely rescheduled her baby shower so it would land before her daughter in law and that she made it extra extravagant hiring a band and a bar to make virgin cocktails. The upset woman went on to say that it's causing her to cry every day and that it is causing her a lot of stress. Many left advice for the expectant mum particularly when it came to removing her toxic parents in law from her life;

"Block his dad and his wife on social media. Don't play into that, do what is best for you and your mental health because it'll serve baby better." "They are going to one up you on everything. Don’t tell them any details about your pregnancy, no names (she’s probably [going to] steal your name), no nursery details, no hospital info ... NOTHING. It’s horrible they can’t be happy for you. I understand [how] your husband feels about the do over kid. Just concentrate on your child."

I found myself in a similar situation when someone I knew became pregnant around the same time as me and I think this advice is spot on. Avoid giving them any details, ignore everything they are posting and focus on yourself, your health and your child. If a grown adult is being so petty that they can't be equally happy for the birth of their grandchild as they are for their own child then they aren't worth your time.