Members of a popular internet forum have been quick to defend a woman who refuses to be in the room when her older sister gives birth.
in a virus Reddit Post posted to r/AmITheA**hole, Redditor u/soontobeaunt (aka the original poster or OP) said she’s excited to become an aunt, but made it clear she has no interest in being in the delivery room when it happens. .
Entitled, “[Am I the a**hole] for refusing to be present at my sister’s birth? mail It has received more than 6,000 votes in favor and 1,300 comments in the last day.
Beginning with the explanation that her 27-year-old sister is due to give birth in a few weeks, the original 21-year-old poster said that her family is excited about the process, but noted that she is more concerned.
“The thing is [my sister] wants to be surrounded by family while working,” OP wrote. “I mean my family; her husband and some women in the family on both sides.”
The original poster said that although his sister bets on having all the desired relatives by his side, he made it clear that he will not be there.
“She casually said we’ll help her through it,” OP wrote. “I told her that she wasn’t going to be there because I’m not sure I could stay calm seeing her agitated and… witnessing the damn miracle of childbirth.
“I tried to reason with her and told her I’d support her in every other way…but I don’t want to be there when she’s screaming and the baby is coming out,” OP continued. “She got really mad and lectured me about how I was ruining her perfect birth and then [our] Mom also scolded me that I was being apprehensive for no reason.
“It’s better if he comes later…but I can’t help but feel so guilty for saying no,” added OP.
Recently, news week has reported on a number of Reddit threads detailing controversies in the delivery room.
However, most of these controversies have detailed that mothers-to-be maintain unwanted guests outside of the room, not inside.
In the last two and a half years, COVID restrictions have limited the number of guests allowed in delivery rooms through the United States.
But with many of those restrictions being rolled back, the size of a pregnant mother’s support system is often subject to individual hospital policies, which often allow only two or three loved ones to remain present during labor, according to MedStar Health.
Concluding her viral Reddit post, the original author reiterated that she was willing to help her sister however she could after the baby was born, but said her refusal stressed the expectant mother, which increased her guilt.
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However, throughout the comments section of the post, Reddit users insisted that the original poster was warranted for removal and criticized her sister for demanding she be in the delivery room, despite their apprehension.
“[Not the a**hole]Redditor u/Locksmith91 wrote in the top comment of the post, which received over 12,000 upvotes. “Your sister doesn’t seem to understand the difference between an invite and a summons.”
Redditor u/AUserHasNoName42069 echoed that sentiment.
“[Not the a**hole]they wrote. “I think a lot of people don’t realize that just because you’re giving birth ‘your way’ doesn’t mean you can dictate who has to be there.
“If you don’t feel comfortable being there, then that’s it,” they added.
In a separate comment, which received nearly 4,000 upvotes, Reddit user u/mm172 expressed concern about any issues with a “perfect” work plan.
“If your ‘perfect birth plan’ can’t accommodate someone other than the midwife or even the absence of the father, I shudder to think how you’ll handle it if there are complications or the baby is born too quickly to get everyone together.” they wrote.
news week He reached out to u/soontobeaunt for comment.