Home > Health > Question
Need Expert Advice?Our Gurus Can Help

Is Pressure from In-Laws About Having a Baby Ruining Your Family Gatherings?

Dr Nandita

Dr Nandita Palshetkar  |42 Answers  |Ask -

Gynaecologist, IVF expert - Answered on Jan 20, 2025

Dr Nandita Palshetkar is the medical director of Bloom IVF.
She is a pioneer in ICSI, laser hatching, spindle view, oocyte and embryo freezing, IMSI, in vivo vaginal culture, metabolomics, embryoscope and spindle check technologies.
With over 30 years of experience, Dr Nandita is managing 10 centres across India.
She has written over 100 papers, edited 25 books and given over 1,000 lectures and speeches.
She has also won several prestigious awards, including the Dronacharya Award (2021), the Bharat Gaurav Award at the House of Commons in London (2014) and the Inspiring Gynaecologists of India (2018) to name a few.
Dr Nandita completed her MBBS from Grant Medical College and Sir J J Hospital, Mumbai, and her MD in obstetrics and gynaecology from Mumbai University."... more
Asked by Anonymous - Jan 06, 2025Hindi
Listen
Health

My husband is 39, I am 38. We are married for 5 years. My in-laws are always asking us when we're going to have a baby. Truth is, we are trying all options. Every family gathering turns into an uncomfortable conversation, and there's so much pressure. I know they mean well, but it triggers a lot of stress and sometimes even guilt on my part. I feel judged, and it makes me uncomfortable sharing the truth about our fertility struggles. How can I explain our situation to them in a way that they understand, without feeling embarrassed or judged?

Ans: Explain the situation: Let them know that infertility is a life crisis that can affect many aspects of a person's life.
Ask for support: Let them know what you need from them, such as phone calls or questions.
Be respectful: Respect their need for privacy and don't ask leading questions.
Acknowledge their feelings: Don't minimize their feelings or compare their experience to others.
Be present: Meet them where they are at and be available to talk or hug.
Be patient: Infertility can be a life-long journey, so don't expect them to share everything right away.
Educate them: You can teach them about the medical aspects of infertility and how to deal with the emotional side.
DISCLAIMER: The answer provided by rediffGURUS is for informational and general awareness purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical diagnosis or treatment.
Health

You may like to see similar questions and answers below

Anu

Anu Krishna  |1449 Answers  |Ask -

Relationships Expert, Mind Coach - Answered on May 05, 2022

Listen
Relationship
Dear Anu, I have been married for 3 years. Everything is going well with my husband except there is one problem. If there is anything wrong done by his parents, he never takes a stand or protests.My in-laws are not very friendly people.After our marriage they have never tried to keep in touch with my parents or at least have the courtesy to invite once to their house. My parents have frequently tried to invite them and also tried to keep contact but nothing is achieved if it's one-sided. I told my husband about all this but he never ever tried to explain or correct them of their wrong doings.My mother-in-law had also insulted me few times raising questions on how I was brought up within the first year of our marriage. And later as well. I work and sometimes due to prolong working hours I am not able to contribute to household work. My mother-in-law started asking if at all I do any household work or whether I am always busy with my office work. She already knew that I would be working after marriage and was fine with it.Because of the lockdown we are staying with them for a long period and I am embarrassed to tell this but every day is killing me. When I stay with them I have to be a totally different person. I have to live their lifestyle which is totally opposite to how I used to live with my husband alone.Because of all the above circumstances, I am not keen on staying with them. I don't see a future where I can stay with them. I am ready to take care of them but can't stay under one roof. My husband is well aware of my feelings. But never does anything about it. Every time I tell him, he blames me that I don't want him to stay with his parents. Else he takes good care of me and is a good person. My parents also like him except this one complaint.I am totally clueless now how to make him understand because we end up fighting rather than discussing. In the long run I can't stay with my in-laws because our lifestyle doesn't match and of course the hurtful things they have done. They are not even ready to adjust rather would expect me to completely change for them. And that's what dreads me.I can't live in this way for long. It is causing me a lot of mental stress.Please provide your valuable suggestions.
Ans:

Dear SN,

Hasn’t the lockdown ended for a while now?

Why are you still with them?

What was the initial reason of moving in with them?

Does that reason still exist?

Being part of a joint/extended family system isn’t a cake walk; each person is unique and so are their thoughts and experiences and they will want the other person to live by their experiences and rules. But of course, an emotionally mature person would believe in giving space for another person grow and evolve and swim around the family dynamics. Well, it isn't the case here.

Why don’t you drop down a pros and cons list for When I move out and for When I stay here.

Weigh it down to its granular detail. Also, try and figure out why your husband is so against talking to them.

Sometimes, it maybe a minor adjustment that everyone needs to go through, but our movies and sitcoms have done enough damage to our minds where the drama looks never ending and where one party is to blame. Usually, the adjustment has to happen from both ends.

Bring this to a place where everyone gains, and everyone is happy. Maybe moving out is an option that you seek but will this go well with your husband and remember, he might do this for you, and in the long run in might end up blaming you for it. It’s complicated.

So, take time and work on the pros and cons, why your husband is against talking to them about this and also ask yourself: Have I done everything that I can to live joyfully under one roof?
You will have a path to your solution soon.

All the best!

..Read more

Anu

Anu Krishna  |1449 Answers  |Ask -

Relationships Expert, Mind Coach - Answered on Jul 12, 2024

Asked by Anonymous - Jul 10, 2024Hindi
Listen
Relationship
My husband and I met through a matrimonial site in 2015. He send me request and called me over phone. At that time,I was doing as govt teacher job residing in an area which is 300 km away from my city. He met me at my rented house and proposed for marriage. He asked my age but I hesitated to tell my age as I was almost 40 years then. He told me that it would not matter if I would be older than him. He was also about to 4o then. I didnt tell my age age, as I wanted to get married, because I had my younger sister to marry. He was working in a different state that time. He sent his father to our home to fix marriage. His father asked my age but because of shame, I could not tell my real age. I told them Iwas 36. We were married in 2016 April. By that time my job was transferred to my ho.e city. So I was at my in laws home during 2016 and 2017. My inlaws i.e my father in law and my unmarried sister in law were never supportive to me. They always treated me as outsider. As my husband and me were livi g apart because of job we couldnot plan for baby. We both were pretty older to conceive naturally, so I contacted an ivf specialist. The doctor told that I have less chance to conceive naturally as my egg quality is not good. It was not impossible though. But since we were living apart, he suggested me to go for donor ivf. I was broken for a moment as I wont be able to give birth my own child. But I had to make my husband a father. So I went for do or egg ivf. In June 2018 a beautiful baby girl was born. I was very happy to get her. But pI noticed his father started to drink alot after her birth. He got tranfer of his job in 2019 and he took me from his ho.e to company quarter in home city in 2019 August. It was okay initially, but he drank a lot which I couldnot bear as l was from a totally non drinker family. He even said he could leave me but not drink. In 2020 hecame to know my real age from my matriculation certificate. He was seen upset, I apologise to him for not telling him my real age. I also told him about my and our family condition at that time. He cuddled me and said that he was not that kind of person. To be mentioned here, he is 6 month younger than me. But gradually his behaviour was changing, always treat badly at very very small things. In 2021 he again hot temporary transfer to a different place which is 500 km away from our homè. During this time he totally cut co tact with me. When I was having Corona and was hospitalized with my 3 years he didn't come to visit us. In 2022 January he was back home. He took my mother to stay with us. From March 2022 he started asking for mutual divorce. I was shocked. Since I didnot agree to that he filed a divorce case against me in 2023 August. Now It has been about one year, we are in concillation process. We are still living together. We are having physical also. Sometimes he becomes good but he always attend the concelling and says that he wants divorce for sure. I dont want divorce as my daughter loves him so much. I dont want to break the family, he is providing food, my daughter's school fees etc. I also do a job, so I dont need money from him. Only I wantvto stay as family.Is there any way to change his mind ? My job is contractual, so I dont have job security. He gets a handsome salary like 1.5 lacs per month with all medical and other facilities. Please suggest, how can I change his mindset or what may cause him to divorce me. I trust him. He also trusts me. He has mentioned only age criteria for divorce.
Ans: Dear Anonymous,
Any relationship that starts on a foundation of Lies is bound to go wrong. I am sure you had your reasons for hiding your real age.
Now, this has become a bone of contention between the two of you.
Also, staying apart has not really helped the two of you bond and the fact of not being able to go through the natural process of pregnancy which helps couple bond also eluded the two of you.
What does not make sense is why after the birth of the child, he has taken up to drinking. Did he see the whole process as a failure of marriage? Do go through the recommended number of counseling sessions and be sure to mention that you want the marriage.
But, its no use if your husband does not want the same. Allow the counselor to do their job and there's one thing that you can do. Genuinely apologize for hiding your real age. Maybe when he sees and feels your apology, he maybe willing to forget all about the lie. Genuine apology, please...

All the best!
Anu Krishna
Mind Coach|NLP Trainer|Author
Drop in: www.unfear.io
Reach me: Facebook: anukrish07/ AND LinkedIn: anukrishna-joyofserving/

..Read more

Ravi

Ravi Mittal  |505 Answers  |Ask -

Dating, Relationships Expert - Answered on Jan 16, 2025

Asked by Anonymous - Jan 16, 2025Hindi
Listen
Relationship
I am 31 years old and have been married for 6 years. My relatives keep pressuring me and scaring me, saying that I haven’t had a child yet and that I should have one now. However, we are not financially prepared at the moment. We have just bought a house, and the loans have recently started, which exhausted all our savings for the down payment. My husband’s family had a very weak financial background. They had nothing, and he struggled a lot, even living in someone else’s house to complete his education. Only he knows how hard it was. Now, his salary has improved, and I am also employed. Additionally, we are entirely responsible for my in-laws, as my husband’s elder brother neither got married nor provides any support for the parents. We are under a lot of pressure right now, but everyone just keeps asking us when we are going to have a child. I’ve seen how my husband struggled with limited finances when the family was financially weak, and I don’t want to show such hardships to our children. On top of that, I am overweight and focused on losing weight to ensure I can be healthy. I feel very stressed and confused, but my husband is fully supportive of me.
Ans: Dear Anonymous,
First of all, I am really glad that you are being so responsible and practical, rather than making such life-changing decisions based on emotions alone. Second, don't worry about other's opinions; they might have your best interest at heart, but this should be solely your decision. You should have a child only when you are ready to have one- both mentally, physically, and financially. And no hard and fast rule says you should have a child within a certain year of your marriage. Two people in a marriage is a whole family too; a child can add to the joy if that is what you want. But if not, your family is still complete. Please remember that.

Take care of your health and your mind. If you are worried about your age, you can always go see a doctor and see how many years you can delay this. Rushing is never a good idea.

Best Wishes.

..Read more

Latest Questions
DISCLAIMER: The content of this post by the expert is the personal view of the rediffGURU. Investment in securities market are subject to market risks. Read all the related document carefully before investing. The securities quoted are for illustration only and are not recommendatory. Users are advised to pursue the information provided by the rediffGURU only as a source of information and as a point of reference and to rely on their own judgement when making a decision. RediffGURUS is an intermediary as per India's Information Technology Act.

Close  

You haven't logged in yet. To ask a question, Please Log in below
Login

A verification OTP will be sent to this
Mobile Number / Email

Enter OTP
A 6 digit code has been sent to

Resend OTP in120seconds

Dear User, You have not registered yet. Please register by filling the fields below to get expert answers from our Gurus
Sign up

By signing up, you agree to our
Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

Already have an account?

Enter OTP
A 6 digit code has been sent to Mobile

Resend OTP in120seconds

x