On April 8, 2021, an anonymous female poster turned to Reddit’s “AITA” forum to share her story. The woman, aged 29, had a brief relationship with a man named Joe, 30, lasting only three months before he reconciled with his ex, Kim. “Right after we broke up I found out I was pregnant and now I’m at 24 weeks. I let him know and he was ecstatic,” said the woman.
It turned out that his current girlfriend, Kim, had fertility issues, making natural pregnancy unlikely for her. Despite Joe’s desire to become a father and OP’s pregnancy, rekindling their romance was not an option for either of them. Thus, Joe remained committed to his girlfriend, leaving the OP in a unique and complex situation.
Joe could only accompany the OP to her first medical appointment due to COVID-19 restrictions. It was there that they found out the original poster was expecting twins. When Joe shared the news with Kim, she had a severe emotional reaction, triggered in part by her own infertility struggles.
A meeting was arranged at their home, during which Kim expressed her desire to be actively involved in the woman’s pregnancy, considering herself the future stepmother. The woman recalled details of the meeting in these words:
Firmly rejecting Kim’s demands, the woman asserted her autonomy in making choices regarding her children and her own body before leaving the conversation. Unbeknownst to her, Joe and Kim were far from finished, causing additional issues.
Kim continued her intrusive behavior, bombarding the woman with daily texts about her diet and exercise routine. In her efforts to sound concerned, she also lamented her job’s refusal to grant her maternity leave.
During a virtual genetics counseling appointment, which Joe couldn’t attend, Kim dominated the conversation, veering into irrelevant details about her family history. When the 20-week level 2 scan approached, allowing only one guest, Joe suggested Kim accompany the woman, an offer the woman firmly declined.
Joe eventually attended, learning the gender, as the woman preferred to keep it a surprise for herself and planned a gender reveal party. The woman shared her pregnancy announcement on social media, only for Kim to post her own version, emphasizing their pregnancy as “non-traditional” and revealing that they were expecting twins. Although irritated, the woman remained silent.
Tensions escalated when Kim organized a gender reveal party and a baby shower without inviting the woman. While the woman hadn’t done anything earlier, thinking Kim was happy to become a stepmom, Kim’s social media announcement about these events set her off.
Feeling like a surrogate, the woman confronted Kim on social media, asserting her parental rights and emphasizing Joe’s lack of custody until the babies were born. She also communicated these concerns to Joe, emphasizing her decision to involve family court and have her mother as her birthing partner.
Despite this, Joe, Kim, and their acquaintances labeled her as the antagonist. In fact, Kim’s mother went to the extent of calling and demanding the woman give one of her babies to Kim, akin to a scene from a movie. Thereafter, the woman couldn’t help but wonder if she was in the wrong for calling out Kim for making her feel like a surrogate.
How Did the Pregnant Woman Handle the Situation?
The OP promptly decided to hire a lawyer following advice from commenters. Later, she discovered that her pregnancy might have been intentional, leading her to involve the police. However, she soon learned that the cops couldn’t intervene as no crime had been committed.
Still, she managed to obtain an order of protection against Joe due to their specific laws regarding such orders. Following this, she consulted a lawyer, who informed her that, in her current state, she had limited options concerning custody until the babies were born. To avoid potential legal complications, she decided to relocate to a different state, ensuring it wouldn’t be the babies’ home state, thereby minimizing the risk of facing charges.
Meanwhile, Kim’s aggressive response escalated the situation. She damaged the OP’s car and vandalized her workplace, leading to her arrest for multiple offenses, including child endangerment due to the workplace being child-oriented.
Despite having orders of protection against Joe and Kim and moving states, she continued to face harassment. Since she was armed with evidence, she pressed charges in her new state and pursued a restraining order against them.
