Woman's Reason for Blocking Pregnant Sister-in-Law Backed Online

A woman who blocked her sister-in-law over a pregnancy announcement has been backed online.

In a post to Mumsnet's Am I Being Unreasonable? thread on October 17, user BlueBunny23 explained that her sister-in-law has a history of fertility problems. When the sister-in-law found out that BlueBunny23 was pregnant with her first child a few years ago, she cut off contact—blanking the original poster in public and blocking her on social media.

Their relationship is still rocky, but the sister-in-law recently starting following her again. BlueBunny23 has just given birth to her second child, but her sister-in-law has yet to reach out via direct message or like any photos of the newborn on social media.

BlueBunny23 asked whether she was right to be upset over the lack of engagement, but most Mumsnet users took the other woman's side, blasting the original poster for her social media obsession.

1 in 5 American Women Struggle With Infertility

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control defines infertility as being unable to conceive after a year or more of trying. According to the CDC, 1 in 5 women aged 15 to 49 (with no prior births) struggle with infertility while 1 in 4 experience impaired fecundity, which is defined as difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term.

Ruth Freeman, founder and president of Connecticut parenting consultancy Peace at Home, said it could be difficult for people who have not experienced infertility to understand how it feels.

"Women struggling with infertility may feel as anxious or depressed as women with cancer or heart disease," she told Newsweek. "They may feel hopeless, guilty or just worthless.

"Society puts a lot of expectations on women about this issue and, on top of that, the inability to conceive a child can become the death of a dream for many."

While some opt for alternative ways of becoming parents, such as adoption, others suffer "a great deal," Freeman said.

"[The Mumsnet poster] is a lucky mom of two," she added. "If she genuinely cares about her sister-in-law, it will work best to recognize that she is likely grieving and that takes time.

"She can also reach out to her directly and check in with her, and let her know that she understands that her two births may be painful reminders of what she hasn't yet been able to accomplish."

'Be the Bigger Person'

In her post, BlueBunny23 explained that when she announced her first pregnancy a few years ago, her partner's brother was pleased but the brother's fiancée was not.

The woman blocked the couple on social media and refused to talk to them for two years, even in public. Her partner's brother apologized, saying he didn't understand his fiancée's behavior.

"When our son was born, we invited them over and the fiancée stayed in the car, glaring at her partner holding his brand new nephew," she wrote.

However, the new mom and her soon-to-be sister-in-law reconciled after the latter revealed "her fertility issues and her many miscarriages."

"She explained seeing me pregnant was so difficult for her, I forgave her and we became friends again," BlueBunny23 wrote.

"She told me she's always wanted a daughter and if I'd [have] had a daughter she couldn't have coped."

This year, when BlueBunny23 announced that she was pregnant again and having a girl, "I was again blocked on social media until last week."

The sister-in-law has started following BlueBunny23 on social media again, but the mom of two is upset that she hasn't liked any of her baby pictures or started a conversation.

Her partner's brother wants to come and meet their baby daughter, but is planning to do so alone and without telling his fiancée.

"I feel perhaps if I invited her over then she wouldn't want to," she said.

"My partner thinks I should block her and not bother with her at all and that we should just enjoy our baby and our children regardless whether she's family or not. I feel if I invited her over to meet the baby it would almost be like rubbing her nose in it, would this be the case?

"Should I invite her over and try to make things work? Or just leave her to come around or just simply block her and move on with my life?"

Although Mumsnet users were divided over the sister-in-law's behavior, the majority felt BlueBunny23 was being unreasonable to be upset about social media likes.

"I don't see why you need to block her," commented Ponoka7. "Just move on. If she genuinely can't cope with being around pregnancy and newborns, then she's doing the right thing by staying away."

KarenPirie72 agreed, writing: "She's told you she's had miscarriages and is desperate for a daughter so it's a little unfair to be annoyed at her for not liking your newborn pix."

Caterina99 suggested being "the bigger person."

"She's explained before how she feels about a baby girl," she said. "It doesn't make up for her ignoring you and I think she needs to get a grip personally as she can't avoid babies forever, but no need to block her and be unkind."

ThatisWild advised the original poster to "leave her be."

"That must be difficult for her, and it doesn't excuse her being horrible, but I can understand why she won't have rushed to like pics etc," she wrote. "Just let her make a move when she's ready, ignore it for now, no need to block."

Newsweek has not been able to verify the details of this case.