TL;DR: Hi everyone, I really need some perspective. I’m married for 1.5 years and my baby is about 5 months old. I had a C-section, and while I love caring for my baby, I’m finding things increasingly stressful because of my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.
My husband tends to stay hands-off, which I usually respect, but it leaves me feeling like I’m constantly defending my parenting choices. Both my MIL and SIL comment on almost everything I do with the baby, they give opinions on how often I wash her hands, when and what she should eat, bedtime routines, even tiny things like whether she wears socks indoors. On top of that, they constantly boast that natural delivery is “the best” and imply that having a C-section somehow makes me a less capable parent. Their comments leave me feeling judged and exhausted.
I’ve tried staying calm and sticking to my own routines, but it’s hard when they insist on intervening. I want to maintain consistency for my baby, but I also don’t want to create tension with my husband or start arguments with them. I feel like I’m constantly walking on eggshells.
Has anyone else been through this, dealing with meddling relatives while trying to parent in your own way? How did you set boundaries without making things worse? Any tips on handling this gracefully while keeping my sanity would be so appreciated.