My son was stillborn at 32 weeks. We knew it was coming, so we invited close family to say goodbye. Despite a strained relationship, I asked my dad to come—I needed him, and someone to watch my 3-year-old while I gave birth.
But instead of being supportive, he pressured me the day before for a “precise” labor time so he could tell work. Even in the hospital, while I was grieving and handling paperwork, he just sat silently, never comforting me, never helping with my son. Hours after I gave birth, the only words he said to me were, “You should probably go home to your older son, he needs you.”
Then, he revealed the reason for his silence—his girlfriend had broken up with him. That was his focus on the day I lost my baby. Later at home, he told me again, waiting until she left the room. I snapped and told him to leave, not to contact me.
I needed my dad more than ever, and instead he made my son’s death about his breakup. Days later he even called my husband, complaining about his ex and boasting about joining dating sites. I blocked him. My child deserved my grief, not his selfishness.
