Am I overreacting about my MIL and boundaries before my baby is born?
I'm 37 weeks pregnant with my first baby and I'm starting to feel increasingly uncomfortable with my MIL, and I'm trying to figure out whether I'm being reasonable or hormonal and overly sensitive.
For context, my boyfriend and I got pregnant pretty quickly after getting together, so while we're committed and excited about our son, I also haven't known his family, including his mom, for that long.
My MIL isn't a bad person. She's young (in her 40s, I'm 32), outspoken, loud, and has strong opinions about everything. To be fair, so do I. We've never had any major issues and we've always been respectful toward each other, but lately she's been saying things that make me feel like she doesn't respect my role as this baby's mother.
One example: she recently told my boyfriend that our son should call her "Mami" and that he can call me whatever other name I want.
I'm Latina, and where I come from, "Mami" is Mom. Period. Unless someone else raised you, that's your mother. I was honestly shocked when I heard that. I will be Mami. She can be Grandma, Abuela, Nana, whatever she wants, but Mami is not up for grabs. Part of me wonders if she dislikes grandmother titles because she doesn't want to feel old, but regardless, that comment really rubbed me the wrong way.
Another issue is postpartum expectations.
We're giving birth at a birth center, and if everything goes well we'll likely be home just a few hours after delivery. I've been very clear with my boyfriend that I don't want visitors for the first 5-7 days while we recover, bond with the baby, and establish breastfeeding. The only exception is my mom, who is flying in to stay with me for a month and help during postpartum recovery.
My MIL, however, doesn't really ask. She tells. She talks as if she's automatically entitled to see the baby immediately and seems to assume she'll be involved on whatever timeline she chooses. I'm getting tired of feeling like my wishes as the person actually giving birth are treated as optional.
On top of that, she's been very vocal about how irresponsible she thinks we're being by choosing a birth center instead of a hospital. We've spent months researching, taking classes, making plans, and carefully choosing what feels right for us. Yet here I am at 37 weeks and she's still telling me to forget all of that and just go to the hospital.
It's starting to feel like our decisions aren't valid unless she agrees with them.
My boyfriend is a very calm, introverted person who hates conflict. His approach is basically, "We'll deal with it when the time comes." But I feel like boundaries need to be established before the baby arrives, not after everyone is already upset and expectations have been built.
I think what bothers me most is that she already raised three children. This is my turn to raise mine. I'm worried that if these smaller things aren't addressed now, it'll turn into constant opinions, criticism, and pressure once the baby is here.
Am I overreacting? Or are these legitimate boundary concerns that should be addressed before the baby is born?
Posted Jun 8, 2026, 4:46 PM UTC