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Q: Potential Father Needs Advice: Mother Not Giving Me Info.
asked by: james44 on July 26th, 2007
New User
I'll try to make a longer story short.
I started dating this girl right after Christmas. We had sex the first time on New Year's. She promised me she was on the pill and reassured me it was okay to finish (I asked because some girls still don't feel comfortable with that while on the pill plus not all of them take it on time). I find out January 18 she is pregnant. She had not missed her period yet, but had been to the gyno that day for her yearly exam.

Obviously, we were shocked and I was a little suspicious....but am a man and wanted to be responsible. We dated for a few weeks after we found out but she seemed to change, she no longer was a good girlfriend. I totally understood she was going through some huge chances with her body. I thought it was best that we stopped focusing so much on us and so we technically broke up on February 12 or so. I made it very clear, though, that I was going to be around for the baby. To be honest, my plans were to let her have the baby and then we could try again with her and I...as before we found out about the pregnancy, everything was great. I wanted her to focus on the baby....not a relationship. I think she may have been mad about that.

A few days went by and I didn't hear from her and she hadn't returned my calls, which I thought was odd. I had wanted to know when she was going to the doctor again, etc. so I could go. I heard nothing from her for 2 weeks after we broke up....when I found out from a third party she was actually dating an ex-boyfriend! Obviously, that pissed me off.....the thought of some other guy being with her while she was (at the time) like 7 weeks pregnant. I was told they had been together for like a week and a half....meaning that must have started like a day or two after we stopped. To me, that was just odd that a girl that newly pregnant was with someone else in a serious relationship.

Regrettably, I found out about this on a weekend after having a few drinks (of course). I honestly didn't believe it....but me and a friend went to her house immediately at 2am because I wanted to confront her about this. Of course I get there and this guy's car is there so I knew there was some truth to this. Long story short, I pounded on her door a few times and she told me to leave, which we did. However, she filed a police complaint the next day and I was charged with disorderly conduct. I probably shouldn't have gone there that late, but I did nothing else wrong....and I had a legit reason to go I thought.

Fast forward....she dated this guy for about 3 months up until May in which I didn't talk to her at all-I couldn't, I was not allowed to while my legal proceeding was going on. I didn't know if she was still pregnant, or if it was mine, or anything....I heard so many rumors from third parties about her trapping me for financial means, lieing about being on birth control, etc.

Of course, I hear from a friend in May that she had wondered why I hadn't called in 3 months to see how the baby was (when she knew I wasn't able to legally contact her). I ended up calling her when I heard this because I wanted to see what was going on with the baby....I personally don't think you screw with another guy right away or call the police on the supposed father if you actually think he is the father. I was wondering at that point whether I was the father.

I called her, we talked, she said it was a boy, etc. This was in May. She said she wanted to meet with me and talk about what we were going to do about all this. I agreed (I still was not supposed to be talking to her because of pending court case but wanting to know about my son outweighed that). We talked and went out over a 2 week period. I didn't really bring up the legal case or how she was dating someone else (I did briefly and she denied everything). This was because I didn't want to fight about it. I had already made up my mind I didn't want anything to do with her after what she did to me.

I am in law school. I had decided in March or April to move about 50 miles away closer to my school. Part of me wanted to be closer to school, part of me wanted to be away from our smaller town where I was hearing these rumors....it was just too difficult and I had to make a decision for my life. Anyways, the last night I talked to her in May we went to dinner, everything was fine. I told her about my plans to move a week earlier, but I don't think she believed me until that dinner. She never called after that dinner, never returned my calls, nothing.

So here I am.....she is due in 2 months. I have no clue what is going on. She has changed her number....I have no way to contact her. I have heard from some that she has been telling people that others (I assume her doctor told her this?) think she is going to have her baby earlier than her September 26 due date. I relayed this to my mother (who is a nurse) who thought that was odd as most first-time mothers have their babies after the due date. When we had sex January 1, she had said the last time she had sex was a month earlier so natually I assumed the baby was mine when we found out. However, we had only been dating for 5 days when we had sex the first time...let's be honest, if she had sex a week earlier.....although not cheating on me, it looks bad to the average person. So, maybe she lied about the last time not ever thinking it would come back to bite her. Maybe she is setting other people up to say people think she is going to have it earlier because then it won't look so suspicious or bad if she has it alot earlier.

What do I do? I want to be responsible IF it's mine.....but if it's not mine, let me know! I am thinking MAYBE the doctor said she is due alot earlier.....and even if she is due a week or two before that would mean the conception date was when we weren't dating and thus it couldn't be mine. Maybe she realizes this and is why she has stopped talking to me. Maybe it's why she dated someone else so quick....I don't know. At the same time, maybe she wants the $$$ and knows that if we go to court, it looks bad that I had the police called on me so she can get full custody meaning more $$. In other words, maybe this is a big plan. Her child support would be more than she makes per week....so it would be worth it for her to do that.

I just don't know how she can treat the supposed father so badly knowing I'm not going anywhere.....it's not like she can get rid of me once the baby is born! You have to be stupid to think that. So naturally I assume maybe it's the other possibility.....and she is just too heartless to tell me it's not mine after she has led me on to myself and everyone else as the father since she found out because then she will look like the bad guy. She is that type of person. As it is, I have been instructed by my lawyer not to sign any birth certificate (when originally I would have). Hell, she probably won't even call me when the baby is born so I guess I'll hear about that through third parties, too. She didn't call to tell me the sex of the baby and she didn't call on Fathers Day.

It's just not going to be a good situation if the baby is mine.....I really regret ever meeting this person and it certainly isn't someone I wanted as the mother of my baby.

Any advice?
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Replies(6)
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kaerbear
replied on July 26th, 2007
Most Diplomatic Poster
wow. what a pickle. i would consult with a lawyer i think. i know that in a lot of cases there are time limits to establishing paternity. also, i don't think it's legally possible or medically recommended to have dna testing done during pregnancy. unless there is an amniocentesis being done anyway and the mother consents to it, i don't know if it would be a possibillty. i would guess that you have to wait until the baby is born before you get the test done. that's why i would consult a lawyer or someone familiar with the law to find out what the options are. i don't know the laws in the US but i looked up a couple of things that might help a little.


Most states have laws that require an unmarried couple to fill out an Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP) form to legally establish who the father is. If the couple is unmarried and the mother has not been married in the last 300 days, then no father will be listed on the birth certificate until this legally binding form is filled out. The AOP is sent to the states Bureau of Vital statistics, is recorded, and the father listed becomes the legal father.

If there is a question on who the father is, then paternity testing should be done as soon as possible. After the AOP is signed, couples have 60 days to request a DNA paternity test to be done and amend the AOP, or the father previously listed on the AOP could be held legally responsible for the child even if he is not the biological father.

For more information regarding naming a legal father and filing an AOP, contact your state attorney generals office

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Magical Logic
replied on July 26th, 2007
Extremely eHealthy
Kaerbear.......you must not have read it all the way ....As it is, I have been instructed by my lawyer not to sign any birth certificate (when originally I would have).


as you can see he is already talking to a lawyer
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lexyw
replied on July 26th, 2007
Experienced User
Is there now way you can go to her home and attempt to find out what exactly is going on?

I know with the court order for you to stay away from her might be an issue but if you had previously been with her then maybe you should try?
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kaerbear
replied on July 26th, 2007
Most Diplomatic Poster
chase4 wrote:
Kaerbear.......you must not have read it all the way ....As it is, I have been instructed by my lawyer not to sign any birth certificate (when originally I would have).


as you can see he is already talking to a lawyer


i guess he and i are in agreement on that point then.
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james44
replied on July 26th, 2007
New User
The court thing has been resolved (I was fined). I can contact her now if I want.

I'm not sure I would want to go to her house unannounced. That's how I got in trouble the first time even though to be quite honest, I didn't do anything. I just get this feeling if it's indeed not mine that she wants to stick it to me as a parting gift and I have too much to lose to risk that.....
I sent an email to her last night requesting she call or email me back. I haven't heard back as of yet. I'm not even sure she still has that same email.
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Hollyberries
replied on July 26th, 2007
Extremely eHealthy
I don't have any advice for you, that the others have not already said, but i just wanted to say that your a great man for wanting to stick with her, and be apart of your babys life! I wish i could say the same about my daughters dad. ( Not the one i preggo with now) I just wanted to say your a great man!
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