Woman stands her ground after husband claims baby son doesn’t resemble him and demands a paternity test

Family is a source of comfort, especially during difficult times, but what happens when that bond is tested in unimaginable ways? For one mother, her blissful relationship with her mother-in-law took an unexpected turn after the birth of her daughter. The 31-year-old woman shared her story on Reddit under the username u/Strict-Mine-1326, starting with the journey she and her husband, Mark (32), took to welcome their first child. “Getting pregnant wasn’t exactly a walk in the park,” she wrote. The couple tried for two years and endured four miscarriages before finally welcoming their daughter, Sophia, four months ago.

Her MIL had always been supportive, especially through their struggles with infertility. “My MIL has been like a mother to me,” she explained, sharing how her MIL called daily after every loss and helped with meals to ease her pain. When Sophia was born, her MIL moved in for four weeks to help care for the baby and ensure she was recovering well. “She was so helpful and always made sure she didn’t overstep in any way,” the woman shared. Her MIL often said how Sophia was “a mini version” of her mother, and her husband, Mark, seemed equally captivated. “He even made a photo collage comparing baby pictures of me and Sophia,” she wrote.

But the happy moments didn’t last. After her MIL returned home, she became distant and Mark started spending more time at his mother’s house. “He said she needed help with renovations,” she said, explaining that she didn’t complain, despite being exhausted from handling everything alone. Things reached a breaking point when Mark came home one evening and said they needed to talk. “He sat me down and told me he wanted a paternity test because his mother thinks our child looked too much like me and nothing like him,” she wrote. Her MIL had planted doubts in his mind, claiming their family’s genes were “super strong” and that Sophia’s lack of resemblance to Mark meant she couldn’t be his.

“I just started crying,” she admitted. “It feels like the biggest betrayal is that they both accuse me of cheating, claiming my daughter looks too much like me?” Although devastated, she agreed to the paternity test, but made it clear that if Sophia was proven to be his daughter, she wanted no further contact with her MIL. “We would have to start couple’s counseling if there was any hope at all for this relationship to be saved,” she added. The test results confirmed that Sophia was his child, and Mark apologized repeatedly. He called his mother to confront her, saying they needed a break. “I could hear him yelling at her for making him doubt me,” she shared.

Her MIL began messaging and calling her, alternating between apologies and accusations of cruelty. Extended family also began weighing in, accusing the couple of being “cold-hearted” for cutting off the MIL. “I’ve started to doubt my decision, thinking I was too harsh,” she admitted.

The story gained traction and many supported her and criticized her husband for going along with his mother's doubts. “Your MIL may be a problem, but ultimately your husband went along with it, and that is a much, much bigger problem,” u/AlternativeLie9486 noted. u/oldgrandma65 added, "Husband problem. This is just the beginning. It will become worse." u/Interesting_Wing_461 said, “You handled it much nicer than I would. I would have given him the paternity test results along with divorce papers.”