Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello everyone. This is my first post so please do let me know if I do anything incorrectly.
I have a 12 year old daughter on the spectrum. She was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at the age of 5.
We have to break some rather big news to her that she is going to find upsetting and I’m wondering if anyone has had experience with this type of situation and could maybe offer some advice?
I am 9 weeks pregnant and she has been outspoken many times about much she hates babies. When asked why, she always responds with “I just hate everything about them. Everything.” Her father and I split after a ten year relationship when she was 2. We have co-parented her and she shares her time between us happily. There is no animosity between any of us. In the last 2 years he has remarried and had a baby boy who is now 1. Our daughter will have nothing to do with him. She doesn’t engage with him, stay in the same room as him and refers to him as “it”. We’ve both tried to gently encourage a better relationship to no success. Needless to say the news that my partner and I are now expecting is not going to go down well. She has often told me I can never have another child and that it would be impossible and she would leave home. I want to try and help her navigate through what will be a tough time and make sure I break the news to her in a comfortable environment. I am extremely ill every day with this pregnancy so far so I feel that I will have to break the news soon. Has anyone had experience with this kind of situation before?
Many thanks for taking the time to read.