Commenters in a viral internet thread supported a woman after she said she hid her pregnancy and the birth of her newborn daughter from her entire family.
The anonymous woman, known only as u/Fantastic_Smile5462, posted about her situation in Reddit's popular r/AmITheA**hole forum where she garnered thousands of upvotes and hundreds of supportive comments, with many mentioning that someone else's infertility should not take away from her experience.
Infertility is defined by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as being unable to conceive after 12 months or more of regular, unprotected sex. Data from the CDC suggests that about 1 in 5 women in the U.S. are considered infertile.
In the post titled "AITA For Hiding A Pregnancy And Birth From My Family?" the woman, 27, explained that her older sister Jenny, 36, tried for a baby for the past 10 years but doctors told her that her chances of successfully carrying a baby to term were "tragically low."
"Jenny was in denial and wanted to keep trying," the post read. "We all tried to be supportive but as the years passed and other people around Jenny started popping out kids it made her......'different.'"
The woman explained that Jenny's husband left her because he wanted to find someone else to start a family with.
For a while, Jenny was "sad and depressed" when someone close to her got pregnant, but her sadness turned to bitterness after their cousin got pregnant with twins less than a year after giving birth to her first.
"It got so bad that our cousin blocked Jenny and has decided not to attend any future functions that she knows Jenny will be at," the post read. "My parents have pushed for therapy but Jenny never sticks to a single therapist for more than three sessions because none of them 'feel right.'"
In the post, the woman explained that Jenny has now moved in with their parents. She said her parents pay all her bills and even let her get a puppy despite their mom being allergic.
The woman explained that a year ago she found out she was pregnant and although they weren't planning to, her husband was excited. But she said all she could think about was how Jenny would react.
"One day when I was visiting [I] was subtly trying to talk to my mom about the idea of me having a baby," the post read. "Jenny overheard and came bursting in saying that me getting pregnant would be one of the worse [sic] things I could do to her as a sister. She then started crying and I apologized and left."
She then received a text from her mom saying she was wrong to bring that up knowing "how Jenny is."
"After that I made a decision to just keep my pregnancy a secret and for 9 months that's what I did," the post read. "I recently gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Now that she was here I knew I couldn't hide it anymore and just sent my parents each a text. They both thought it was a joke until I FaceTimed them and became very angry at me."
The woman said her parents "were hurt" because she hid this from them while her husband's parents were very involved. She told them that they deserved it after "robbing" her of the opportunity to enjoy pregnancy because of Jenny.
"I'm starting to feel guilty because I know my parents are trying to be there for Jenny who's going through something she can't control, so AITA?" the woman asked at the end of the post.
More than 500 users commented on the woman's post, many calling out her parents for enabling Jenny's behavior and that her infertility does not have to negatively impact the family.
"NTA. Your parents are enabling her behavior," one comment read, receiving more than 11,000 upvotes. "They wanted you to basically keep your mouth shut about the thought of having a baby.
"Your sister is so unhinged that she felt that you getting pregnant would be an offense against her," another user commented.
"Jenny needs to stay in therapy for more than three sessions. Your parents are enabling her like an addict," one comment read. "Her infertility is tragic but it does not dictate your family's life and your happiness. Block them on socials if you post there. Celebrate as much as you want."
"NTA Jenny is unhinged. Many people can't have children. It really really sucks," another wrote. "But she just has to accept it. Many people are disabled or limited in lots of ways and they find a way to carry in. She's being an entitled jerk."
Newsweek reached out to u/Fantastic_Smile5462 for comment.
