Woman Dragged for Anger Over Watching 3-Month-Old Niece for a 'Few Minutes'

A woman has been slammed for complaining that her sister left her 3-month-old baby with her while she went to the bathroom.

In a post on Reddit's popular r/AmITheA**hole forum, the user u/throwawayaccount_724 explained: "Me and my sister 'Sara' are on good terms, but we aren't close by any means. We see each other during family events and things like that, and text occasionally but that's about it."

At a family birthday party, the sisters were both there and Sara was with her 3-month-old daughter. But when everyone was getting ready to leave, the woman asking her sister for help caused friction.

"Me and my husband 'Alex' were about to leave when Sara came up to me and asked if I could keep an eye on my niece for a few minutes while she ran to the bathroom," wrote the poster. "I want to add I don't have an issue with this specifically, my problem was that she saw that we were about to go, yet she left without waiting for our answer."

When her sister returned, she told her that she didn't appreciate being left alone with the baby. "I said that there were still a few other people around she could've asked, who weren't leaving. Sara replied that she didn't really think it through and saw me, so she came to me," explained the anonymous poster.

But replies on the Reddit post overwhelmingly slammed the sister, saying that it was unreasonable for her to be so upset about the incident.

"She's three months post-partum. She's still healing. Not sleeping well. Body is a mess and hormones are still running crazy. So yes. Again YTA [you're the a**hole]," said one reply. Another commenter wrote: "Do you have a habit of making big deals out of little inconveniences? She is three months postpartum give the woman a break and let her wee in peace."

The charity PANDAS (Pre and Postnatal Depression Advice and Support) offers support and advice for new parents. Head of the charity Annie Belasco told Newsweek: "Having a new baby can be a wonderful time, but it can also present with a rollercoaster for changes of routine, lack of sleep, adjustment and physical and mental health challenges for the new parent. Within the first few months of a new baby's arrival, the whole family instantly has to adjust to nonstop and new to them, sleep patterns, feeding, and 24/7 care of the new baby."

"This isn't the first time Sara's pulled things like this, not with me particularly but with our parents, who bend over backwards to do favors for her," continued the Reddit user. "I do understand the situation and her circumstances, now with an infant, but there's a limit. I told her I get it but maybe she should 'think things through' for once. She started crying and said she's very overwhelmed."

"Whilst having a baby is expected to be a joyful time, stress, mental health, and sleep deprivation can have an impact on the mother's new journey and therefore support—and much of it—of any kind is a positive way of allowing new mothers to feel less isolated and alone," said Belasco.

PANDAS is passionate about new mothers getting the right support, and between October 10 and 15, the charity is running PANDAS Awareness Week, urging moms and dads to post on social media and share how getting the right support and early mental health intervention have helped them as new parents.

"We never know what anyone is going through until they feel that they can be open and confide with us with how they are coping and what they may be struggling with," said Belasco. "Consideration of a new mother's mental health is equal to their practical needs, at one of the most daunting times of a new parents' lives, from pregnancy through to birth and beyond."

Newsweek reached out to u/throwawayaccount_724 for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.