A new mum dealing with a colicky baby has asked her partner to leave after he refused to help with even the smallest things related to their newborn. But now she’s wondering if he really is a deadbeat, or just laid back.

The new mum, who asked for the opinions of other mums on Mumsnet, says she’s not sure if she’s being unreasonable or just hormonal after giving birth five weeks ago.

“I have a five week old baby. She’s amazing. She has colic. I can cope with the crying, I don’t care if she meowed or sang Christmas carols but it’s her little face going bright red and the tears. She’s in pain and I can’t help her, all I can do is cuddle her,” the new mum explained.

“Her dad. My partner. I’ve been with him for eight years. I mean anyone can cuddle a baby right?

“He won’t take turns in the night. When he does he’s mad that I’ve asked him to. He will wake me up on his turn (he’s a teacher he has eight weeks off work at the minute) to ask me to put the muslin on his shoulder correctly incase she spits up he doesn’t want it on him.”

The woman says despite her baby having colic, she actually sleeps well for a newborn, waking at 3a and 6am.

“I get up with her at 6am and stay up with her and he wakes around 12. I’ll ask him to do her bottle. He says he can’t he’s having breakfast. That’s fine I do it.

“Today for example. I woke with her at 6am. She was unsettled this morning. Very windy and the poor thing is doing really uncomfortable poos. He got up half 12. I’d not eaten yet. I made her bottle (breastfeeding didn’t work for us … long difficult story feeling incredibly guilty) and asked if he would feed her. No he needs his breakfast. He has his breakfast. Spends ages washing up.

“He says that if I’m going to complain about it I shouldn’t have become a mother.”

“We’re now at 2pm. I ask can you watch her. No he wants to do his teeth. Okay no worries. 3pm comes along … would you mind watching her I’ve not had a coffee or anything to eat? No, it’s Sunday I want to go to (the shop) before it closes. Okay no worries. Gets home … could you watch her I want to get some food and maybe my coffee? No I want to do a poo. Takes his paper and disappears for his poo.

“He comes out and I just lost it with him. But before this, may I add, I asked him to watch her whilst I made a bottle. I came back through he’s watching cricket and instead of holding her he’s put her on the bed and she rolled onto her front ! And he just said ‘Oops’ and then holds her.

“So I’ve said right I’m going to the coffee shop … alone. But I didn’t I was outside the house with my coffee. I was outside for 55 agonising minutes. When I come in my baby’s inconsolable, so I’ve cuddled her and I said to him she can pick up on this toxic environment. And he said to me, ‘She would do when her mum f**ks off for three hours’.

“So I show him my ring doorbell footage. I was just under 56 minutes in total. Suddenly, ‘It’s not about the time’ and that if I’m going to complain about it I shouldn’t have become a mother. I wasn’t ready to be a mother and all this poison he’s come out with.

“I’ve told him to leave. I said to him when I stop needing you it’s one thing, but when she stops needing you you’re nothing but a squatter. His response is if you want someone who goes out and cheats or slaps you about then go and get it, it could be worse.

“Is he just laid back or is he a pr**k?”

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