New mum enraged as husband misses their daughter's birth – but people are on his side

A dad who missed his daughter's birth believes his wife should "get over it" and it seems many are on his side.

The arrival of a new baby is typically a joyous occasion, but for one father, it has led to continuous disputes with his partner. Eighteen months after his daughter came into the world, his wife still hasn't stopped chastising him for not being there.

The exasperated dad turned to Reddit's Am I The A**hole forum to question whether his irritation at his wife's persistent anger was warranted.

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Posting to the subreddit as Key_Atmosphere6114, he said his job sometimes makes him unreachable due to lack of phone access or signal in remote locations.

Key mentioned these periods "are well scheduled in advance" as they "basically take up [his] whole day," with numerous safety protocols and rules to adhere to.

He had intended to take leave around his wife's expected delivery date, but she went into labour a month early while he was on an inspection trip – out of contact. He recounted: "I only learned about her going into labour when I got signal again. By the time I got to the hospital, she had already given birth."

Despite being a very "involved father," the topic has remained a point of contention between him and his wife. He shared: "The issue is every single time we have an argument, she will bring up I missed the birth. It happens almost every single time from serious arguments to what fast food we should get."

He hit his "breaking point" following a dispute over their daughter's childcare and nursery arrangements. His wife wanted to switch to a pricier nursery closer to home, but he disagreed due to the cost.

They share the responsibility of taking their daughter to and from the centre – Key does drop off while his wife handles pick up – so he felt it was fair to make his concerns known.

The dad added: "The only one closer to our home is too expensive and we can not afford it. In the middle of the argument, she pulled out I wasn't there for the birth again. I told her she needs to get over that and stop using it in every f***ing argument we have. She called me a jerk and left."

On Reddit, he asked if went too far with his reaction but the community backed him but the community backed him, with one user commenting: "NTA. This is the definition of both 'not fighting fair' and 'concealing the real issue'.

"You didn't miss the birth due to negligence or apathy, you missed it due to work requirements. Work is what (I assume) provides income and other necessities. Does she think you should have predicted early labour and what, quit your job?"

Another person probed for more details about the missed birth, asking: "Does your work not have an emergency on site person that can be reached in case of... well, emergency? " Key responded: "She [his wife] didn't call my company, we do and they can contact me but she didn't call them".

One commenter quipped: "It's on the kid for coming out a month early."

While another suggested: "It sounds like you need to get to the REAL root of her issue. Of course she is upset you missed it, but even she certainly understands it was unavoidable!"