Mom Denied Support After Husband Refuses to Pay Hospital Bill

Rachel said it was a last resort to post on Reddit because her husband, Carl, was an avid Redditor. She knew posting the story on the platform would attract his attention, especially when the comments supported her.

Rachel explained that she was a 32-year-old woman, and it was her first pregnancy. The couple agreed to have an unmedicated birth journey. However, her labor became painful, causing Rachel to request an epidural to ease the pain.

Carl agreed to the intervention, and the couple welcomed a beautiful baby girl. The story would've ended there with them living happily ever after, but the hospital bill arrived, and reality set in.

The hospital bill after insurance racked up to $8,000, which would've been okay if Carl stuck to their agreement of splitting the bills. The couple typically shares a joint account for their marital bills while keeping individual funds separately.

Unfortunately, Rachel realized then that she didn't know the man she had married. He chastised her for getting the epidural instead of their planned natural birth.

Hence, her "punishment" was to pay the heavy sum alone. Rachel felt insulted and disrespected but wanted Redditors to confirm she wasn't wrong to feel that way.

Read the full story on Am I The A-Hole Thread.

Redditors shared their opinions with a landslide upvote of "not the a-hole," however, the post got too much negative attention leading to its deletion. Rachel reposted the story after encouragement from her family group chat alongside updates on the situation.

Her report led to mixed reactions from Redditors who accused her of attention-seeking. She clarified that the problem was more than the money because she and Carl make enough to sustain a comfortable lifestyle.

However, Carl's a penny-pincher who wanted to avoid paying for the epidural from the joint account. He didn't think the procedure counted as a joint expense because "she couldn't hold out."

After listening to most of the advice in the original post, the 32-year-old clarified that she wouldn't share further details because she liked her marital issues being private. Upon advice from family and friends, she contacted a lawyer but didn't specify why.

It could be to resolve the monetary issues or dissolve the marriage entirely, as this situation opened Rachel's eyes to the cracks in her marriage.

Check out some of the comments from Redditors in the posts below.

Further investigation into the couple's relationship dynamic revealed that they'd been together since the original poster, Rachel, was 18 and her husband was 21. She may not realize it, but there's been a power dynamic in that relationship that had her at his mercy.

They've never had problems because she's clearly never challenged him. Paying for the epidural from the joint account should've been a no-brainer but she had to ask his permission. Also, his choice of words including calling her a "princess" and referring to the procedure as a "luxury" raised red flags.

Despite Redditors shaming her for reposting the story and calling her an attention-seeker, the OP needs psychological help. So, it's a relief to her supporters that she's in therapy.