[Lissa C]

If the father of an unborn child leaves the women while she is pregnant, is this considered abandonment and will/can he be given partial custody if he changes his mind later on? Any advice from someone who has been in a similar situation would be great. Thanks.I should probably add that the father has never shown the slightest interest in my pregnancy, and there was no relationship pressure on my behalf to stay together. I also have some fears that he would try to take my child out of state to his family if he ever came around, and his family is very unstable.

[oliviasmommy613]

I cannot say that I am completley sure... But my advice to you is to contact a lawyer asap... So that later on in life he doesn't come into it and say he wants custody of this child that he left... You really need to take care of this now.

[gimpylittlemonkey]

A father always has the right to visitation and joint or shared custody. Those two things can get confusing though so let me explain my situation a little.My son's dad and I broke up while I was pregnant. I went through the court system after my son was born, and we were given joint/shared custody of our son, but with me as the primary custodian. Meaning, he lives with me. Visitation.. he was given visitation. However, due to his lack of interest in our son (He never responded to anything through the court system and for a few other key issues) he was only given supervised visitation, to be determined by the people appointed as supervisors (my mom and stepdad). So it's up to them when he sees our son, and for how long. So it really depends. But yes, a father has the right to visitation even if he "abandons" the mother or child. But the amount and type of the visiation would be determined by a judge based upon your testimony and his testimony.My advice is this.. once baby is born.. get the wheels moving in the court system. Document every single time the father calls or asks to see the child. NEVER DENY VISITATION TO A FATHER!!! This will only make the mother look bad in court, and could actually cause the father to gain more visitation, or extra visitation to make up for the time that he was denied.And also - family law varies from state to state, so I would suggest speaking with an attorney. Most states have programs set up for just this ocassion where you can get an attorney for no charge, or for just a minimum fee. (In Florida - it's Heart of Florida Legal Aid Society)

[ayosteffie]

i understand where ur coming from. i pregnant and the father of my unborn child abandoned me. so i kinda have the same problem as you. except im way younger. i really think we shouldnt abandon the father from the child because every child needs both parents regardless if their together or not. we need the support and help for the child. you can IM me on aim if you want ;; dhasw33t3sthin

[Kaylie B]

thats horrible that the baby's daddy would just up and leave like that he obviously has no intrest in his child don't give him the rights

[stacee.hughes]

Unless he takes a paternity test that proves he is the father or he signs the birth certificate, I don't think he has any rights. Just don't put him on the birth certificate.