u/EmmyCaly

My mom died when I was 15. I'm now 27, and my dad remarried several years ago.

My stepmother is the type of person who really pushes herself into people's lives and wants to be involved in everything. We have a relationship, but it's complicated.

When I found out I was pregnant, I told only my dad, my brother, and my stepmother. The only reason I told her was because I didn't think it would be fair to ask my dad to keep such a big secret from his wife.

The reason I wanted it kept private is because my previous pregnancy ended in a stillbirth. It was one of the hardest experiences of my life, and I didn't want to announce this pregnancy until after the baby was born healthy. Last time, dealing with everyone's questions and sympathy afterward was overwhelming.

I was very clear with all three of them that this pregnancy was not to be shared with anyone. No friends, no extended family, nobody.

Then on Monday morning, I woke up and saw that my stepmother had posted my pregnancy on Facebook. She uploaded my ultrasound photo, called me her daughter, and announced that she was going to be a grandmother.

My heart sank.

I immediately called my dad and asked if he knew she was going to post it. He said he had no idea and told me he would ask her to take it down.

I then called my stepmother and asked why she would do that. She acted like it wasn't a big deal and said she just wanted her friends to know.

I told her that it absolutely was a big deal. It wasn't her pregnancy to announce, and I had specifically told her not to tell anyone. In the heat of the moment, I also told her that I'm not her daughter and that she would not be welcome in the delivery room when the baby is born.

She called me crazy, and I hung up.

Later that day, my dad called. He agreed that what she did was wrong and that she never should have posted about my pregnancy. However, he thinks I'm overreacting by banning her from the delivery room.

Looking for some advice from people who’ve dealt with railing replacements before.

I’ve got basement stairs in my house and the railing down there is starting to feel a bit past its best. It’s still usable, but it doesn’t feel as solid as it should. A few spots are slightly wobbly and there’s some rust starting to show, so I’m starting to think I should probably deal with it before it becomes a safety issue.

What I’m unsure about is what the normal approach is here.

Part of me feels like maybe I could just tighten things up or replace a few sections, but another part of me thinks it might make more sense to just replace the whole thing and start fresh.

I’ve looked a bit online and seen options ranging from going to places like Home Depot or Lowe’s and building something from standard railing parts, to ordering full railing kits online from different suppliers (BuyRailings and similar companies). Some of them look like they’re designed for straightforward runs where you just follow set measurements, but I’m not sure how common it actually is to go that route vs just getting something custom made or installed.

For context, the stairs are pretty standard basement stairs  about 36 inches wide, and the railing run is roughly 10–12 feet long on one side.

Has anyone here dealt with something similar? Did you repair, fully replace, or go the kit / store-bought route? And was it worth doing it yourself or did you end up hiring someone anyway?

Any advice would really help.