Picking a baby name should be a joyful moment, but for one new parent, it turned into a complete nightmare. What started as a simple choice led to a family fight with heartbreaking consequences she never saw coming.
I’m not usually one to share personal things like this, but I need to get it off my chest. It still hurts.
My husband and I have been married for 12 years. We have three amazing kids, and just recently, I gave birth to our fourth, our last, or at least that’s what we’ve both agreed on. This pregnancy felt different, though. Not just because it was the last, but because I was carrying her while still grieving my mom.
I lost my mom a year ago, and it completely broke me. We were incredibly close; she was my safe place, my biggest support, the one person who just got me. So when we found out it was a girl, I told my husband I wanted to name her after my mom. It felt like a small way to keep her with me... with us.
The birth was tough. I was in the hospital for weeks with the baby, completely drained. I could barely function, let alone deal with any paperwork. So I handed it all over to my husband, trusting him, like I always have. It never even occurred to me that he’d do something behind my back.
Just like with our other kids, we didn’t allow any visitors. I barely touched my phone, just used it here and there to take a few photos between the feedings and naps. We hadn’t announced anything online. I hadn’t even spoken to anyone outside of him and the doctors.
A few days later, I finally felt well enough to check my phone. I was just scrolling through messages when I saw one from my mother-in-law, “Thanks for picking my favorite name.”
I just stared at it. But then this sinking feeling hit me. I opened the birth documents. And there it was. He named our daughter Isabella, his mother’s favorite name. Not the one we agreed on. Not the one that meant something to me. Not my mother’s name.
I felt like the air had been knocked out of me. He waited until I was too weak, too tired, too broken to notice, and he took that choice away from me. I was so confused. I asked him, “Why?”
And his answer... I still can’t get over it. He looked me dead in the eye and said, “Now you’ll just have to make another baby and name that one after your dear mom.”
That's a tough one. Were it me, I'm not sure I could feel safe with him after that. Nor could I comfortably call our child his pick because it would remind me of his betrayal every time I said it. He not only hurt you he essentially cursed your daughter. That would be hard to get over..
I froze. My mom, the woman who cooked for us, who babysat whenever we needed, who even lent us money when we were struggling. She showed up for us. His mom? My MIL has never lifted a finger. Not once. Knowing how hard this pregnancy was for me, how much it meant to honor my mom. He still did that. And then said that. It’s cruel. I feel completely betrayed. And honestly, for the first time in our marriage, I’ve started wondering if I should leave.
I’ve always loved your page Bright Side because it’s a place where people can speak freely, where stories are met with empathy and advice. I’ve commented before, given my take on others’ situations.
Now I’m the one asking, what would you do? Because right now I don’t know what’s worse, the lie, or the way he tried to make me feel like I deserved it.
My 12-year-old stepson is glued to his phone. His room looks like a dump, and he snaps or gets rude over the smallest requests. So I took away his gadgets — my house isn’t a free resort, and I’m not a maid.
He slammed the door. Hours later, I found something that stopped me cold... Click here to read the full story!
If my husband had done and said that to me I would have responded with something like "sure, I'll get in that right after I find your replacement. Given your demonstrated manipulative nature, why would I ever let you touch me again?"
