Pregnant Mom Not Able To Name Her Own Baby Because Her Mother-In-Law Decided The Baby Will Be Named After Her
“It feels like it’s not even going to be our baby. It’s going to be my mother-in-law’s baby.”
ViDI Studio | Shutterstock Choosing a baby name is something that most parents spend at least nine months agonizing over. It's also a very personal decision that most would assume is shared between the expecting parents and no one else.
One mom-to-be had this opportunity taken away from her when her mother-in-law crossed some serious boundaries and stepped in with her own idea. In what could only be described as the plot of a Lifetime movie, a pregnant woman, two weeks out from her due date, said her mother-in-law has decided that she is going to name her baby, and the dad actually agreed with his mom.
A woman’s mother-in-law insisted that she had the right to name her baby after herself.
A woman named Kinsley Rae shared a disturbing story on her TikTok account. Given the fact that one of the hashtags on the video was “not my story” and Kinsley’s bio said she typically shares stories from Reddit, it’s safe to assume that the issue in the video does not actually involve her, but someone else from the deep recesses of the internet.
“As moms, do we not get to name our babies after we have them?” she asked. “Or is it just me?” She went on to detail the bizarre tale. “I’m currently hiding because my mother-in-law is currently staying with us a couple of rooms down,” she said. “Now, I have a serious question. My mother-in-law decided a couple weeks ago that she wants to name our child.”
“I’m giving birth in two weeks,” she continued. “Now, the name and everything that we had picked out for the baby can no longer be put on the baby because my mother-in-law wants to name the baby.”
The pregnant mom's husband actually took his mom's side in the baby-naming debate.
Kinsey said, “And I know what you’re gonna say. Your husband, I’m sure, has your back, right? Your husband should have your back so that you guys are able to name your child whatever you guys want.’”
Unfortunately for this mother, support from her husband was not in the cards. “But no, he’s actually siding with my mother-in-law, saying that we need to allow her to name the baby, which, mind you, she wants to put the same name that she has on the baby,” she said. “So my mother-in-law and my baby are going to have the same name.”
This mom now feels like her only option may be to leave the toxic situation she’s in. “Honestly, at this point, I think it’s best for me to pack all my [expletive] and leave before I actually have the baby,” she explained. “Because there’s no way in [expletive] that I’m gonna allow my mother-in-law to name my child that I’ve been carrying for nine months.”
TikTok commenters were shocked by the pregnant mom's tale and offered what advice they could.
One outraged TikToker urged, “Leave. She had her kids. If your husband won’t stand by you, it’s a major red flag.” Another shared similar sentiments, saying, “It’s not gonna stop with the baby’s name. You are best off leaving.”
Pavel Danilyuk | Pexels
Others offered practical advice as to what could be done at the hospital to prevent the mother-in-law from taking over and giving the baby the name she chose. “My ex-husband threatened to name our son without me,” one mom said. “I talked to the nurse and she refused to even bring the paperwork into the room while he was there. Your nurses will be your biggest advocates!”
Laws for naming babies can vary widely from one state to another.
While naming a baby seems simple enough, legally, it’s a bit of a gray area. Writing for the George Washington Law Review, Carlton F.W. Larson noted, “The law governing the naming of babies is surprisingly difficult to ascertain. In some states, there is a complete absence of any law on the subject.”
Sarah Chai | Pexels
Little is known about who has the right to name the baby. The assumed legal responsibility falls onto the parents, but it’s unclear what happens when they disagree.
In this case, it’s safe to say that the mother-in-law doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on. But, if her son agrees with her, that complicates things. It might really be best for this mom to leave so she can make decisions like this one on her own.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.