I walked out of the hospital in disgust after I saw my sister's baby

"I remember her snooping in my home. Now it all makes sense. What a betrayal," the heartbroken woman says.

A woman has recalled how she left the hospital shortly after meeting her sister's newborn son without even offering congratulations.

In a Reddit post, she explained that she and her husband have been struggling with infertility for seven years and have prepared themselves for the fact they "might never get to have a child together."

"We're both currently in individual therapy to help us process all of this and find a way to be at peace regardless of what the future holds for us, but I truly hope we are lucky enough to have a child," she wrote.

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"The name would go to waste being kept secret"

Despite accepting this for the time being, the woman said they had still picked out baby names, just in case. 

"We have a little note on our baby name book with our boy and girl name pick in our bedroom. We don't look at it much anymore, but it keeps us hoping, you know," she said.

She then explains that her sister, who has five daughters, gave birth to her first son two weeks ago. 

"Once he was born we were called into meet my nephew and my sister told us they'd chosen the name Elio for him," she said.

"She said the name was originally mine and my husband's top choice, but since we wouldn't be having any kids after all this time, she decided they should use it and not let the name go to waste being kept secret by me."

Image: IStock

It was then that the OP remembered seeing her sister in her room while she was pregnant a few months before.

At the time, she said she thought nothing of it, but now, she realises that she was definitely snooping.

"My parents asked how she could do that without talking to me first. My sister replied that it seemed a shame to waste a perfectly good name if I asked her not to use it. I couldn't handle it and I left. I didn't even say congrats or anything. I left and went home and I cried for a while," she continued.

"The very next day my sister called and asked me why I made it such a big deal. She also decided to drop that she was hurt I never discussed my baby names with her, gatekeeping them, even when I knew I wouldn't have a baby.

"I asked her how she could go out of her way to take the one name my husband, and I had picked. She called me sensitive. I ended the call without another word."

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"Stung so much"

Since then, her extended family has told her they think she should apologise for walking out, but the woman isn't so sure if that's the right thing to do, or if she's in the wrong at all. 

And in the comments, the majority of people supported her, even those who said they usually don't think people can 'own' names.

"Now, this subreddit, including yours, truly, is a big supporter of 'we don’t own names.' And that’s true, but your sister was acting incredibly out of line here. The snooping, calling you out for not talking about the names ever and choosing the name that she specifically got the idea of from snooping without so much as a conversation is completely unacceptable," the top comment with 15k likes read.

The OP replied to that comment, saying: "What bothered me/hurt me most was the fact she considers the name wasted on my husband and me. Like yes, I know we might never have kids, we might never be that lucky, but the comment stung so much."

Another comment, with 7.7k likes read: "NTA. Keeping your preferences secret is not 'gatekeeping names.' The names exist without you, and you don’t owe anyone else your ideas.

"It sounds like she deliberately searched out your preferred name so she could use it to spite you, and rub it in that she can use it while you so far can’t. What a malicious way to bring a child into the world. And now, of course, she makes your provoked reaction about how that hurts her.

"I don’t know how you get past this with her. Your sister sounds extremely toxic."

And someone else added: "No one owns a name but your sister did that on purpose. If I were to guess, I bet she has a history of trying to out-do you, out shine you, or just all together steal your thunder."

Do you think people can 'own' names? Let us know in the comments. 

Originally published as I walked out of the hospital in disgust after I saw my sister's baby