15 New Moms Reveal How the Their MILs Went Off the Rails After Becoming Grandmas

An anonymous woman shared a story on Reddit saying her MIL dropped her newborn on the ground. It wasn't an accident – she allegedly did this on purpose because her new grandson was "too dark" to be the son of her child.

"When she is handed my baby she looks at him and says, 'He's not [my Significant Other's], he's too dark to be SOs, [I] must have cheated," the new mom recalled.

One woman shared the story of her MIL who didn't respect her and her husband's wishes to keep their new baby off of social media. Taking to Reddit, the anonymous mom shared that she had to cut her MIL off from new baby photos because she would immediately post them on social media.

"Each time, we ask her to take them down, and each time it turns into some big argument, and my husband winds up getting the brunt of some of her more passive-aggressive behaviors (saying we're ruining the joy of being a grandma for her, not speaking to us for a week at a time, etc.)," the mom explained.

We spend a lot of time trying to find the perfect baby name for our new bundle of joy. Once we settle on a name, it becomes a part of the child right away. That apparently was lost on one MIL who decided to go behind the new mom's back and changed her kid's name.

"[My husband's mother] even sent a Christmas gift to middle name 'Finlay,' and when I made a comment to my husband he didn't even have the decency to tell me!" she wrote. "He just let me keep believing for two months that our son's middle name was spelled Finley when it legally isn't!"

It's a lot of work to bring a baby into the world. The pregnancy can be rough, followed by labor and then delivery. Sometimes when we're finally able to leave the hospital, we want to cuddle up at home and be left alone. One MIL didn't respect that when her son and daughter-in-law welcomed a new baby. Instead of listening to the new mom's request to give her space, she showed up at their home and wouldn't leave until she could see the baby.

Breastfeeding isn't easy, but for new moms who go that route, support is important for ensuring they're able to have the time needed to establish a good routine. One MIL went a little too far in trying to provide support and instead insisted that she (yes, grandma) should breastfeed the new baby.

"She found articles from different cultures that do this and is thinking it's a great idea," the daughter-in-law explained about the MIL's new breastfeeding discovery. "I have told her gross no, my mom got involved and said no, but she is still finding articles and sending them to me about all the benefits."

Babies are expensive, and that's why gifts from family and friends are so appreciated when a new baby comes into the world. What isn't appreciated, though, is when someone gives a gift and then asks for the money back. That's what one MIL did when she found out the new parents were receiving a tax refund.

"She expected, no, DEMANDED that we hand over our entire refund to her, to pay her back for all of the money she spent in 'providing' for our child up until that point, because we couldn’t 'afford to do a good job of it....'" the mom shared on Reddit.

An anonymous mom explained on a parenting forum that she found herself needing an emergency C-section that she described as "traumatic" during the birth of her baby. It was stressful and her MIL was at the hospital with them. Instead of being there to look after the new mom, however, she went and held the new baby before mom even got a chance to hold her.

"I wasn't asked if it was okay if she could be there, and because I was being stitched up [in the operating room] still, she held my [dear daughter] before I even got to," the mom shared. It obviously was the wrong thing to do.

There is no such thing as a "good" baby or a "bad" baby because they're all adorably amazing. However, there is some truth about having an "easy" baby and one who isn't. One mom found herself with one of those "easy" babies who didn't cry enough, but instead of being thankful the new parents were able to ease into their new roles, MIL criticized them. Yes, she said that the parents need to "make" the baby cry more or he "won't learn to be independent."

It is hard to stand up against something a MIL is saying – especially if it's the first child for the new parents. The MIL has "been there" and assumes she knows what's best. That's what one MIL went off the rails about: that the new baby was wearing the wrong-sized clothes. Because the baby was 18 months old, the grandma insisted she should be wearing 18-month clothes, even though most clothes in the 12-month size fit fine. She wouldn't drop the conversation, and in being so insistent about it, the new mom felt patronized.

A lot of different traditions in different cultures exist, and although those may be important to some members of the family, the ultimate rule needs to be respected: Whatever the parents say is what goes. One new mom found herself in a battle against her MIL, who pressured and continued to insist she allow her to put "eyeliner" (a mixture of soot and ghee) to "ward off the evil eye" – a tradition from India. The new mom was not comfortable with this, and instead of respecting it, the MIL went off on her.

There will be some baby names that no everyone is going to love, and that's OK. All that really matters is that the parent(s) love the name and there's nothing cruel about it. One MIL and new grandma certainly got sore about the name the new parents chose for the baby. She hated it so much she "refused" to call the baby by the name – avoiding it at all costs.

One MIL decided it would be just fine to give her unsolicited opinion on her granddaughter's weight. The twin girls were only 9 months old when MIL decided to critique their weight to the new mom and proceeded to insist that these little girls should not be eating any carbohydrates because their weight was already an issue. How about nope?!

"Even during these difficult and scary times, I have learned that my MIL believes it is important to first suck on the pacifier ("to lube it up") before handing it to the baby," a new mom shared on Reddit. Yes, her MIL would do "spit swaps" with her new grandbaby and the mom was not OK with that. Instead of accepting that, MIL insulted the mom, saying she didn't know what she was talking about and was just being way too "overprotective."

It's hard when someone feels left out of a situation, including when it comes to labor and a new baby arriving. But it's the parents' decision – mostly the person who is giving birth because it's their body. One MIL went off the rails, claiming there was unfair favoritism because MIL was not permitted in the labor and delivery room but the other mother was.

When the time is right to announce the birth of a baby, the parents get to make that decision. They get to control how the message comes out, when the news is delivered, and to whom they share the news with. It's important that it's done on their terms, but one MIL didn't care at all and instead jumped the announcement gun and shared the news first. The new parents felt their announcement and happy news was ruined because of her actions.