Friend Asks Mom with Stillborn Baby For a Refund of Her Baby Shower Gifts

Etiquette dictates that when a person gives a gift, they are no longer entitled to the item and the receiver can do anything with it. However, it wasn't the case for one mom who had a stillborn baby and got a shocking request from her friend.

The mom shared on Reddit that she suffered a pregnancy complication at 29 weeks and had a stillborn birth. Expectedly, losing the child has been very hard on the grieving mom, who was already on the last trimester of her pregnancy.

A week after the birth, the mom received a message from one of her friends who asked about the booties and blanket she gifted during her baby shower. The friend wanted the mom to pass the gift to Laura, their other friend, who was also having her baby.

Naturally, the mom was very upset to receive such a rude message from a friend. The other woman explained that she was only asking before she buys Laura something else since she needed to save money for Christmas as it's the pandemic and times are hard.

Refund for the Baby Blanket

The mom told her friend that she's not doing OK and is heartbroken about the stillborn baby. She also expressed that she cannot believe what her friend is asking from her. The mom also said that she's going to use the blanket to wrap and bury her infant son with it.

However, her friend pressed on, oblivious to the mother's pain, and then asked for refund for the blanket so she could use that money to buy one for Laura's baby. Then she asked the mom if she could come by the next day to get the other gifts for Laura.

Now angrier, the mother told her friend she can't come to her house, adding that her husband was also very upset by her messages. It's unclear what happened to these women's friendship after such distressing exchange but the Redditors were outraged by the friend and sorry for the mom for having to pile on this grief.

"Instead of having a nice memory of the baby being with a comforting blanket, she'll forever be reminded of this vile creature who's tarnished the memory of how her baby lies," one commenter said.

While some members didn't think this actually happened, others shared similar experiences.

"People can be heinously cruel and obtuse when it comes to child loss," said one Redditor.

Prevalence of Stillborn Births

In the U.S., stillborn births occur in one in 160 pregnancies. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of stillborn babies is 10 times more than the number of babies that die because of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

The improvements and advancements in medical technology for prenatal care in the last 30 years has reduced the number of late term stillbirths yet some cases could still be classified as "unexplained stillbirth." Factors like the mother's age and race, differences in maternal care and access to quality services, social and emotional support, as well as stress, may contribute to the underlying causes.

Mothers who may need support following a heartbreaking loss can visit Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, Inc.or the Center for Loss in Multiple Birth (CLIMB), Inc.