A 33-year-old woman took to Reddit’s “Am I the A——” forum to share how her younger brother, 32, called her “bitchy” for asking him to delay visiting their newborn niece, who arrived seven weeks early.
She explained that her 29-year-old brother, “Terry,” and his wife, “Sarah,” recently welcomed baby “Nora,” who weighed just 4 lbs., 3 oz. at birth and was diagnosed with jaundice and hearing complications. Because of these early health issues, both mother and baby had to remain in the hospital for several extra days.
“Sarah and Nora were cleared to go home today,” the sister wrote. “Instead of being reasonable and asking if it was okay, my brother ‘Seth’ immediately invited himself over to see the baby.”
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Concerned about Nora’s fragile condition, she urged him to give the new parents space and time to adjust. “I told him not to go and let Sarah and Terry get home and begin adjusting to parenthood. They had a grueling few days with complications, not to mention Nora is a premie and really shouldn’t be around other people yet.”
Seth, however, pushed back. “He argued that he’s going out of town and just wants to be the fun uncle and spend time with the baby,” she said. “I told him, ‘That’s nice, but she’s not going anywhere. Give it a few weeks when she’s stronger.’ ”
Her response didn’t go over well. “Seth said I was being bitchy about this,” she recalled.
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Unsure whether she had been too harsh, the sister turned to Reddit for perspective: “Am I the a—— for looking out for my baby niece?”
Many commenters sided with her. One wrote, “Newborn babies do not need ‘fun uncles.’ They need sleep, nursing or bottles, and diaper changes.” Another added, “He’s an entitled walking ball of germs right now and should respect the baby’s condition and their parents.”
