Grieving Mom Made Sister Feel ‘Unwelcome’ After Refusing to Let Her Use Late Child’s Nursery Just 1 Month After Miscarriage

In a Reddit post, a mother shared a deeply personal conflict that arose only weeks after experiencing a devastating loss. She opened with a content warning about infant loss, noting that while nothing graphic was described, the grief was still raw.

The woman explained that she and her older sister were raised in a turbulent household marked by addiction and instability. Though they were close in childhood, their relationship changed during their early teens when family circumstances split them between relatives, gradually creating emotional distance.

According to the post, her sister was well-liked and frequently in relationships before settling down with a man she believed would become her husband. At first, everything appeared promising. “She was always smiling, and this seemed like a great thing for her,” the woman wrote. But plans unraveled after her sister became pregnant, and the relationship later suffered when her partner was discovered talking to other women online.

Despite being “absolutely devastated,” her sister chose to stay in the relationship, citing financial concerns and a desire to keep her family intact. “She said she would try to make it work, especially for her baby’s sake,” the poster wrote.

Meanwhile, the woman’s own life took a happier turn when she met her future husband in college. She described him as “the best thing to ever happen to me.” That joy grew when she became pregnant with her first child, a baby girl she had long dreamed of having. Overwhelmed with happiness, she prepared the nursery early, eager to welcome her daughter.

Everything changed in early November. After experiencing bleeding, she went to the hospital and learned the baby had no heartbeat. “We found out our baby had no heartbeat,” she wrote, describing the sudden and shattering loss.

Just weeks later, her sister gave birth to a baby girl. While happy for her niece, the grieving mother admitted she struggled with conflicting emotions. “I hated myself for being so sad at the wonderful news of my niece being born,” she wrote.

Tensions escalated when her sister discovered her partner had cheated again and asked to stay at the woman’s home with both of her children. The poster agreed without hesitation. “I assured she could stay at our house as long as she needs,” she wrote.

She prepared the guest room and brought out a bassinet, noting it was “the first time I have moved anything of my baby’s.” Though emotionally painful, she said she pushed her feelings aside to support her sister.

Later that night, however, she noticed her sister heading toward the nursery rather than the guest room. When she intervened, her sister asked whether the crib had already been taken down. The woman explained that she preferred her niece to sleep in the bassinet in the guest room, but her sister argued that a crib would be more comfortable and attempted to enter the nursery anyway.

The woman stepped in front of the door, explaining she was not comfortable with her niece using the crib. Her sister reacted dismissively and went to bed. “I felt bad, but figured that was it,” she wrote.

The next morning, her sister packed up the children and announced they were leaving, later saying they were “clearly not welcome.”

The encounter left the woman conflicted—concerned for her sister, yet aware of her own need to protect her healing. “Seeing another baby use our daughter’s things when I wish it was her that could use them might make this pain come back tenfold,” she wrote.

Many commenters supported her decision, emphasizing how recent her loss was and reminding her that grief has no timeline. Others stressed that setting boundaries around deeply personal items was reasonable and necessary.

In a follow-up comment, the woman reaffirmed her feelings with clarity and compassion. “I really do love my niece and my sister,” she wrote, “but having them use my baby’s things is just too much at the moment.”