A doctor who recently delivered a baby has expressed her astonishment over the parents’ choice of name and her inability to keep her thoughts to herself.
Selecting a name for a newborn is a significant decision that demands considerable deliberation, as the chosen name must suit both a sweet infant and a grown adult navigating the world.
Regardless of the name chosen, people will inevitably have their own opinions about it – including the doctor. This was the case for an obstetrician who had just delivered a baby girl.
Following the delivery, the new mother revealed her intention to give her daughter an Irish name, but with a non-traditional pronunciation. Many Irish names have spellings that appear difficult to pronounce for those unfamiliar with them, as they originate from the Irish language, which employs a distinct spelling system compared to English.
For instance, the name Siobhan is pronounced ‘shih-VAWN’, while the name Aoife is pronounced ‘EE-fah’. The new mother chose the Irish name Caoimhe, which is traditionally pronounced as ‘KEE-vah’.
On Reddit, the obstetrician shared her experience, saying: “Delivered a baby today with this name, which is not pronounced in the traditional, Irish way with some variation on “Keeva,” but is instead pronounced ‘Kay-OH-me’.”
During the operation, the doctor faced an ethical dilemma over a patient’s choice of baby name. After completing the procedure, the medic felt compelled to voice concerns, admitting: “I spent most [of the] cesarean section contemplating this horror and finally decided that I could not in good conscience let this happen without saying something, on the off chance that she had genuinely never heard how this name was actually pronounced. So after I finished sewing her up, I told her my concerns.”
The doctor relayed how the mother was taken aback but still chose to maintain her preferred pronunciation because it “sounds like it’s spelled” and wouldn’t be “one of those tragedeigh names.”
Reddit users chimed in with their own reactions in the comments section, with opinions ranging from pointed criticism to shared anecdotes. One user quipped: “By ignoring the language the name is in she has created a tragedeigh. Alas”.
Meanwhile, an Irish commenter bluntly stated: “We’ll just tell them to their face that it’s not how the name is pronounced. Some people are just stupid.”
Another recounted a tale of parents mispronouncing ‘Maison’ as ‘Mason’, while someone else commented firmly that regardless of attempts, “It is Keeva, maybe Qui-vah, it will never be Kay-OH-me”.
The community wondered if the mother ever reconsidered the name’s correct enunciation. In a revealing update within the comments sector, the doctor expressed hope for the woman’s change of heart, saying: “I was really hoping my earnest appeal yesterday after bringing her child into the world would have had some impact on this poor woman…
“But alas, when rounding today I glanced at the birth certificate and saw that it indeed says ‘Caoimhe’ and the baby is still being referred to as ‘Kay-OH-me.’ Sigh.”