When I found out I was pregnant, my mother-in-law was over the moon and insisted she wanted to be in the delivery room. She works at the hospital and was excited to help and be the first to hold her grandchild. But after carrying my baby for nine months and preparing for a peaceful birth, I decided to ban her from the delivery room. I wanted that special first moment with my baby to be mine, and my husband was upset, siding with his mom and saying she had a right to be there.

The day of delivery was intense. After 24 hours of labor with no progress, I agreed to a C-section. My husband called our parents to come to the hospital, but my mother-in-law stormed in, insisting she would help. Exhausted and frustrated, I firmly told her I needed space and that this was my moment to experience on my own terms. She was visibly hurt but backed down. I thought that was the end of the drama.

After the surgery, I finally saw my baby, but couldn’t hold her immediately. When my mother-in-law asked to hold her first, I generously agreed, hoping to mend fences. To my shock, she laughed and said she already had — she had taken the baby during my surgery, before I got the chance. I was furious; no one else had touched the baby because they knew how much it meant to me.

Now, my husband and mother-in-law think I’m overreacting, but I feel deeply betrayed. I want advice on how to handle this painful breach of trust and how to set boundaries going forward. Is my anger justified, or should I let it go for the sake of family peace?