Basic Trope: When a woman suffers Death by Childbirth, other people blame the baby.
- Straight: Alice and Bob start a family of Claire, Diane, Edward, and Franklin. When Franklin is born, Alice dies in childbirth. Bob, Claire, Diane, and Edward think that it was Franklin's fault and he becomes The Unfavorite.
- Exaggerated:
- Every day, Bob shouts "Your mother died when you were born, Franklin! Shame on you! You Should Have Died Instead!"
- Bob disowns Franklin and sends him to an orphanage, refusing to raise a child that "murdered" Alice.
- Bob and his older children kill Franklin in an insane attempt to "avenge" Alice.
- Claire, Diane and Edward disown Franklin, refusing to have a "murderer" for a brother.
- Downplayed: The family feels sad when they see Franklin because they are reminded of Alice dying. The kids sometimes blame him in childish arguments but their father reprimands them and reminds them it was not his fault.
- Justified: Franklin was a Fetus Terrible who deliberately caused his mother's death.
- Inverted:
- Franklin was stillborn, and the family blames Alice.
- Alice was sick and appeared to be dying, but when Franklin was born, she made a full recovery. This makes the family declare Franklin a hero for saving Alice.
- Franklin was the Sole Survivor of his family and blames the world for letting his family die.
- Franklin is viewed by his family as the last gift from Alice and is treated favorably.
- The pregnant Alice is sentenced to death for a crime she didn't commit. Her execution is postponed until Franklin is born, and by that time, someone has found evidence that exonerates her. The conviction is overturned, and Franklin is hailed for "saving Alice's life".
- Everyone EXCEPT Franklin is blamed for Alice's death.
- Bob blames himself for Alice's death.
- Alice's longtime enemy Gwen rejoices at her death and feels grateful to Franklin for "killing" her.
- Gender Inverted: Bob dies on the day his son Franklin is born in a car crash on his way to the hospital. Alice, Diane, Claire, and Edward blame Franklin for "killing" Bob.
- Subverted: When Franklin turns one and begins to speak, they stop blaming him as they now see Franklin as Alice's final gift to them, or if not that, at least as a person with his own merits. Either that or they have just come to their senses.
- Double Subverted: But then when he starts preschool, he accidentally gets one of his classmates badly hurt. They start blaming Franklin for Alice's death again because due to that and Alice dying in childbirth, they believe the boy is jinxed.
- Parodied: That family says "Stupid babies!" or "Murdering monsters!" whenever they hear of mothers dying in childbirth in the news.
- Zig Zagged: Bob and Claire think it was Franklin's fault that Alice died, but Diane and Edward don't. As for Franklin himself, he is on the fence.
- Averted: Despite Alice dying in childbirth, and the fact that the family still grieves her, nobody blames Franklin for "killing" her, even for a moment.
- Lampshaded: "Blaming the baby for 'murdering' the mom? Seems a bit harsh, doesn't it?"
- Invoked: The Big Bad poisons Alice before she gives birth, hoping the family will blame the baby so the child will get into a bad mood, and if the baby's in a bad mood when he grows up, he'll be more likely to resent his family and want to join forces with the evil.
- Exploited: Bob really hates Franklin and wants his other kid to hate him as well. Blaming Franklin and treating him harshly makes Bob avoid feeling guilty himself.
- Defied:
- Alice is giving birth and dying. Bob is desperate and starts berating the newborn Franklin. With her dying breath, Alice pleads Bob to love and protect the baby, telling her family not to hold it against Franklin before she dies. As much as her death pains them all, Bob, Claire, Diane, and Edward honour Alice's dying wish.
- Bob or one of the older siblings convinces the rest of the family it's not the baby's fault, using logic, and they all "forgive" Franklin in the process.
- Bob tells his children and himself not to blame Franklin but to see him as Alice's final gift instead.
- "Just because Mom died when Franklin was born, doesn't mean that it was his fault, okay, Dad and Claire? He's just a baby! Is hating Franklin what Mom wanted?"
- Discussed: "It so sad. Poor sweet Alice died in childbirth, and now her widowed husband hates the baby. I understand his pain, but how can that be the baby's fault? I heard he wants to give him up. I hope the grandparents will bring him up, the poor lamb."
- Conversed: "It's not fair of these characters to just blame the baby for the mother dying in childbirth!"
- Implied:
- Alice dies in childbirth. It is unclear why, but since then, Bob and the older children have given Baby Franklin dirty looks.
- Alice died giving birth to Franklin. He is estranged from his family for unknown reasons.
- Deconstructed:
- Everybody gets psychological problems as a result.
- Franklin is eventually driven to suicide by the abuse from his dad and older siblings. Whether or not the family regrets it or call Franklin a "coward", this causes the other people to hate the surviving family.
- Family friends see how miserable Franklin is with his family's treatment of him and manage to adopt him/put him in foster care. Years later, his father and siblings feel guilty and attempt to reconnect but Franklin wants nothing to do with them.
- Reconstructed: The whole family finally decides to get therapy. Bob and the older siblings occasionally resent Franklin, they improve and reconcile later on in life.
- Played for Laughs: It's a Running Gag where the family snarks to Franklin that he murdered Alice or that he should've died instead. It's accompanied by a laugh track from the audience.
- Played for Drama: The work emphasizes the painful conflict between Franklin and his family.
- Played for Horror:
- Franklin finally snaps from the abuse, and decides that if his family misses Alice so much, then they should join her... in death. He plans their murder and gleefully slashes them later.
- The surviving family members torment and murder Franklin for "killing" Alice.
Back to Maternal Death? Blame the Child!, you murderer.
