Pregnant Mom Defends Search for Baby’s Name in Cemetery After Video Goes Viral: Not a ‘Place of Evil’

Thanks to Haley Hodge

Good things are frequently discovered where you least expect them to be.

Haley Hodge has gone beyond books and online in her quest for baby names as her due date approaches. This mother of three, who will soon become a mother of four, made the decision to search local cemeteries for names from earlier generations and former lives in order to find inspiration.

Hodge documented this extraordinary journey in a now-viral TikTok video that has elicited conflicting responses from its 2.5 million viewers. In the video, Hodge can be seen talking about names with her husband Rivers and their kids while touring the Old Smithville Burying Ground in Southport, North Carolina.

Thanks to Haley Hodge

Many viewers were moved by Hodge’s inventiveness and appreciated how she honored the memory of the deceased with her choice of names.

One individual remarked, “This is the first video I’ve ever seen like this; never would have thought about it.” But I adore this concept so much! particularly if you investigate the individual.

“This really is stunning. Another TikTok user said, “What a way to honor those that have passed away.”

Not everyone, though, had the same sentiments. The concept unnerved other viewers, who brought up beliefs about pregnant women not being allowed in cemeteries. Hodge tells PEOPLE that although she had always felt at ease in cemeteries, she had expected some criticism because of different cultural perspectives on death.

Thanks to Haley Hodge

“It seems to me like going to a site where people’s greatest friends, grandparents, and other loved ones are buried. It’s not an evil place, according to Hodge. “These are people who were good people who lived lives, hopefully good lives.”

Furthermore, Hodge finds it inconvenient to be close to the deceased.

She continues, “I don’t think spirits are restricted to cemeteries if they exist.” “We’re already surrounded by it; hospitals have morgues, and we have babies born above morgues.”

Hodge also remembers her own early years, when her mother would take the family on trips and visit graves to teach them about the local history.

Thanks to Haley Hodge

According to Hodge, “she realized we’d be more interested if it was a spooky story rather than just history.” “It just grabs your attention more, kind of like kids telling scary stories at a bonfire.”

Hodge had used more traditional means to find names for her first three children, Finley, 10, Banks, 1, and Crew, 3, frequently making notes of names she heard on television. When asked where her name came from, she wanted this fourth kid to be able to tell an intriguing backstory.

Thanks to Haley Hodge

In addition, Hodge made the decision to film their trip to the grave, hoping to show it to her daughter in the future. She had originally intended to keep the videos to herself, but she ultimately decided to share the naming process with everyone.

“At first, I wasn’t going to post them,” she acknowledges. However, I later decided that sharing this was sort of cool. I anticipated that because it was unique, it would draw attention.

Buffy’s Journey Home

The morning had started like any other, tinged with the usual mix of hope and mild anxiety that came with an aging pet’s vet visit. Buffy, our sweet, silver-faced girl, was scheduled for a routine dental cleaning. We expected her to come home a little groggy, maybe missing a tooth or two, but otherwise, our same old Buffy.

But Dr. Mac, with her quiet wisdom and deep understanding of the creatures in her care, had a feeling. Before the anesthesia, she looked closer at Buffy’s recent lab work. The call came later that morning, a gentle voice delivering news that felt like a physical blow. Advanced kidney failure. Anesthesia was too risky; it could push her fragile system past the point of no return.

Suddenly, the simple dental cleaning faded into insignificance. A new, heartbreaking reality settled in. We looked at Buffy, still wagging her tail when we spoke her name, still nudging our hands for pets, and knew what we had to do. The kindest, most loving act was to let her go now, surrounded by love, before the illness stole her joy and her will to live. We couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering, losing her appetite, her spark dimming day by day.

My first thought was Robbie. He adored Buffy, and she him. This decision, this final act of love, had to include him. I left immediately to pick him up from school. The car ride felt heavy, the usual chatter replaced by the quiet hum of the engine and the weight of what was to come.

Gathering my courage, I explained to him, as gently and honestly as I could, that Buffy was very sick, that her body was tired, and that we needed to help her find peace. I told him she wouldn’t be coming home with us this time.

His eyes filled, but his voice was steady. “I want to hold her,” he said, his small voice firm. “I want to be the one holding her when she goes to heaven.”

My heart swelled with a painful mix of sorrow and profound pride. Of course. There was no one else I would rather give that honor to.

We drove home, the quiet returning, but now filled with a different kind of understanding. I looked at him, this young boy carrying such a heavy truth with such grace. “Robbie,” I started, my voice thick with emotion, “I am so incredibly proud of you. Proud that you understand how important it is to take care of our old animals, and that helping them means making sure they never, ever suffer.”

He just nodded, his gaze fixed somewhere beyond the windshield, already preparing himself for the difficult task ahead, for the final, loving embrace he would share with his dear friend Buffy as she journeyed home. And in that quiet moment, I knew that while our hearts were breaking, we were navigating this pain together, grounded in the deepest kind of love and compassion.

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