The Young and the Restless: Dominic’s Birth and Mariah’s Obsession
On The Young and the Restless, Dominic’s birth was an event that unfolded years ago in real and Genoa City time, but for Mariah, being Abby’s surrogate seems like yesterday. Here’s a refresher of what happened and why the birth of Dominic Philip Newman Abbott Winters Chancellor is important today.
The Young and the Restless: Dominic’s Birth
On The Young and the Restless, when Abby Newman’s (Melissa Ordway) dream of motherhood hit a medical wall, the solution seemed perfect: an arrangement with Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) as the carrier and Devon Hamilton (Bryton James) as the donor.
Following Abby’s hysterectomy scare and Chance Chancellor’s (Conner Floyd) fertility issues, a plan was made: Abby’s harvested egg was fertilized by Devon’s sperm and implanted into Mariah.
Chance was the legal father via marriage and intent, but shared no DNA with Dom. Biologically, Dominic (Ethan Ray Clark) is the son of Devon and Abby (who just so happened to have an affair, stay together, and now raise their biological child together…but that’s another tale for another day).
The Pregnancy and Trauma
Mariah’s pregnancy was anything but routine. While pregnant, she nicknamed Bowie, she was kidnapped by Abby’s ex-husband, Ben “Stitch” Rayburn (Sean Carrigan).
Held captive in a room and essentially blocked from the outside world, Mariah was forced to labor alone until Abby and Devon rescued her.
She delivered the baby with them, but for Mariah, it was a traumatic event that forged an intense, unforeseen psychological bond between her and Dominic (although she continued to call him Bowie for some time).
The Attachment Fallout
The business aspect of the surrogacy contract disintegrated immediately after Dom’s birth. Mariah struggled with severe separation anxiety, unable to disconnect from the baby she had protected in captivity.
Simultaneously, Devon’s role shifted. Initially agreeing to be a hands-off donor and godfather, Devon used the technicality that he had not signed the final papers to demand shared custody.
Custody and the Current Reality
Ultimately, the arrangement was legally altered. Devon secured shared custody, officially changing the child’s legal name to include Winters.
While Mariah eventually stepped back and worked through her emotions, it was yet another trauma that she endured over the years. Now, we see that Dom’s birth is back at the forefront of her mind.
Recently, Mariah left the mental health facility she had been at, and Tessa (Cait Fairbanks) thought she headed south. But it seems Mariah is in Genoa City — and Dominic is her focus.
Mariah ran away from her therapy, and Ian Ward (Ray Wise) still haunts her. Now, he has convinced her that kidnapping Dominic will put her back to a place and time in her life when she used to be happy.
Next week, Abby and Devon are terrified when Mariah takes her gift back. How long will she keep Dominic? Will something traumatic happen to get her to snap back to reality? Or will she see the error of her ways and return to therapy — and give Dominic back — on her own?
With Mariah in town, it’s only a matter of time before she sees Tessa with Daniel (Michael Graziadei). That could send Mariah running again, but whether or not she would take Dominic with her remains to be seen.
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