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Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.

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Get updates on how your baby develops, your body changes, and what you can expect during each week of your pregnancy by signing up to the Mumsnet Pregnancy Newsletters.

Childbirth

Did you choose your baby name before baby was born?

35 replies

macdat · 09/03/2016 00:05

If so, did you stick with it, or did you decide baby didn't suit it once they were born?

OP posts:

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SaggingTits · 09/03/2016 00:09

I had a shortlist of 2 names, didn't go with either of them as they didn't suit him.

Are you wanting to name baby already or worrying you haven't /might change your mind?

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DropYourSword · 09/03/2016 00:11

Watching with interest. I'm due my first in 8 weeks. Have one boys name and one girls name picked out. Don't understand the massive fuss of having huge long lists any worrying whether the name will 'suit' the baby, as in my mind it will suit it because that's it's name! But this might just be naivety talking!

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TheTartOfAsgard · 09/03/2016 00:16

I always knew from a young age what I would call any children.

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FilthyPout · 09/03/2016 00:26

I had Ds name picked out from when I was around 8 weeks. When he was born it definitely suited him but also I couldn't imagine him with any other name as I had referred to him by it all through my pregnancy. Never could choose a girls name so was lucky he was a he!

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iamtotallyserious · 09/03/2016 00:29

No. I know plenty of people do it but to me it seems like tempting fate

We did have some names in mind though but for number three argued for six weeks before naming him

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macdat · 09/03/2016 00:30

saggingtits I can't decide on any names yet, just wondered if I was the only one. Everybody keeps asking what name I've chosen, I say none yet and they look at me as if I have grown another head. Then today, I overheard a conversation between two girls on the bus who were in such disbelief that their friend hadn't yet chosen a name for her newborn. One of them said "poor baby, who does that?! That's so sad" the other agreed haha. I thought it was a new thing or something. There are plenty of names i like, I just don't think I can decide til I've actually seen the baby.

DropYourSword I'm due my first in 7! A few of my friends had names chosen beforehand then changed their minds. My godson had a different name before he was born too but just somehow didn't look like the name. Like you say though, they'll probably just grow into whatever name you've chosen for them.

OP posts:

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Roobix04 · 09/03/2016 00:31

We had a list of about five names. Didn't use any of them. Dp had a dream while dozing next to me and new dd in hospital where he thought of her name. To be honest we couldn't agree on any name all through the pregnancy so we probably didn't love the list names.
I'm six weeks pregnant and this time we have a boy and a girl name we both agree on so maybe this one will have a name before arrival.

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Roobix04 · 09/03/2016 00:33

While my mum was pregnant with me they gave me a name and everyone referred to the bump as that. Then I was born and my parents changed their mind. The name is my middle name now.

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ThursdayLastWeek · 09/03/2016 00:35

We had one for each sex as we didn't find that out until the birth.

Both DCs were boys and we stuck with what we had because we hadn't anymore names we agreed on!

I'm still mourning lighthearted the girls name I'll never use now

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Solo · 09/03/2016 00:37

I chose Ds's name when I was half way through baking him; I chose his middle name after he was born and whilst we were still in hospital (5/6 days). Dd did not have a name for 20 days, but she really suits the one she was given.

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Strokethefurrywall · 09/03/2016 00:41

Yep, chose both names before they were born but didn't refer to them with the names until they were born.

We had a front runner for DS1 and 2 back ups in case his name became unavailable (cousin using it/ famous person stealing it etc) but we knew it was unlikely so not sure why we bothered!

Ds2 I loved Lachlan and that was my front runner by a mile but then stumbled across an actor with a massively common Irish surname rarely used as a first name and I knew that it was the one.

No angst after either were born.

Now if they'd have been girls that would have been a whole other dilemma...

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BackforGood · 09/03/2016 00:43

Yes, decided on all of mine, when pregnant (well, possibility for girl and for boy for each) and stuck with them.

dc3's was the closest when we swapped the first and middle names round when in labour.

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Dixiechick17 · 09/03/2016 20:31

Had two names, and when we saw her chose the one we felt she suited, had a long list of middle names which we also decided on once she was born.

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insancerre · 09/03/2016 20:36

Yes, I had a name for a boy and a girl because we didn't know the sex before the birth
Ds was going to be Charlotte or Samuel
Dd was going to be Lewis or Alice

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MashesToPashes · 09/03/2016 20:37

Yes and we stuck with it. DD's middle names came to me as I came round from the anesthetic (emergency CS) and I don't think DH would have had the heart to argue even if he hated them (he doesn't).

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5madthings · 09/03/2016 20:42

Nope big list of names each time and need to wait to see what suited, has taken us a week or two to name each of the madthings, am now 36wks with Dc6 and we are struggling to come up with names we like but we have a few and will decide once baby is here.

With ds2 we tried a few names out once he was here to see if they were right, he was max for a day but thst didn't stick. Oh and dd was genevive possibly for a day or so but again it wasn't the right name for her.

My mil believes you should have a name all picked out ready and doesn't like that we have never done this.

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TheDisillusionedAnarchist · 09/03/2016 21:52

Yes, wasn't originally the plan but when we found out she had a life limiting condition we named her. Was useful to personalise her when trying to convince doctors to treat her. Also we knew we'd likely get very little time with her so wanted to use her name for longer. Not sure what I'd do next time!

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Melmam · 09/03/2016 22:35

We did we picked 1 name for each sex and when we found out it was a boy at our 20 week scan we kept the boys name and now he is 4 months old and that's what we called him from the first moment we saw him we just knew it was right.. For awhile I was a bit taking back by the amount of people that thought they had an opinion on our childs name in the end I quote frankly told them that he is our child and we are the ones that have to live with it..

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DurhamDurham · 09/03/2016 22:38

We had two girl and two boy names shortlisted for when both our girls were born. As soon as they were born we chose the name they suited most. I can't quite remember the criteria now but it seemed right at the time

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Nospringflower · 09/03/2016 22:39

We had boy and girls names picked out in advance for all 3. Never had any doubt that they would be called the name we had chosen.

I don't really get the whole thing about whether they suit the name either - they are a tiny baby who will grow into their name whatever it is and neither looks like a Oliver or a Walter or whatever! I really think its in the parents minds and not reality (not that that matters if that suits them).

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Frazzled2207 · 09/03/2016 22:40

Neither of them had names until they were about 2 weeks old because dh and I couldn't agree! (Crap parents)

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middlings · 09/03/2016 22:41

Both picked - DD1 it worked immediately. DD2 grew into hers

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LastOneDancing · 09/03/2016 22:43

We had a possibles list but couldn't agree so poor DS had no name for 4 days. Eventually I had a hysterical cry that I couldn't bond with my nameless baby (dramatic much?) and caved in to DHs choice.

DC2 arrives tomorrow and we're in the same boat - a few vague ideas. I'm really looking forward to playing my trump card that 'you named DS1'

I find it really odd when people refer to their unborn child by name. But each to their own.

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Indantherene · 09/03/2016 22:47

DD1 and DS1 were both named well before they were born. By the time we got to DS3 we had to hurriedly think of something before we ran out of time to register him (DH vetoed the name I wanted at the very last minute), and the same happened with DD2.

I found it much easier to name a potential child than an actual real live baby.

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RhinestoneCowgirl · 09/03/2016 22:47

We had a shortlist both times, but there were names that were my favourite.

With DS he was delivered onto my chest and I in a gibbering hormonal mess said "it's DSname, it's DSname".

With DD we had agreed a 'safe' name that we both liked (Rose) but there was another name that I preferred. When she was born DH asked me what we should call her and I said 'well you know which name I prefer'. She is not called Rose...

I couldn't call the bump a real name before they arrived, that felt too odd.

I would also add that I looked for name inspiration on the titles of TV programmes