Who gets the final say in naming the bady?

If this is an issue before the baby arrives then believe me, after you have labored like a rockstar and delivered a baby then DH will acquiesce to your wishes.

The one who gives birth!

Madelyn however it's spelt is nicer than Meg.

I have a Meg. at least with Madelyn people realise its her full name. when people ask and I say Meg they keep looking, like, "wheres the rest of it then?"

We were in total disagreement I wanted Meg and DH wanted Madelyn. Everyone said once he sees you go through childbirth he'll let you have your name, but he didn't :( she spend 4 days without a name till in the end we literally flipped a coin!! He won and my DD was named Madelyn, I'm only just comfortable with it

The person who gets the final say is the person who registers the birth

"The number of babies I know, even when parents have agreed on the name, who get called something else because they don't look like a Jacob, Rachel, Leo, whatever...... is incredible. You may both agree on something completely different because that's the name that baby looks like."

Are you serious? How can a tiny little crumply looking creature (let's be honest most new borns aren't excactly pretty) LOOK like collection of letters ?

But, in answer to op's question, you keep going until you find a name that both parents can live with (if not love!). Good luck!

you keep going until you have a name you both like it is not just one parents child it is both.

Oh, and i'd advise against doing what we did which was giving DD our two favourite girls names as a First and Middle name as now we can't use it on any future dds.

With my DD, we didn't find out the sex, so we chose a handful of names that we both considered to be reasonable and went with our surname, and hoped that on the day, divine inspiration would strike. And it did!! DH asked me a few minutes after she was born what name we should choose, I suggested one off the top of my head, he agreed. Middle name same. If he hadn't liked either, we would have spent longer discussing it until we both liked it.

As it happens, now pg with #2 and finding it MUCH harder to come up with mutually agreeable names!!!

Is baby here? If not, wait and see. The number of babies I know, even when parents have agreed on the name, who get called something else because they don't look like a Jacob, Rachel, Leo, whatever...... is incredible. You may both agree on something completely different because that's the name that baby looks like.

Other than that, I'd agree with pick another name that you both like, and keep your options open - we went to view nurseries which I was pregnant and DH saw DS's name on a coat peg (ironically at a nursery that we didn't choose). It's slightly unusual and not a name that we'd have chosen but we were obviously meant to visit that nursery.

We discusses names throughout the pregnancy and came up with a handful of boys and girls names we would be happy to use. After the birth, we had a sit on these names for a little bit and eventually decided to use a name which was more my preference than DHs and a MN that was definetly my preference but I didn't force the situation. I would have been happy to use any on The List.

I think DH was happy to let me have the final say after watching me give birth however I wouldn't have used this to my advantage and would have been happy to go with one of 'his' preferred names.

We have 4 DC. DH chose all the names after months is discussion. But I said no to any I didn't like and he chose again.

So he chose but I had veto.

If you are not together, then the mother.

If you are then picking a name for your child together is one of life's great pleasures. There should be no need for a "final say".

DH chose DD1's name, but I loved it.

We struggled a bit with what to name DD2 and had not finally decided when she was born. I insisted we decide that day and not drag the arse out of it.

DD3's name DH was happy for me to pick as all the girls have Irish names and he is not Irish. Obviously he had to approve my choice, but he was out of suggestions (and we were both a bit bored of thinking of Irish girls' names by that stage).

A selfish part of me is inclined to say that the Mother has the final say. After all, it's her body that goes through the pregnancy, then there's the thing of actually birthing the baby.

But the part of me that knows better dictates that it has to be a joint decision. It's the Father's baby, too! And I think by saying "well, I grew the baby, so there!" is kind of throwing it back in his face. It wouldn't be acceptable for a man to say to his wife/partner if she wasn't working "well, I earn the money, so there!"

We compromised for DD1s name. I chose DD2s name. I think he let me have that :)

MammaT

In my family, we have made an agreement. I choose all the children's names, and in return I allow dh to have them baptised.

As older kids, three of us chose our youngest brother's name. He got the first two names that we shouted out, mum loved the name combination and it stuck :-) I remember it like it was yesterday :-)

I agree with JoyfulPuddleJumper - I bet it is the mother who wants final say because she has already decided on being 'senior' parent. You start with equality IMO and compromise.

It simply isn't fair for anyone to have the final say - you keep going until you can agree on something. All my DCs have compromise names. If you are not prepared to budge then I suppose that you would have to toss a coin.

Just don't let your other kids choose or you may end up with a baby boy called princess sparkle bum

Nobody. You have to keep going until you find one you both love. If you can't find one you both love, find one you both really like.

Hell, put all the options in a hat and draw one out if you have to but you don't play Senior Parent and Junior Parent - that will only lead to resentment.

I chose a name, ex another one, and then we worked out which way around it sounded better.

I have a friend who since we were children she wanted to use a particular name if she had a girl, she married a man who insisted the girl had to have the femenine version of his name. It is a bit funny really, because mum and all her family call herby one name, and his dad and his family by another one. She has chosen to use the one given by her mum since she started school many years ago. Nobody has died yet.

No one of course!

There is bound to be a name that BOTH parents can agree in.