baby naming dramas

[LittleKirk]

hi ladies

I'm having a lot of conflict about our choices for baby names...

we had a pretty big list and we thought we would like to involve our son in the choices and we finally all settled on Noah and Olivia (we don't know what we are having so prepared for both).

we had this all settled just after my second scan but now I'm in my final trimester everyone is weighing in on their thoughts. my son let slip the names as we didn't actually tell anyone (previous experience told me to keep quiet!) and its really starting to get to me.

my dad thinks the baby should be called James (the surname is Kirk...) but he won't listen when I explain that my partner was bullied for several years by a boy named James. my Dad is also very pushy for the name Freya which is pretty but it's just not something we both liked.

and now open the flood gates for everyone's opinions. I get told off (actually told off) by my mother in law for our name choices and now my mum is pushing her opinions on names.

it took us ages to get a shortlist and now with an impending due date I'm frantically searching the baby book and getting emotional because I don't feel settled. I know it's only a name for a baby but I don't want to go into the hospital without a clue. for our son Bradley we had 3 names for each sex so when he was born we could chose accordingly but now I feel like I'm down to nothing....

can anyone give any advice our guidance? I feel a little all over the place x

It is nobody else's job but yours to name your child. Smile sweetly, say, 'That's interesting' and drop the subject. Name your baby what you want.

Just read your update - yes, you're doing exactly the right thing! :)

Urgh this frustrates me so much. We have lied to everyone saying that we haven't chosen a name for exactly this reason. I mistakenly told my parents because I thought they would be better behaved, my mum had been fine (suspect she isn't keen but is polute enough to hide it) but my Dad has disappointed me. Whenever I see him he asks if we have thought of any other names and always suggests new ones. I just trot out the standard line now - 'you've had your turn, this is ours'. I feel for you.

And this is why you NEVER discuss names with anyone before the birth. People are far less likely to bitch about the name once the baby's born.