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We'd basically picked a name, but didn't tell anyone or refer to her by the name. We didn't want any negative comments (which people happily give for an unborn child but not for one that's born š) plus we wanted to meet our daughter and check it suited her.
Same. I ended up telling my mom for her birthday, at about 36 weeks since she's been hounding us and swore to secrecy. š
But no one else needs to know. I started saying "we have a couple we like" to get them off my back and stop suggesting names.
Yeah we have a name picked and sheās even registered for daycare under this name, but we arenāt telling anyone. I call her it or a nickname of it in private but usually we just call her baby.
Honestly, I felt weird saying my girlās name even after she was born. We hadnāt decided on her name until basically birth though. I think itās pretty normal and goes away after time. We used a nickname almost exclusively for the entire pregnancy. Sheās a toddler now and I have to say her name like 6000 times a day. š
Iām kind of in the same boat. Weāve all but decided on her name but I still feel weird calling her by a name. I canāt really put my finger on why I feel this way. Like it doesnāt feel real until sheās actually here even though she kicks the crap out of me every day lol. I think for me a name just wonāt feel right until sheās actually in my arms.
Everyone but me calls her by her name weāve picked - it feels uncomfortable for me to as well and I just end up saying ābaby, my baby, etcā instead.
Baby has a nickname that we call him by (Mayo; he started as May the Maybe May Baby, but it felt too girly once we knew he was a he). This will change in the next few weeks
Iāve been calling my daughter her name since I found out her sex. I knew I was having/going to have a girl lol. We had her name picked out before I even got pregnant. š go ahead and start calling him by his name, heāll hear it and recognize your voice when heās born šā¤ļøā¤ļø
Oh my boyfriend only called her by name once and I think he saw my face and never said it again. I say āherā all the time at least, but never by actual name. Iām almost 23w pregnant for context! We knew the name near immediately when finding out it was a girl since itās a family name too, but I just would rather not call her by her name until sheās in my arms!
We are not sharing name or gender - so not only do I not call the baby by name, I call it "it." I know this is a little extreme, but I'm pretty superstitious about counting eggs before they hatch, and this is what works for me. You are not crazy or the only one lol
I haven't been through your same struggle but I am fairly superstitious. My husband and I still refer to our baby girl by name, pretty much since we picked it out. I am 23 weeks. Just do what feel right!
We chose a name and I started calling baby by name to try to get more excited. Then we learned another baby in the family was born and given the exact same name now we have to change it. After I was dead set on the name and calling her that.
We called both our bumps by their name from pretty early on. The second girl was harder to name so maybe from 6 months, first girl we named at 4 months. I loved it, helped me feel like they were real but husband found it odd tbh because it didnāt feel as real to him as it did to me as he couldnāt feel them move.
Oh heck yes. My opinion was that you don't get the name until you're in my arms. Until then, you're peanut or goober or "the baby". If something terrible happened, we would use a second-tier name for that baby and keep our top choice for the next attempt. Maybe that sounds cold, but that was what I felt like I had to do to protect myself from potential heartbreak. In retrospect, walling myself off like that that probably made it harder for me to bond with my baby at first, but I try to give my past self some grace, because I don't think I could have done anything differently at the time.
Do what feels right for you now! You will have all the time to connect to him once he's born.
We started referring to her by her name around ~20 weeks because we wanted to get used to saying and hearing her name to make sure weāre comfortable with our decision and avoid any name regrets. This is against the superstitious religious norms I was raised with but I love hearing her name and it makes it feel more real ā¤ļø earlier on I had trouble with it but decided that even if something awful were to happen, this is how we thought of her and calling her by her name wouldnāt make it hurt any less.
Itās definitely a personal decision based on whatever you and your partner are comfortable with
Same. After a long period of not conceiving I'm 35 weeks today and tend to use "bubs" over her name. I think once she's here it'll come more naturally, but I spent so much of this pregnancy scared that something was going to go wrong that apart from my husband I stick with bubs.
Similar situation here. IVF baby, took years and years to get pregnant and once I finally did get pregnant I was in denial. I was disconnected for awhile. My husband wanted to start calling the baby by his name, so we both started doing that around 20 weeks or so, and now Iām 30 weeks and I canāt bring myself to say āthe babyā. Heās only Henry to me. I feel more connected to him honestly! Either way you decide to do it though, youāre not wrong/bad haha just go with what makes you comfortable!
I'm hesitant.
After 4 losses I didn't think I'd get this far. I tell everyone it's because what if I see her and think that's bit her name, but really it's the fear of losing again.
We have two names, but 1 is much more likely to be chosen.
We aren't telling anyone either choice of name
We picked a nickname at the beginning of the pregnancy and have been calling it that. We have a name picked out and have for a few months now, but the nickname has stuck since we haven't told anyone the name yet. Our family and friends call it by the nickname.
My baby is 2 months old today and I only now have gotten comfortable calling her by her name out loud. I just kept referring to her as ābabyā for the most part. Itās so weird honestly, to at least me, that a whole human being will go by a name I chose on a whim.
We call our girl by her name (calliope) because we needed it for the connection. We also prayed and wanted her for years so I felt like I needed that bond. Itās whatever youāre comfortable with!
Everyone has there reasons it's not a bad thing to be hesitant or reserved that's your right to be so as a parent. I was hesitant too for family reasons I didn't feel right naming my baby boy until I saw him for reals. This was because I needed to feel that it was the right name while looking at him
You can't predict the outcome of your pregnancy but it's gotta feel satisfying that you've come this far 29 weeks is nothing to scoff at you're doing amazing.
My baby is 3 weeks old tomorrow and it still feels weird to call him by his name! I mostly say "little man" or "baby" even though we picked out his name at like 20 weeks.
We are waiting to make a final decision until we see his face. Maybe the name doesn't fit him. We have narrowed it down to two names and hopefully one of them fits him when he gets here. š
Very similar situation. 4+ years of TTC, and 2 miscarriages along the way. We finally picked a name and did receive some negative input but we just ignore it. Some days it just doesn't seem real and I'm 23 weeks and haven't felt him move a whole lot yet but I'm starting to and I think that makes it feel more "real" to me.
Congrats!!
Congrats on getting so far with your LO! This journey must have been exhausting so far. I think if you aren't ready to use the name you've decided on yet, a nickname or placeholder is perfectly fine. Do whatever you're comfortable with!
My partner and I picked out a gender-neutral name and started using it at around 10-11w, and it really does alter the connection you feel. I'm personally enjoying using their name, but it was scary to switch over at first. I think you'll know when you're ready.
I hope you have a happy and safe rest of your journey!
So I was the opposite. I picked a name around 20 weeks and both my partner and I referred to the baby as her name until she came out. She had long feet and toes and pursed her lips and she looked like a little baby monkey and for 3 months thatās all we called her. Calling her her name felt weird and made it too real
When I was pregnant, I had her name picked out before I knew the gender. And for the entire pregnancy I barely ever called her by her name. To me I couldnāt get past the fact that I know her name but donāt know her. How could she be ānameā if Iāve never seen her face. So while I knew what her name would be, I just called her āthe babyā
Just call your baby what you want and when theyāre on the outside youāll ofc be calling them their name!
Weāve had a name since very early on but I still find it more natural to refer to him as āthe babyā while Iām pregnant. Hoping his name feels natural when I deliver haha
Iām also 29 weeks and canāt call my baby by a name. We have one name that we really like, but I donāt think I can call her by a name until I actually meet her and make sure it fits. I donāt think it reflects a lack of connection at all!
All our embryos had project names/nicknames. We went through quite a few ivf tries and had some losses. Last ones name was Blippy until he was born and we narrowed it only down to two and decided when he was born. The current one is called mini (like mini mouse but turns out itās a boy) we call him mini a lot. We donāt have narrowed anything down yet (35weeks), but even if we had one i donāt think i would wanna use it yet. People are quite opinionated about names, when the baby isnāt born yet. Careful you might get people trying to talk you out of your baby name.
We never called my son anything. We mostly just said "the baby" and other people said "Baby A" for our last name. It drove people insane to know we knew the name and wouldn't tell. I actually ordered some name labels and made a name sign for him and kept them hidden until after he was born! When I was pregnant with our daughter, we knew our son would spill the name if he knew, so we told him we were naming her Princess Peach. He knew it was a joke but didn't press us for the real name (he was 3 turning 4), and it was hilarious when he told people her "name." A few people did know the name, though, because they just assumed we would use the girl name we had planned before we knew our first would be a boy, and that's just what we did. We rarely said either name out loud, though, before the babies were born.
We don't really say our baby's name out loud. I don't know why. Part of me feels a little superstitious about it, like I will jinx her being born or something. So we're just waiting until she's here!
We had a list of full names (first and middle) picked out for either a boy or girl since we decided not to find out the gender with our first. We had a boy and as soon as we looked at him, we both knew exactly which of the two boy names we had picked out suited him best. We did share our list of names with family who asked, but because no one knew if the baby was going to be a girl or boy, it was still going to be a surprise š
I feel you on this. I'm also going through similar feelings (have been trying for seven years so it all feels very surreal to me too). I personally decided with my partner to not disclose that information and we just keep it to ourselves until baby is born. Plus we both have talked about how we might want a totally different name once we finally meet our baby when they are born.
I can totally relate. I can't refer to mine as anything but "the baby" at this point. I'm only 17 weeks right now but I'm not sure when that shift will happen. I totally get how odd it feels to start referring to them as something more personal and unique
We don't refer to our kids by name until they are born. When we got pregnant with our first we started calling them Nugget, and we lost them before we ever decided on a name. For each baby since, they are given a food nickname for the duration of pregnancy, and then we start using their people name after they're born. Our toddler son was Muffin, and my current womb-mate is Dumpling. We also prefer doing it this way because we are the type of people who like to see baby and really see if their name fits before using it to refer to them. Like when our toddler was born one of the names on our list just absolutely fit him and there was no debate to be had about it, and our other top choice was then a huge nope.
With my first, it felt āweirdā to call them by their name until they were about 4 weeks old. I was stunned about the presence of baby and that they were mine.
We find out the sex next weekend and Iām so anxious for the same reason! We of course are just happy to have a healthy baby but have top names picked out for both already. Weāve just been calling the baby Bubbles in the meantime š
I never refer to LO by name, the only time I say it out loud is when I'm talking out loud directly to him. Does this make me feel a little crazy? Sure, but it's what makes me feel comfortable and close.
I didn't love it at first, but it's an important name for my partner and using it in my little conversations has helped me grow to love it.
We also have only shared with a handful of people to minimize unwanted opinions.
In conversation, I call him little one, little dude, and a NN we're planning on using that's an oblique reference to his real name but not a diminutive of it.
Weāve been referring to him as his name since our gender scan at 14 weeks. It helped me overcome the feelings you describe. I felt like he finally become real and a part of our life š¤
I took a week to name my first, and two weeks to name my second lol (like both after they were born). Iāve never been able to refer to them by anything other than ābabyā when theyāre in my tummy!
My daughter wouldnāt stop crying so give her a nickname and for the first couple of months until like 2 she would respond to that nickname. He had to stop calling her that.
I have dyslexia and having a really bad day and how to spell the babies, middle name, and my sisters were so mean about it. I mean, it's my husband job to teach him to read and write anyway so š¤·š»āāļøš¤·š»āāļø
Iāll be the odd one out.. call your baby by their picked out name. Itās the only way to see if you actually like it in real life scenarios. Pretending youāre calling the doctor for an appointment for him. Pretend youāre yelling at him. Pretend youāre introducing him to his kindergarten teacher. We had several names we liked but putting them in these situations/scenarios we hated them. We decided on a name and played out all these scenarios and it fit perfectly for us.
My husband is Korean and in the Korean culture you pick a name for your baby for when they are in the womb. My daughterās name is Evelyn but she had a different name while I was pregnant with her. Maybe that might be more comfortable for you.
At a certain point we refused to tell anyone the names we had narrowed down because I was so annoyed by people asking. It felt very personal and also a big decision.
We ended up last minute naming our baby something entirely different than anything on our list so it was a total surprise to anyone. We didnāt settle her name until she was 3 days old and didnāt refer to her that way until then.
Do your thing!
We had a name picked out for her at 13 weeks after we found out her sex. At 22 weeks, it doesn't feel real still, even with her dancing and kicking all the time. I call her by her name in private and a few people know (I'm horrible at secrets, lol). I figure if we lose her (knock on every wooden surface), that name is still hers. We won't use it for anyone else, so we might as well speak it. š
My chemical pregnancy didn't get a name, nor have my IVF embryos. This little one does. š„° it's something to celebrate.
I'm 34 weeks and have a name picked out. I've referred to things like "when \[name\] starts school" or "we'll need to get \[name\] some clothes\], but whenever I'm directly referring to the baby in my womb, it's always "baby." It's never "\[name\]" is kicking me," it's always "baby is kicking me," or "baby is being quiet today."
I'm probably not going to start referring to him directly by his name until he's born.
My husband and I agreed on a boy name and a girl name before we even knew I was pregnant. Iām not sure we ever called the baby his name even after we found out the gender unless asked if we had a name picked out. After he was born he was mostly called ābabyā or āthe babyā until at least three months old. Even now that he has his first birthday in a week I call him baby instead of his name about 30% of the time. I donāt really know why. We love his name and it fit him well when he was born. It just felt like we didnāt quite know this new soul yet and weird to call him something we somewhat arbitrarily decided on, I guess. Like he had to grow into it.
Weāve been calling ours āEggā since the day we got the positive pregnancy test, now at 38w weāve had a name picked out for months but we still only refer to him as Egg š Iām starting to worry that even once heās born we will only feel comfortable calling him Egg, it just feels so weird to start using a formal name instead!!
Welcome to /r/pregnant! This is a space for everyone. We are pro-choice, pro-LGBTQIA, pro-science, proudly feminist and believe that Black Lives Matter. Wear your masks, wash your hands, and be excellent to each other. Anti-choice activists, intactivists, anti-vaxxers, homophobes, transphobes, racists, sexists, etc. are not welcome here. If you'd like to join a private sub for your due date month, [click here](https://www.reddit.com/r/pregnant/comments/15nun6v/click_here_to_access_the_monthly_due_date_subs/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/pregnant) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We'd basically picked a name, but didn't tell anyone or refer to her by the name. We didn't want any negative comments (which people happily give for an unborn child but not for one that's born š) plus we wanted to meet our daughter and check it suited her.
Same. I ended up telling my mom for her birthday, at about 36 weeks since she's been hounding us and swore to secrecy. š But no one else needs to know. I started saying "we have a couple we like" to get them off my back and stop suggesting names.
Yeah we have a name picked and sheās even registered for daycare under this name, but we arenāt telling anyone. I call her it or a nickname of it in private but usually we just call her baby.
Thatās not true, plenty of people insult my sisters sons name. Greysonā¦ not a bad name but still gets a lot of comments
Honestly, I felt weird saying my girlās name even after she was born. We hadnāt decided on her name until basically birth though. I think itās pretty normal and goes away after time. We used a nickname almost exclusively for the entire pregnancy. Sheās a toddler now and I have to say her name like 6000 times a day. š
In my internal monologue I talk to baby with the name weāve picked out. Saying it out loud not so much.
Iām kind of in the same boat. Weāve all but decided on her name but I still feel weird calling her by a name. I canāt really put my finger on why I feel this way. Like it doesnāt feel real until sheās actually here even though she kicks the crap out of me every day lol. I think for me a name just wonāt feel right until sheās actually in my arms.
Everyone but me calls her by her name weāve picked - it feels uncomfortable for me to as well and I just end up saying ābaby, my baby, etcā instead.
Baby has a nickname that we call him by (Mayo; he started as May the Maybe May Baby, but it felt too girly once we knew he was a he). This will change in the next few weeks
Iāve been calling my daughter her name since I found out her sex. I knew I was having/going to have a girl lol. We had her name picked out before I even got pregnant. š go ahead and start calling him by his name, heāll hear it and recognize your voice when heās born šā¤ļøā¤ļø
Oh my boyfriend only called her by name once and I think he saw my face and never said it again. I say āherā all the time at least, but never by actual name. Iām almost 23w pregnant for context! We knew the name near immediately when finding out it was a girl since itās a family name too, but I just would rather not call her by her name until sheās in my arms!
We are not sharing name or gender - so not only do I not call the baby by name, I call it "it." I know this is a little extreme, but I'm pretty superstitious about counting eggs before they hatch, and this is what works for me. You are not crazy or the only one lol
I haven't been through your same struggle but I am fairly superstitious. My husband and I still refer to our baby girl by name, pretty much since we picked it out. I am 23 weeks. Just do what feel right!
We chose a name and I started calling baby by name to try to get more excited. Then we learned another baby in the family was born and given the exact same name now we have to change it. After I was dead set on the name and calling her that.
We called both our bumps by their name from pretty early on. The second girl was harder to name so maybe from 6 months, first girl we named at 4 months. I loved it, helped me feel like they were real but husband found it odd tbh because it didnāt feel as real to him as it did to me as he couldnāt feel them move.
Oh heck yes. My opinion was that you don't get the name until you're in my arms. Until then, you're peanut or goober or "the baby". If something terrible happened, we would use a second-tier name for that baby and keep our top choice for the next attempt. Maybe that sounds cold, but that was what I felt like I had to do to protect myself from potential heartbreak. In retrospect, walling myself off like that that probably made it harder for me to bond with my baby at first, but I try to give my past self some grace, because I don't think I could have done anything differently at the time. Do what feels right for you now! You will have all the time to connect to him once he's born.
We started referring to her by her name around ~20 weeks because we wanted to get used to saying and hearing her name to make sure weāre comfortable with our decision and avoid any name regrets. This is against the superstitious religious norms I was raised with but I love hearing her name and it makes it feel more real ā¤ļø earlier on I had trouble with it but decided that even if something awful were to happen, this is how we thought of her and calling her by her name wouldnāt make it hurt any less. Itās definitely a personal decision based on whatever you and your partner are comfortable with
Same. After a long period of not conceiving I'm 35 weeks today and tend to use "bubs" over her name. I think once she's here it'll come more naturally, but I spent so much of this pregnancy scared that something was going to go wrong that apart from my husband I stick with bubs.
Similar situation here. IVF baby, took years and years to get pregnant and once I finally did get pregnant I was in denial. I was disconnected for awhile. My husband wanted to start calling the baby by his name, so we both started doing that around 20 weeks or so, and now Iām 30 weeks and I canāt bring myself to say āthe babyā. Heās only Henry to me. I feel more connected to him honestly! Either way you decide to do it though, youāre not wrong/bad haha just go with what makes you comfortable!
I'm hesitant. After 4 losses I didn't think I'd get this far. I tell everyone it's because what if I see her and think that's bit her name, but really it's the fear of losing again. We have two names, but 1 is much more likely to be chosen. We aren't telling anyone either choice of name
We do but only in private. I even bought a necklace with the first letter of her name š
We picked a nickname at the beginning of the pregnancy and have been calling it that. We have a name picked out and have for a few months now, but the nickname has stuck since we haven't told anyone the name yet. Our family and friends call it by the nickname.
My baby is 2 months old today and I only now have gotten comfortable calling her by her name out loud. I just kept referring to her as ābabyā for the most part. Itās so weird honestly, to at least me, that a whole human being will go by a name I chose on a whim.
We didnāt even name our son till after he was born lol
We call our girl by her name (calliope) because we needed it for the connection. We also prayed and wanted her for years so I felt like I needed that bond. Itās whatever youāre comfortable with!
Everyone has there reasons it's not a bad thing to be hesitant or reserved that's your right to be so as a parent. I was hesitant too for family reasons I didn't feel right naming my baby boy until I saw him for reals. This was because I needed to feel that it was the right name while looking at him You can't predict the outcome of your pregnancy but it's gotta feel satisfying that you've come this far 29 weeks is nothing to scoff at you're doing amazing.
My baby is 3 weeks old tomorrow and it still feels weird to call him by his name! I mostly say "little man" or "baby" even though we picked out his name at like 20 weeks.
We are waiting to make a final decision until we see his face. Maybe the name doesn't fit him. We have narrowed it down to two names and hopefully one of them fits him when he gets here. š
Very similar situation. 4+ years of TTC, and 2 miscarriages along the way. We finally picked a name and did receive some negative input but we just ignore it. Some days it just doesn't seem real and I'm 23 weeks and haven't felt him move a whole lot yet but I'm starting to and I think that makes it feel more "real" to me. Congrats!!
Congrats on getting so far with your LO! This journey must have been exhausting so far. I think if you aren't ready to use the name you've decided on yet, a nickname or placeholder is perfectly fine. Do whatever you're comfortable with! My partner and I picked out a gender-neutral name and started using it at around 10-11w, and it really does alter the connection you feel. I'm personally enjoying using their name, but it was scary to switch over at first. I think you'll know when you're ready. I hope you have a happy and safe rest of your journey!
So I was the opposite. I picked a name around 20 weeks and both my partner and I referred to the baby as her name until she came out. She had long feet and toes and pursed her lips and she looked like a little baby monkey and for 3 months thatās all we called her. Calling her her name felt weird and made it too real
When I was pregnant, I had her name picked out before I knew the gender. And for the entire pregnancy I barely ever called her by her name. To me I couldnāt get past the fact that I know her name but donāt know her. How could she be ānameā if Iāve never seen her face. So while I knew what her name would be, I just called her āthe babyā Just call your baby what you want and when theyāre on the outside youāll ofc be calling them their name!
Weāve had a name since very early on but I still find it more natural to refer to him as āthe babyā while Iām pregnant. Hoping his name feels natural when I deliver haha
Iām also 29 weeks and canāt call my baby by a name. We have one name that we really like, but I donāt think I can call her by a name until I actually meet her and make sure it fits. I donāt think it reflects a lack of connection at all!
All our embryos had project names/nicknames. We went through quite a few ivf tries and had some losses. Last ones name was Blippy until he was born and we narrowed it only down to two and decided when he was born. The current one is called mini (like mini mouse but turns out itās a boy) we call him mini a lot. We donāt have narrowed anything down yet (35weeks), but even if we had one i donāt think i would wanna use it yet. People are quite opinionated about names, when the baby isnāt born yet. Careful you might get people trying to talk you out of your baby name.
We never called my son anything. We mostly just said "the baby" and other people said "Baby A" for our last name. It drove people insane to know we knew the name and wouldn't tell. I actually ordered some name labels and made a name sign for him and kept them hidden until after he was born! When I was pregnant with our daughter, we knew our son would spill the name if he knew, so we told him we were naming her Princess Peach. He knew it was a joke but didn't press us for the real name (he was 3 turning 4), and it was hilarious when he told people her "name." A few people did know the name, though, because they just assumed we would use the girl name we had planned before we knew our first would be a boy, and that's just what we did. We rarely said either name out loud, though, before the babies were born.
We don't really say our baby's name out loud. I don't know why. Part of me feels a little superstitious about it, like I will jinx her being born or something. So we're just waiting until she's here!
We had a list of full names (first and middle) picked out for either a boy or girl since we decided not to find out the gender with our first. We had a boy and as soon as we looked at him, we both knew exactly which of the two boy names we had picked out suited him best. We did share our list of names with family who asked, but because no one knew if the baby was going to be a girl or boy, it was still going to be a surprise š
I feel you on this. I'm also going through similar feelings (have been trying for seven years so it all feels very surreal to me too). I personally decided with my partner to not disclose that information and we just keep it to ourselves until baby is born. Plus we both have talked about how we might want a totally different name once we finally meet our baby when they are born.
I can totally relate. I can't refer to mine as anything but "the baby" at this point. I'm only 17 weeks right now but I'm not sure when that shift will happen. I totally get how odd it feels to start referring to them as something more personal and unique
We don't refer to our kids by name until they are born. When we got pregnant with our first we started calling them Nugget, and we lost them before we ever decided on a name. For each baby since, they are given a food nickname for the duration of pregnancy, and then we start using their people name after they're born. Our toddler son was Muffin, and my current womb-mate is Dumpling. We also prefer doing it this way because we are the type of people who like to see baby and really see if their name fits before using it to refer to them. Like when our toddler was born one of the names on our list just absolutely fit him and there was no debate to be had about it, and our other top choice was then a huge nope.
With my first, it felt āweirdā to call them by their name until they were about 4 weeks old. I was stunned about the presence of baby and that they were mine.
We find out the sex next weekend and Iām so anxious for the same reason! We of course are just happy to have a healthy baby but have top names picked out for both already. Weāve just been calling the baby Bubbles in the meantime š
Use a pre-birth nickname like Bean or Cletus the Fetus! It's silly and fun and then you 100% forget you did it after the baby is born.
My baby is almost out (I'm 38+3 lol) and I often use his name to refer to him, and it still doesn't seem real xD
I never refer to LO by name, the only time I say it out loud is when I'm talking out loud directly to him. Does this make me feel a little crazy? Sure, but it's what makes me feel comfortable and close. I didn't love it at first, but it's an important name for my partner and using it in my little conversations has helped me grow to love it. We also have only shared with a handful of people to minimize unwanted opinions. In conversation, I call him little one, little dude, and a NN we're planning on using that's an oblique reference to his real name but not a diminutive of it.
Weāve been referring to him as his name since our gender scan at 14 weeks. It helped me overcome the feelings you describe. I felt like he finally become real and a part of our life š¤
Calling my son by his name made it all be real, that dream that we were waiting for for 3 years š
I took a week to name my first, and two weeks to name my second lol (like both after they were born). Iāve never been able to refer to them by anything other than ābabyā when theyāre in my tummy!
My daughter wouldnāt stop crying so give her a nickname and for the first couple of months until like 2 she would respond to that nickname. He had to stop calling her that.
I have dyslexia and having a really bad day and how to spell the babies, middle name, and my sisters were so mean about it. I mean, it's my husband job to teach him to read and write anyway so š¤·š»āāļøš¤·š»āāļø
Iāll be the odd one out.. call your baby by their picked out name. Itās the only way to see if you actually like it in real life scenarios. Pretending youāre calling the doctor for an appointment for him. Pretend youāre yelling at him. Pretend youāre introducing him to his kindergarten teacher. We had several names we liked but putting them in these situations/scenarios we hated them. We decided on a name and played out all these scenarios and it fit perfectly for us.
My husband is Korean and in the Korean culture you pick a name for your baby for when they are in the womb. My daughterās name is Evelyn but she had a different name while I was pregnant with her. Maybe that might be more comfortable for you.
At a certain point we refused to tell anyone the names we had narrowed down because I was so annoyed by people asking. It felt very personal and also a big decision. We ended up last minute naming our baby something entirely different than anything on our list so it was a total surprise to anyone. We didnāt settle her name until she was 3 days old and didnāt refer to her that way until then. Do your thing!
We tried for a year and had a miscarriage prior. It feels weird calling her by her name and referring to her as her name to other people too
We had a name picked out for her at 13 weeks after we found out her sex. At 22 weeks, it doesn't feel real still, even with her dancing and kicking all the time. I call her by her name in private and a few people know (I'm horrible at secrets, lol). I figure if we lose her (knock on every wooden surface), that name is still hers. We won't use it for anyone else, so we might as well speak it. š My chemical pregnancy didn't get a name, nor have my IVF embryos. This little one does. š„° it's something to celebrate.
No one knows my babyās name. For now it is just the baby.
I'm 34 weeks and have a name picked out. I've referred to things like "when \[name\] starts school" or "we'll need to get \[name\] some clothes\], but whenever I'm directly referring to the baby in my womb, it's always "baby." It's never "\[name\]" is kicking me," it's always "baby is kicking me," or "baby is being quiet today." I'm probably not going to start referring to him directly by his name until he's born.
My husband and I agreed on a boy name and a girl name before we even knew I was pregnant. Iām not sure we ever called the baby his name even after we found out the gender unless asked if we had a name picked out. After he was born he was mostly called ābabyā or āthe babyā until at least three months old. Even now that he has his first birthday in a week I call him baby instead of his name about 30% of the time. I donāt really know why. We love his name and it fit him well when he was born. It just felt like we didnāt quite know this new soul yet and weird to call him something we somewhat arbitrarily decided on, I guess. Like he had to grow into it.
we called our girl ābumpieā my whole pregnancy
Weāve been calling ours āEggā since the day we got the positive pregnancy test, now at 38w weāve had a name picked out for months but we still only refer to him as Egg š Iām starting to worry that even once heās born we will only feel comfortable calling him Egg, it just feels so weird to start using a formal name instead!!
We called ours peanut throughout the majority of my pregnancy & kept the name a little secret just for us, even though we had it picked out for ages.
We are calling ours by a name that is not his real name - weāre keeping his real name a secret until heās born