When you're not thrilled with your baby's name
This may sound nuts.... I have a gorgeous 7 month old whom I love dearly in every way a mother should. The thing is, I've never been 100% in tune with her name. I used the only girl name I was crazy about on my older daughter, but for the younger sister, well...I agreed to it because it was far better than some of the other ones we were tossing around (except for one). I wanted a different, specific name due to family history and other reasons. It "fit". My husband said (perhaps rightly so) that it rhymed too much with big sister's name, that I had choosen the last name, and he had a negative association with a possible nickname. So to keep the peace and be fair, I agreed. The thing is, every time I tell someone my beautiful, perfect baby's name, I want to explain the whole story and say "What I REALLY wanted to name her is ********" (I actually did that a few times in the beginning with trusted friends, but not now out of respect for my baby girl). Sometimes it just seems that she was born with her own name and we didn't get it right. In addition, my husband was going through some serious mental issues around the time of her birth that very nearly ended our marriage. Now he's much better, and perhaps I have more time to worry about names, when before I could only worry about him and all the other issues that came with his problem. Don't get me wrong - I love this baby just as much as her sister, there's no question there. It's not about the baby and I've never been troubled with depression, post-partum or otherwise. It's just that I can't keep that tiny, nagging thought out of my mind - "Gee, ********* is OK, but I REALLY wish we'd named her ********". It's like having a tiny little rock in your shoe - it doesn't really hurt and you can live with it, but if you can't get it out, wouldn't you just like to get new shoes? I wish I could legally change her name. Has anyone heard of such a thing for a child her age? Does anyone else have nagging "reconsiderations" with a child's name? This next question borders on silly superstition which I don't really partake in - could this feeling of the "wrong" name somehow affect her, even if I never tell, and just force myself to get over it?Please let me know what you think. PS - The name I prefer is similar enough to the current one that it wouldn't be hard for my baby to relearn. However, using it for a nickname is too much of a stretch.
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When you're not thrilled with your baby's name  ·  Shannon  ·  11/3/2006, 11:50 AM
Please take this to the Opinions Board.  ·  Agata  ·  11/4/2006, 9:29 PM
This doesn't belong here....nt.  ·  LMS  ·  11/3/2006, 2:11 PM