Changed mind about baby name at birth?

bakedlaurabean

Has this happened to anyone here? DH and I are planning on naming our baby right when we find out if it's a boy or a girl (names are already picked). I've heard a lot of stories about people having a few different names they liked and then deciding the name at birth based on the baby and saying that some names just didn't suit the baby.

This makes me wonder if anyone out there has ever decided on a name (like really decided--name on the wall, stuff embroidered, been calling baby that for months, I'm talking official here) and then changed their mind at birth?

lo45fd98wq32

When my mom was pregnant with my sister, she wanted to be on team Green, like she was with me. Unfortunately, she had a lot of complications, including a cerclage, so it came out that she was a girl. We called her Shayna throughout her entire pregnancy. She had painted the wall with that name--her and my dad LOVED it.

Then my sister was born. And the moment my dad held her, he said, "I'm really sorry, but this isn't Shayna. This is Chelsey." It was a name they had discussed before, but definitely was not the choice.

My mom repainted, and my sister is definitely a Chelsey. For this reason, we will have a couple options at birth, and most likely a front-runner, but won't make the final decision until after birth. If that means the baby is nameless for a few hours cuz things are crazy, so be it.

bakedlaurabean

Thank you for sharing that story! The possibility of that scares me a little. I really love the idea of naming the baby before it's born so we can call him/her by name.

KSEDmini

When my cousins had their baby (the sex was a surprise) they had a girl name and a boy name picked out. The names had been chosen for about months. When the baby came, they said the name they had picked didn't really fit him so they came up with a new name. They waited until the next day to sign the birth certificate so they would have time to come up with a more fitting name.

MWoodside

I think the reason there are so many people in the world that have names that don't suit them is b/c so many parents name babies in utero.  We are narrowing it down to a few for each gender, then naming the baby once we meet it.  

Two of my girlfriends that had babies this past Sept had names all picked out & changed them at the last second. 

bakedlaurabean

MWoodside:

I think the reason there are so many people in the world that have names that don't suit them is b/c so many parents name babies in utero.  We are narrowing it down to a few for each gender, then naming the baby once we meet it.  

Two of my girlfriends that had babies this past Sept had names all picked out & changed them at the last second. 

I actually think there are very few people whose names don't suit them. I can't even think of anyone I know personally. My thoughts are that you can't tell a baby's personality any better right after birth than you can before they were born. The only difference is what they look like and even that changes.

These stories were all interesting, though. I think I will still plan on naming our baby right after we know if it's a boy/girl since it seems like most people I know love the name they picked. 

mlf625

Ditto, bakedlaurabean. ?Everyone I know has picked a name before birth (or one for each sex) and I know not ONE person who has switched that name at birth.

DS was Anderson from 12 weeks, and I can't for the life of me think of anything that would have been so compelling about him at birth to make that change. ?Newborns don't have much personality. ?;)?

PhilsWife07

MWoodside:

I think the reason there are so many people in the world that have names that don't suit them is b/c so many parents name babies in utero.  We are narrowing it down to a few for each gender, then naming the baby once we meet it.  

Two of my girlfriends that had babies this past Sept had names all picked out & changed them at the last second. 

I can't think of one instance in my life where I've met a person and thought "Gee, that name really doesn't suit them!" 

mrsV719

My niece was a name-change... My sis-in-law was going to name her Phoebe Elizabeth... and when she came out... she was so NOT a Phoebe... They waited a day... seriously... a day... maybe even two... and decided it would be Camilla... and she is such a Milla... and not a Phoebe... it's very weird how it happened.

 

But most people I know have the names picked out and stick with them... don't stress yourself out thinking "what if"... it will be just fine!

wheelenl

This gets asked on here a lot. My mom named me based on what I looked like at birth--I don't look a bit like that now (eye color, hair color, etc.)

I think it's mostly BS--some people might change their mind about a name but it's not usually because the baby looked like; the parents just had a change of heart when it came to putting pen to paper.

Mostly kids grow into names, not the other way around. Just don't pick a sh#$%%y name and you're fine. 

FutureMrs.Steen

PhilsWife07:

MWoodside:

I think the reason there are so many people in the world that have names that don't suit them is b/c so many parents name babies in utero.  We are narrowing it down to a few for each gender, then naming the baby once we meet it.  

Two of my girlfriends that had babies this past Sept had names all picked out & changed them at the last second. 

I can't think of one instance in my life where I've met a person and thought "Gee, that name really doesn't suit them!" 

Exactly. 

WheelerToBe

I agree I say this all the time on here but my sandy haired, fair skinned girl was a black headed red skinned baby.  The looks so don't stay the same.  I think a person makes a name.  I liked having a name in place before hand because I felt like the name was holding the place for the baby in our lives.  It was a person to us that we already knew.  Her looks wouldn't have changed that.

seniah_05

The only one among my siblings who came home with the "intended" name was one of my brother's.  The rest of us had a boy name and a girl name but they brought the list.  I was Colleen for an hour. 

And I have met people that when I've heard their name it does not suit them - their nickname, in some cases is more suitable - but there are people out  whose names just don't seem to "match them."