Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic I'm pregnant!

I'm going to be a mother!

I'm excited, but I'm also anxious because it's my first pregnancy and though I'm over 30, most of time I feel like I'm still a teen. I don't know if I'm ready to be mother of somebody, but I hope that I can be ready when this baby arrives. I'm 7 weeks along and the due date is November, 13. So far I have been lucky: no morning sickness, no nauseas and no cravings. I hope the next months keep on smooth. A girl can dream, right?

Tips, advices? Anything that a first-time mother should know?

Andreia

Congrats!

Glad to hear you've not been sick. That part stinks.

You'll get lots of good advice, but from me...

Trust your instincts. God gave them to you for a reason. I know you might be like 'but what do I know? This is my first baby?' but trust your gut. If your gut, way deep down, says everything's fine, then it probably is. If your gut says call your doc, call your doc. Whatever it is - trust it. I've found both for me and others, that we *knew* even without being able to put it into words that baby was coming that day/next day. DH even made fun of me one morning three weeks before one kid was due - 3 hours later we were at the hospital. So trust your gut instincts .

Congrats again!!!!

Carol

Congrats from me, too. But good advice? Uh, I think it's a good idea to participate in Lamaze (and other, pregnancy-related) classes. Not because the pain is lessened (I wouldn't know about that because I wasn't there), but because it's a great networking opportunity. The mothers there will be the same mothers you will meet in kindergarten or at school meetings, and it is of great advantage if you already have a friend there before you get started.

Another tip (about cravings): They might be crazy, but just go with them. I remember the time where I felt the need to actually lick salt from my finger several times a day. When I asked my ob/gyn about it, he said not to worry about salt, if I got too much into my system, my kidneys and an extra glass of water would take care of it. (Which is why I didn't need to worry about swollen legs or high blood pressure. I had the swollen legs anyway, but not because of the salt.)

Best of all: All mothers like to torture pregnant women - especially first-timers like you - with horrid tales about everything from morning sickness to extra painful deliveries. Just grin - and take it easy. It won't be that bad, anyway.

About episiotomy: Yes, it is uncomfortable and tends to itch when healing - but if you tear, it's worse because the healing takes longer. Way longer. And believe me, you can tear all around the vagina, which can be highly painful for weeks to come. (Been there, done that...) Frankly, should I ever get pregnant again, I'd actually ask for an episiotomy, controversy be damned.

Congratulations! Yes, all good advice. Sleep on your left side when you get bigger. It's more comfortable because of the way the organs are arranged. Elevate your feet a lot as you get into your third trimester. You will get hot, you will get cold no matter the weather outside. Put on coats as your temperature indicates, not the weather. If you have specific issues in future, ask. Specific questions, ask Nan Smith. She has seven kids and multiple grandchildren and was a nurse. Most of all, have fun!
regards
Artemis, mother of 2, grandmother of 2

First: CONGRATS!

Second: (and illustrative of the fact that you will get contrary advice all over the place...) I've actually heard tearing heals better than episiotomy - the former creates natural jags that close together better than a straight, forced cut. A way to avoid the tearing altogether, however, (according to my mother - I haven't tried it yet :p ) is to get lotion/oil (talk to your doctor about what's appropriate for that area) and apply it every day, multiple times a day, for about six weeks prior to due date (I'd say birth, but obviously, you can't predict that beyond the due date!). It prepares the skin for stretching so it won't tear *or* need an episiotomy.

(Again, this is from my mom - but she did that three times and recovered way faster from that aspect of birth than any of my aunts, who did not do it/got episiotomies.)

Congrats!

Bethy

Congratulations! You're lucky with the morning sickness, that's a pain and a half. It could still strike at this stage, you're not really out of the woods with that until you hit your second trimester. Hopefully you'll be lucky and not get it, though.

I'd like to second the recommendation to ask Nan Smith questions. She's great at answering questions the best she can and will tell you if it's outside her knowledge and not try to fake it.

Let's see, pregnancy advice. Feel free to ignore anyone who starts telling you horror stories. Also, feel free to tell anyone who wants to touch your stomach, especially when you get bigger, to keep their hands to themselves! It's weird how some people seem to think that if you're pregnant, they can say and do whatever they want to.

And you probably won't be ready when your little one makes their appearance. I certainly wasn't and, from what I've heard, no one really is. Just do the best you can and it'll all work out

Tara

Absolutely agree with this. In fact, feel free to tell people to stop talking about horror stories in front you. Pregnancy and birth are hard enough without having horrible images in your head.

I suggest hanging out at http://www.mothering.com/discussions/ a bit. I've learned so much there.

And, finally, watch out for the nosebleeds.

Lisa
27 weeks 5 days pregnant

Congratulations!!

Enjoy, relax and as Carol said, trust your instincts. Nobody else can mother your child better than you can.

Rest, rest and more rest. In my experience, things go downhill quickly if you get tired. So, if you're tired, close the curtains, take the phone off the hook and go to bed, regardless of the time of day.

As others said, ignore the horror stories. My biggest baby was also the easiest. 50 minutes of almost pain-free labour, and there he was.

And as others have mentioned tearing/cutting, I thought I'd add my 2 cents - I had 5 babies and not one stitch - no tears, no cuts. Maybe I was lucky, but it does prove tearing is not a given.

This is going to be a great time in your life. Have fun.


Corrina

Congratulations!!

Wow, this is the second announcement I've heard in a day (and second one with none of the icky symptoms as well). I wonder if I missed the memo. No one's ever truly ready beforehand, but it'll be amazing.

Congrats,
JD

Congratulations!

True, I've heard that, too. But then, I happened to tear (heavily) towards the front, and one of the tears didn't heal completely because the surtures came undone a little bit too early. Only when the present midwife saw that I was already torn, she finally did the episiotomy, so I got to experience both tearing and the cut at the same time. And, believe it or not, the cut, although it still itches occasionally (which I can easily ignore) healed much faster and with less pain and much less itching than the tears I suffered.

Another good point of advice I am sure everybody will agree upon: Don't let it bother you when other mothers tell you what their children can/could do at what age. No matter who tells her stories, your child will always look bad in comparison. Why is that? Well, for one, proud mothers only tell you about the *good* stuff. Second, they tend to exaggerate shamelessly. Third, there are phases where a baby sleeps through (for example), and its mother will tell everybody about it. But surprise, this phase usually ends, and guess what? You won't hear about it until you meet that particular mother at night, going for a walk with her squealing baby. Fourth, some mothers even lie outrageously when it comes to their (always absolutely perfect) children.

Just go with this: Unless an expert (like your pediatrician and - maybe - your mother) tells you otherwise, your child is perfectly normal. Note that mother-in-laws as a rule do not make for good experts: Her son was the perfect baby (as were his siblings), and compared to him, yours always comes up short.

About sleeping through: If you are lucky, and your child starts sleeping through before it reaches three months. Besides, your child may sleep through most of the day. Congratulations. Being a mother can be so easy, and you are incredibly lucky.

On the other hand, there are children who don't sleep through until they are four years old and even refuse to go to sleep easily during daytime. Instead, they stare at you (and everything of interest) with wide, curious eyes and want to be occupied with something new every five minutes before they are half a year old. If your child is like this, congratulations: Your child shows early signs of high intelligence. It's hard work, but it's so rewarding.

I'll add my congrats to the others... I'm so happy for you!

Advice:

Drink ginger ale if you're sick; the ginger and the carbonation can both help.

Sleep on a waterbed. If you don't have one, when you're pretty far along, see if you can rent one 'cause they support you better than a flat mattress.

Do childbirth classes of some sort -- my labor with my second baby came on quick and I ended up going through transition while on the way to the hospital. The point of the breathing is to help you relax; when you're relaxed it really doesn't hurt as much. Honest. I also learned exercises to do when things ached, and it's good to get to know other mommies-to-be.

Your body knows what it's doing. So don't worry too much if you feel like you don't.

When you're 8 or 9 months along, it can be pretty entertaining to watch your bare belly while the baby shifts and creates moving lumps on the surface.

It will feel like forever, but honestly, you'll only be pregnant for a very small percentage of your lifetime, so try to enjoy it.

After the baby's born, try nursing. If you don't like it or it doesn't work out for whatever reason, you can quit, but if you never try you'll never know. Mother's milk is better for babies than formula. Plus when you go out you don't have to pack bottles Although you do have to watch what you eat; my son reacted badly if I ate onions, and my daughter reacted very badly when I ate chocolate. And one time the contents of the diaper smelled distinctly garlicky

Most important -- if at all possible, plan to sleep with your baby for the first six weeks or so; both of you will sleep better that way. To avoid the worry of rolling over on her, I slept on a recliner with my daughter. She woke up every few hours; I'd wake up just enough to nurse her and change her diaper, and then we'd both go back to sleep. I had supplies at hand so I didn't have to get up at all. That was *so* much better than when my son was in the bassinet and I had to get up out of bed three-four times a night, and then wait and try to get him back to sleep before setting him back in the bassinet (at which point he'd often wake up again) and then finally crawling back into my bed. That was exhausting and crazy-making; avoid it if you can.

PJ

Thank you for all the advices, girls. I have an appointment with my doc next Monday and I'm going to talk to her about some of the suggestions.

I'll have a four month leave and I intend to nurse during this time. I wanted to keep nursing at least the first year, because I know it's important. When I go back to work I'll have to see how I'll manage it.

If you have some more advice, it'll be welcome. And congratulations, Lisa.

Welcome to the club! I never made an official announcement, but I am due with my first child later this spring.

And I hate to say this, but I didn't feel like crap until about 10 weeks into things. And then it lasted for about a lifetime.

My advice: If you find something you can tolerate eating, don't feel guilty for eating it five days in a row. I was like that with macaroni and cheese and lemonade, but it was the only things I really could eat without throwing up. I got my appetite back about 20 weeks along, and now I don't even want to look at macaroni and cheese.

And I second the ignoring of everyone's horror stories. You can only hear people talk about what tore and what didn't come out and what did come out so long before you start to go crazy. Every pregnancy is different.

Thank you! You, too. (Can't believe I forgot to say that before!) I'm very excited about all the new little FoLCs joining us in '09!

Congrats Andreia and Lisa!

Mona

I'd like to second Pam's suggestion of sleeping with your little one. I would never have gotten any sleep with my first otherwise, he was a horrible sleeper. You'll probably get more sleep and it'll be easier if your breastfeeding.

Tara

ps, is there a club ? How many of us are pregnant right now? I haven't made an official announcement yet, either, but I'm about 10 weeks along, now.

I have an announcement...

I'm *not* pregnant .

I would love to be pregnant again but DH says we're done at 4...

Personally - I *could* *not* sleep with my kids in bed with me. Or a recliner. I absolutely could not sleep. I did very well with them in a bassinet next to me. I would nurse in bed and then back to bed, but I've been blessed, overall, with good sleepers. DS' health problems meant that I was up with him a minimum of every 3 hours for... 6-8 months. The last two months of that was more like every 90-120 minutes. Talk about sleep deprivation...

My advice there - see what works for you and baby .

Carol

I think we're up to four with me, Starkat, Lisa and Andreia.

Clearly, some of us have spent less time watching L&C and more time, uh, doing other things. We're baaaad FoLCs.

Woo! Sleepless FoLCs club! We'll have to resurrect the loisclark channel on IRC for when we're all up in the middle of the night!

LOL, yes, I remember when Michael was a baby, going on IRC and getting to know all the Aussie & Kiwi folcs real well

edited to add:

It can be done, I'm told, but I'm sure it's a challenge. But, you know, even if it ends there, four months is better than nothing... as baby gets bigger you won't be nursing as much, anyway, so it might end up that you give breakfast and dinner, and let someone else provide lunch. Anyway, do the best you can, and don't worry about what you can't.

PJ

p.s., do you have Cheerios & Goldfish in Brazil? Those are terrific finger foods, and are universally popular among moms I know

Andreia!!!!

*dances*

I'm so happy for you! Yay! You will make a wonderful mommy!!!

From one expecting mommy to another (yep, me too - due date is Sept 20th) be glad you are not having nausea... it's the pits. I'm in my 2nd trimester and everyone swore the nausea would get better but unfortunately, mine's gotten worse. It's no picnic, let me tell ya. I was bound and determined not to take any meds, but I finally broke down and started taking Dramamine (only when absolutely necessary)

*hugs Andreia*

How fun!!! We can be new (over 30's) mommies together. I'm so happy for you!!!

-- DJ

P.S. - Are you going to find out what it is? I am. I have my ultrasound on Apr 29th. If you do find out, you'll have to let me know.

For nausea, keep crackers by your bedside and eat two or three *before* you get up in the morning. The nausea is caused by your uterus swelling with the baby and pushing on your stomach. That and your hormones running rampant.
I love to knit and crochet and found out that close work like that made me sea sick toward the end of pregnancy. So just do what makes you comfortable.
And have fun! They grow up quickly.

Artemis

Unfortunately for me, my nausea isn't in the morning (I actually feel the best then.) It sets in mid-afternoon and lasts until bedtime... And all the crackers, peppermints, and ginger in the world don't seem to help. I've only finally gotten relief from a once-a-day Dramamine. Doc told me I could take it as often as every 4 hours but I try to only take it once a day (twice if absolutely necessary) hate the thought of having to take meds But I was getting to the point that I couldn't function. Ugh.

So, if you still aren't nauseas, Andreia, thank the heavens above.

-- DJ

I can sympathize DJ. Mine never got quite that bad but it was pretty miserable and lasted off and on the whole time.

Nancy/Anonpip has had a really rough time of it [she's announced it over on the fic side of things] but she's had the all day sickness to the nth degree.

What's that now? Six? DH is still determined we're not going to make it seven...

I'm trying to remember what helped me, but I think I'm going to have to go with 'nothing' though I was never *debilitated* by it - not really - so... Peppermints occasionally.

Carol

From a dad who's all done having children (his wife is done, too), congratulations to all the expectant mommies in FOLCdom! I do not, of course, know from personal experience what you might be experiencing, but I've seen my wife go through some of it, and I can tell you that it's no picnic watching the woman you love ache or hurt or get sick and know two things: there's not a blessed thing you can do to help her, and it's largely your fault she's going through all this stuff.

I hope all the deliveries are smooth and swift. And I hope that your little bundles of joy thrive and give you all the love you can handle.

Aww, Terry, you got me and my raging hormones all teary.

I know of a seventh, but I don't know if she has announced it on the boards. I'll send her right over.

Yow, what's in the water over here?!?!

So, from what I can tell, in order, it's:

Me: June (and trying to ignore that she's first)
Lisa: June
Nancy: Summer
DJ: September
Tara: Fall
Andreia: November

Oh, and for what it's worth: The nausea starts coming back in the third trimester. I'm just overjoyed.

Congratulations to all of the new mothers!

Regarding sleep - with or without the baby. Here's what we did.

The baby slept close, but not in our bed. When the baby woke, I would nudge my husband, he'd go and get the baby and bring it back to me to feed. He'd go back to sleep.

While feeding the baby, I'd mostly sleep too.

When the baby was finished, I'd nudge my husband again and he'd take the baby back. Usually I'd be asleep again before he was back in bed.

Unless the baby was particularly unsettled, the baby got fed and neither my husband nor I missed out on too much sleep.

That's so sweet, Terry, thank you!

My edd is October 25, so it's:

EditorJax: June (and trying to ignore that she's first) (#1)
Lisa: June
Nancy: Summer
DJ: September (#1?)
Tara: October 25ish (#3)
Andreia: November (#1)

How many of us are first timers? This is #3 for me.

Oh, I almost forgot, one thing that a lot of women in my expecting club on iVillage swore by when I was pregnant with my daughter was something called seabands. I guess they use pressure points to relieve motion sickness or morning sickness. I could never find any, but I'm told they're easier to find, now. They have them on amazon.com if you can't find them anywhere else. I don't know if you've tried them, DJ, but you might want to give them a shot. What can it hurt, right?

Tara

Congratulations to all the expecting mothers!

I've never been pregnant, so I can't attest to nausea cures related to that. However, about three years ago, I had a two-month bout with vertigo. Because I get motion sickness, I had to do something to ease my constant nausea. I couldn't take dramamine, because it knocked me out cold for over 14 hours and even after I got up I felt like I was in a slow-motion haze. Someone recommended sea bands, and I tried them. I swear by them now for nausea. They're a little uncomfortable at first, but you get used to it pretty quickly. Worked like a charm!

I didn't know about sea bands when I was pregnant, but when I became a scuba diver I found out about them and used them constantly. I get very sea sick on small boats. Most dive boats are small boats. Underwater it is calm, but the surface can be murder on an anchored boat. I now fly regularly with sea bands for rough air.
For those that don't know, they are a set of wrist bands with a small bead that goes over your pulse point on each wrist. Set it 2 fingers up the inside of your wrist from your palm. The British rescue sea service uses them constantly. I've even seen them in Wal Mart now. But you can get them at scuba or sport stores.

Artemis

And after all that work, this is what you get!



good luck all!

Artemis

#1 for me!

DJ! I'm so happy for you, too! Congratulations for the baby and for the Kerth! I hope you get better. (((((DJ)))))

I'm going to find out what it is, too. I have an appointment with my doctor today and I must schedule the next ultrasound, but it should be after yours. When you find out what it is, let me know, too. I'm very curious.

Terry, that was sweet. Thank you.

What a cute baby, Artemis!

Wow, the list is growing. We're going to have a lot of new little FOLCs along the year.

My first little FOLC is turning 12 today... And my Kerth baby will be 10 next week!

DJ, I had "afternoon morning sickness" too, and it's miserable. About halfway through the second pregnancy, I figured out that it had to do with my stomach being empty, so if I could eat in the morning (before it started) and then nibble on things all day long, it wasn't quite so bad... but once I was hungry, I was too sick to eat. Feeling like you're starving while you're unable to eat a thing is not fun.

PJ

Thanks for all the tips everyone! Some of them I've tried and some I haven't... I'll definitely look into the seaband thing. Thanks.

And, yes, this is our #1 (and a surprise)

Andreia, I will definitely let you know when I find out what it is. And I'll be so glad to be able to quit calling it... well, an "it." LOL. Then we get to start working on a name. Heh.

Awww, just think about all the new baby FoLCs (love that picture, Artemis - too cute)

-- DJ

P.S. - Thanks Terry! Awww....

I have never been pregnant and can't offer any advice, but I have to say congratulations to all new moms on these boards!

Ann

Bless you Tara! *hugs*

I ordered a pair of sea bands from Amazon. I got them yesterday and much to my relief... they work! Woo-hoo! When I haven't been able to get anything but Dramamine to work... these are doing the trick so far, and without any meds! (Why hadn't anyone else told me about these? Ugh!)

*does happy dance*

Anyway, just had to come thank you.

That's wonderful! I've heard good things about them and probably should have tried them, myself, especially with my second baby. I was constantly a little queasy with her. I actually lost 5 pounds because of that.

Fortunately, most women don't need things like that after they hit the second trimester, so you might not need them for long. Good luck

Tara

Seabands are handy for many things, like being driven on a windy road (somehow if you're driving you don't get sick) and airplane turbulence and boats in choppy waters. Now that you've learned the trick, you can do the same thing without the bands themselves if you forget them. You found the pressure points, now just use the thumbs of the opposite hand to hold the same points. Yes, you can do two hands. Cross your hands, palms facing each other and use your thumbs. This works great for brief bouts of air turbulence, or a sudden urp during pregnancy. I sure wish I'd known about them then.
Glad they helped and good luck.

Artemis

Congrats, Andreia! )

Raquel

Oh, good news! Congratulations to you and Adam, Raquel. Wow, pregnancy seems to running around the boards! A little girl is a nice one to train on. Boys are a little more work! Try my trick with the seabands if you get morning sickness again!
Hard to believe our youngest grandson (picture posted above) is turning 1 on April 28.
You two will be great parents.
regards
Artemis & Hubby

Raquel, what great news! I'm so happy for you! We'll be mommies almost together (you beat me for some weeks). When you bring your little girl to Brazil our babies can play together. I still don't know the sex, but we must find out in some more weeks (Marcos says it'll be a girl - we'll see if he is right). Thanks God I haven't felt morning sickness so far. But in the beginning I felt like sleeping the whole day, too. It was no fun. I hope you get better.

Congratulations to you and Adam. I'm sure you'll be terrific parents.

Andreia

Yeah, I was absolutely, 100 percent, totally convinced mine was a girl, too, until we went to the ultrasound and saw that SHE had testicles. I'm just saying.

And a word of advice to the 2nd Tri girls: Get your sleep while you can. I seriously cannot sleep these days without waking up 5-10 times a night. And rolling from my back to my side takes a herculan effort. Get. A. Body. Pillow. Right now, I just may love it a little more than I love my husband.

Jen speaks wise words here.

Yes... It took me five years to get this 'waking-up-for-rolling-to-another-side' out of my system.

oh, Wow. Congrats, everyone!

I'm the 7th! I'm due in Aug but looks like little Ellie may show up a little prematurely. We'll see! Congrats to all the moms-to-be!

I 2nd a lot of the advice I read but don't feel like going back to say which ones. Ha! One of the side effects of pregnancy... laziness (i.e. fatigue). I can however, 2nd Jenn's suggestion of Mac N' Cheese. Mmmmmm... let me tell you. Kraft in a box is H.E.A.V.E.N.

It's not laziness! Gestating is very hard work! Your body is very busy building a whole new human being, after all... just because you can't see it doesn't mean it's not taking up lots of energy.

PJ

Very True Pam. I really was just being lazy not wanting to go back and re-read all the advice. I just thought I would try and use being pregnant as my excuse. LOL

I'm back with an update FoLCs!

*drumroll please*

She's a girl! Weeeeee! I just had to let you all know.

-- DJ

Congrats, DJ! That's wonderful news.

That is great, DJ! I'm happy for you!

Have you already chosen a name? That is harder than I thought it'd be.

Andreia

Congrats! Little girls are so much fun!

So, have you started looking at names yet? That can be the most frustrating part of having a baby, trust me. My husband is picking names this time for us and all he has so far is two first names, lol.

Tara

About the name thing, I am glad we're having a boy because while we easily decided on a name for him, if it had been a girl, coming to an agreement would have been a lot harder. Apparently the "it's coming out of me; I get the final say" reasoning doesn't work if you're not in a made-for-TV movie.

And may I add that the new bane of my existence is putting together baby gear? I swear that Satan works for Fisher-Price.

Hubby and I are still debating the name issue. We actually have it narrowed down to two names that we are going to put together, but it's the order of the names that's getting us. LOL!

I don't know if this is helpful or not, but one of my criteria on picking a name was that it was distinctive enough and short enough that when you yelled at a playground, your kid would know it's his name. That sort of leaves out the wildly popular names. If you yell "Rachel" and 20 kids come to you, it's not good.
I did draw the line on something like "Moon Unit Zappa" though. Word is she didn't particularly like that name. Then there is George Forman 1 through 20 or something. Remember your kid has to live with your decision!

Artemis

Funny, it worked for me. I also reminded him that that last name is his, therefore the first and middle should be mine (my decision, anyway)!

That being said, I wouldn't choose anything Daniel really didn't like. I value my pleasant marital relationship!

CONGRATS!!!!

From James and Elisabeth

Congrats!

Yes, congrats!

Ann

Congrats from me, too.

I remember the name thing rather fondly. *I* had made up my mind for two names to give my daughter, one of which I knew her father liked very much, and that was that. It's distincitve, but highly unusual around here. Thus, she did need a rather common second name to go with it, anyway. (I guess we were lucky to have been able to call our daughter that, anyway. German government regulations can be a pain in the back about that sort of thing.)

Think of a name that will look good on a graduation certificate. I have a neice named "Julie" -- not Julia, just Julie. Nothing wrong with that, I just think "Julia" would sound more dignified on official paperwork. People ought to have names that they can dress up or down, depending on the circumstances.

I knew that if I was having a boy, I wanted him to have his dad's middle name (dad is usually called Kelley, but his first name is really Joseph). But I didn't want two Kelley's in the family, so I needed a first name that went with it... took forever, but I finally chose "Michael"

With my daughter, it was totally, "oh, what sounds pretty?" but won't be too common or too unserious.

Actually, I named my daughter several years before I got pregnant the first time I know what I'd call another girl, too, but have decided we don't need to go there.

And... regulations? There are laws in Germany about which names you can give your kid?? That's really ... different from here. We get people making up names all the time (although apparently a lot of people still like "Rachel") and all you have to do is spell it correctly (whichever spelling you choose) on the birth certificate.

PJ

I've heard about that government naming thing in some countries. I'm glad we don't do that here, although in some cases, parents here can go way too far. Anyone hear about the parents who named their kid Hitler? Or Talula does the Hula from Hawaii? Which I think think a judge said they couldn't name their daughter, anyway. Or some of those celebrity names? It's nuts!

I doubt anyone here would go nuts naming their kids, though. None of us are the crazy types.

Tara

Are you going to judge me if I say I am naming my son Pinky Kal-El von Bunny?

I wanted something different, and unique, and you know, Crap Bag was already taken. (Ahh, I love "Friends.")

I know what you mean Pam.

Maggie really isn't a lawyer name but L. Margaret is . [Which is like ML backwards... /me ponders...] She is a Maggie but should she ever decide she needs a professional name, she has one .

Carol

I'm assuming we have enough advances in technology now that this shouldn't be a worry, but my mother had Michael all picked out and ready to go for me after the doctor told her she was having a boy...

Congrats all!!!
Jen

Well, yes. First of all, each child needs one name that is definitely female (for girls) or definitely male (for boys). Since some names can be used for both genders (like Toni), people who wanted to call their child that would need a middle name that is unique for the child's gender. Obviously, somewhere there must be a list of names appropriate for both from which you have to choose, although I've never seen such a list. Although, if you are from another country and can prove that the name you want to call your child is common in your home country *and* only available for one gender, an exception will be made. *sigh*

Next thing is something that has been brought up to court several times, and last thing I know, the number of names you can give a child is limited to five. (Who needs that many names, anyway?)

Anyway, our choices got accepted without even a raised eyebrow. As I said, we were lucky, considering a friend got trouble with naming her daughter Ashley Virginia...

I remember those. I remember the little boy who was named Hitler - he was an American, and he was adorably cute. His parents seemed nuts, though, even though they obviously loved their boy. I don't remember what happened to him, but I do remember the girl who was named Talulah does the Hula from Hawaii. Talulah etc. was from Australia or New Zealand or something like that, and she complained to authorities that she was unhappy with her name. The authorities agreed with her so wholeheartedly that the girl was made a ward of the state. In other words, her parents lost custody of her. When the girl was no longer under her parents' jurisdiction, she was free to change her name, and she did.



Adolf Hitler Campbell. Doesn't the boy look like an angel?

Ann

P.S. Apparently the little boy was removed from his parents, along with his sisters. The link is here. Poor boy. I think he would rather have stayed with his parents. But how can you get the idea into your head to name your kid Hitler????

In Brazil there isn't any laws about names and you can find people with some very odd names. If a person feels that her/his name is embarrassing or that it causes her/him trouble, she/he can get legal authorization to change this name.

Well, when Brazil was an empire belonging to Portugal, our Portuguese rulers had very looooong names. Imperator Peter I's full name was "Peter of Alcantara Francis Anthony John Charles Xavier of Paula Michael Raphael Joaquim Joseph Gonzaga Pascal Cyprian Seraphim of Braganza and Bourbonn" and his sister Princess Isabel was "Isabel Mary of Conception Joan Gualberta Anne Francis of Assisi of Paula of Alcântara Antonia Raphaela Michaela Gabrielle Joachina Gonzaga of Braganza and Borbón". Their father was King John VI, and his full name was "Don John Mary Joseph Francis Javier of Paula Louis Anthony Dominic Raphael of Braganza". I wonder if they remembered their full names.

It is confusing when names aren't immediately gender specific. You see a name on a list that says "Blair Hunter Jones" and really, what do you assume? At this point, I'd guess it was a girl, but who knows. And then there's Courtney, the young man who lives right next to us.

Lots of men's names tend to migrate over to becoming women's names. "Laurie" used to be short for Lawrence. Florence, apparently, started out as a guy's name (if PBS did not mislead me) Kelley means "warrior". etc.

My favorite name story is of the mom who just couldn't find a name she liked, and finally in desperation decided on Lemonjello -- yes, that's right, she named the kid lemon jello. With the right accent it even sounded kinda cool "le-MON-gel-lo". I can't vouch for the truthfulness of the story, though; I heard it in high school which was twenty years ago.

PJ

Pam - I've heard the lemonjello and orangello stories, too...from enough sources that I now think it's probably an urban legend.

I remember the news stories about the kid named Adolf Hitler too. I remember thinking it was a horrible choice, but at the same time being very glad that I live in a country that allows that personal choice. And, iirc, the kids were NOT taken because of the names - Child Services couldn't release details, but they DID have other justification.

And speaking of a non-graduation-diploma sounding name - my uncle's official name is Jimmie Lyn(n?). After calling my dad Ronnie and never Ronald, my grandparents decided there was no reason to name the next two Lawrence and James - oh, no, their given names would be Larry and Jimmie. :rolleyes:

Actually, my RL name is originally a boy name - and spelled the boy way (which means my debit card in France came addressed to MR!). I told a friend that after reading an amazon review of a regency romance with a Lord Bethy's-RL-name, I knew I couldn't read the actual book - because that name is not supposed to go with HE! This friend found that funny enough that he now calls me Lord Bethy's-RL-name.

Ah, fun with names.

And good luck, all you preggers ladies, figuring out what to call your coming blessings! I know it can be hard to find that balance between unique and not-mocking-worthy, but I have faith that you can!!! (And CONGRATS!)

Bethy

Hmmmm. I just read in my Swedish daily that authorities here are pondering whether a couple can name their kid "Q". It didn't say whether the child is a boy or a girl, but I suppose it is a boy.

Ann

When I worked in the maternity unit, there was one young girl who wanted to name her kid "Blue Smurf". Our head nurse, who filled out the birth certificates to send to the state, flatly refused to put that name on the birth certificate. The lucky kid ended up with a decent name.

Then there was Heaven Lee. I've actually run across a few of these.

I guess all in all, Q isn't bad when compared to Hitler or Talulah whatever. And think about that poor kid named Hitler. He's going to have it rough in school.

Then there's the actor Nicolas Cage who named his kid "Kal-El". Hey, I bet were all for that name.

The sisters, Ima Hogg and Youra Hogg really existed. There is some controversy over whether Youra was real - mostly because people question whether the name is a real name. It is. My grandfather's first wife was named Youra (not Hogg, though).

And let's not forget Penn Jillette's (of Penn and Teller) daughter's name - Moxie CrimeFighter.

I'm all for uncommon names but not cruel and unusual. Hitler?! /shakes head

I've had my little girl's name picked out since I was a little girl and saw an awesome 80's George Lucas movie (no it's not Star Wars). The character was a cute little red headed baby. Any guesses?

My younger sister had a girl in her class whose name was Holly Wood. Gag!

Tara

When my wife was in the hospital having our first child, a nurse told me of a teen mother who either received lots of medication during labor or was already self-medicated when they brought the baby to her for the first time. She allegedly looked at the baby's ID bracelet and assumed that her daughter's name was Fe-mal-e.

It was told to me as true, though I can't vouch for the veracity of it.

I've also heard this, Terry. I've heard it pronounced as if it was Spanish. Like tamale...

I heard that story, too, except it was a redneck couple, not a teen mother, lol! Definately an urban legend.

Tara

http://www.snopes.com/racial/language/names.asp

Well, I'm a military brat and so when living in England and Germany I got ribbed a lot for having a boy's name (Robin). I have asked my parents if it was just too much trouble to give it a feminine spelling- Robyn or (better) Robynne. Sigh. Then where I work wanted to use employees' last name and first initials for e-mail addresses. Which soulds great until there is already a lastnamer so they have to go to first and second letters- lastnamero. I come along and get lastnamerob. I just got so disgusted, then, getting e-mails addressed, "Hello, Rob," that I complained. I mentioned gender discrimination or something. Probably overboard, but I just did not need to get called Rob everyday! They agreed to change it to lastnamerkn.

So, bad first names matched with odd last names. My mom went to school with a boy whose last name was Popp. He named his children Lolly and Soda. Of course, Lolly could change her last name when she married and Lolly Smith wouldn't really make anyone think twice. But Soda as stuck as Soda Popp unless he decided to legally change his name.

So to you 8 pregnant ladies, of whom I am both intensely jealous -tick, tick, tick goes my over 30 biological clock as my eggs begin to resemble out of date raisins- and intensely relieved that it is not me

Har, when my dad worked in Delivery, he said people aka teenagers used to name their kids Fe-mal-e or Ma-le alll the time.

JD

Hey rkn ... Robin

My daughter is called Robyn. Here in Australia it is definitely a female name, even when spelt Robin.

The only male I knew called Robin insisted on being called Rob and spent his schooldays being teased for having a girl's name.

Hmmm. Former tennis champion Björn Borg, one of the most famous Swedes ever, named his oldest son Robin. A popular (male) Swedish ice hockey player is also named Robin. I have had a few (male) students named Robin, but never a girl student named Robin.

I grew up with Batman and Robin. Batman's Robin is a boy, right? And then there is Robin Hood. He's a boy too, isn't he? I mean, Robin Hood and Maid Marion as two girls... that's not how I picture romance in the Sherwood forest! Hey, I'm all for gay marriage, but Robin Hood should not be gay! Particularly not a gay girl!

So I was absolutely floored some time back in the seventies or eighties when I was told that Robin is a girl's name in the United States, and you can't call a boy Robin in the States because that would be ridiculous!

Ann

You know, I've always thought of Robin as a girl's name. I know there are boys named Robin, but if I were to run into one, I think I'd be really surprised. All of the Robin's I've run into have been girls. Not that I've run into many. I actually thought the author, Robin Cook, was a woman, lol! And I figured the whole Robin Hood name was a cultural difference or something. He is set in the past, after all.

Tara

As in Sweden, Robin is considered a boy's name in Germany. I still get confused when I hear of a female Robin.

But then, there are also many names that can be used for either gender.

Well, as one person drops off the list, another is added. I found out about 2 weeks ago that I'm pregnant. I'm currently about 6-7 weeks along, probably due around mid-to-late January, and I had my first ultrasound today. Hearing the heartbeat really made it real! No real morning sickness so far, just queasiness when I don't eat regularly. I've been so excited that I wanted to say something, but also so scared that something will go wrong that I didn't want to say anything, either.

{{{{KAREN}}}}

YAY!

Am so happy for you!

Talk about timing... .

Carol

Karen! I'm so excited for you. And for all the other future parents on the boards.

Several years ago, it was a different group of FoLCs who were having babies all around the same time (being on the Kerth committee was the best fertility drug around, apparently. *bg*) My "Kerth baby" is now 8 years old, but I still remember how fun it was to have a group of friends to swap stories and advice with. I'm thrilled that the rest of you get to enjoy it, too!

Hey, waitaminute. I was on the committee this year. I think you're right!

Karen! I am SO excited for you! (I am also so glad I dragged my half-dead self to the computer!)

I can't wait to find out if I should buy you a pink or a blue ficus ... you know, for the nursery!

And enjoy the lack of nausea while it lasts. I recommend lemons in bulk.

Congrats Karen!

Lisa (who is somewhat jealous that Jen has already given birth -- 3 weeks or so to go)

Congratulations, Karen!

Ann

{{{Karen}}}

So happy and excited for you!

PJ
(whose Kerth baby is 10 )

Congratulations, Karen! Welcome to the club!

Tara

Congratulations to the newest mommy-to-be! I'm so happy for you! Hope you have an easy time. I'm 17 weeks along and haven't had morning sickness so far, just this queasiness when I spend a long time without eating. I hope you have the same lucky.

Andreia

We just found out today, we're having a girl! She's looking really healthy, too!


Tara

Tara, welcome to Team Pink!

Raquel (who thinks her baby daughter is going to be a soccer player because she is kicking her so much! )

Yay, Tara!

We're having a girl, too!

Since the beginning my husband was sure we would be having a girl. It turns out he was right all along.

Now to the task of shopping for clothes, decoration and furniture. And the harder task: agreeing on a name.

Andreia (19 weeks along)

Congrats ladies!

When I was pregnant the last time, DD[now]7 was right on. The day before I took the test, she told her teacher she was having a baby brother. Then she told me to the tell the doctor that we needed a boy baby. Told her that it wasn't up to the doctor but it was up to God. She said tell God we need a boy baby.

Sure enough - we had a boy .

Carol

Hey, Andreia, congrats on your little girl! Welcome to Team Pink too!

Adam and I already have a name picked up for our little girl(finally!) but we're keeping it a surprise until she is born because we got sick of all the comments, advices and opinions. We figured that after she is born people won't care much for the name since they will be distracted looking at her... lol.

Raquel (who is 28 weeks along and oficially in her last trimester! Yay! .)