I often find myself feeling a bit sorry for my daughter, not due to any shortcomings on her part, but because she is the second child and has been at a disadvantage since before her birth.
Take, for example, the process we went through to select her name. With our first child, there was ample opportunity to lounge with my partner, discussing the pros and cons of various names from the New Baby Names book.
“How about Leo?” my partner suggested.
“I dated a Leo who was obsessed with his hair,” I replied. “What about Mia?”
“Too popular,” he said.
“Then how about Jaden?”
“That sounds too much like a character from a soap opera,” he countered.
And so it continued until we finally settled on Noah. By the time our first child reached 25 weeks gestation, he had a name with no negative connotations attached to it.
When it came to naming our daughter, however, we had little time for leisurely discussions. There were no cozy evenings spent dreaming about the incredible life she would have. Instead, we occasionally sent each other text messages with random name suggestions.
As I went into labor, we still hadn’t landed on a name. When asked by family and friends, we would mention having a few ideas, but nothing was certain. We planned to decide once we met her, confident that the perfect name would come to us in that moment.
This plan, however, did not pan out. Newborns often resemble tiny, wrinkled old people with squinty eyes, making it tough to match a name like “Samantha” or “Emily” to them. Plus, our daughter didn’t present any distinguishing features that could guide our choice.
If it hadn’t been for the hospital staff reminding us every twenty minutes that we needed a name for her birth certificate, we might have remained indecisive indefinitely. While it is legally possible to bring your unnamed child home, it entails a cumbersome process later on to sort out the documentation. And as seasoned parents, we were all too familiar with the chaos that comes with a newborn.
Thus, instead of resting and recovering, I found myself frantically Googling “Jewish girl names.” After an entire day of deliberating between Sophie and Sarah, fatigue took over. At that point, I simply wanted to go home, sleep in my own bed, and enjoy the help of my mother-in-law.
The final naming moment can be summarized as follows:
“Can we just pick a name already? I’m too exhausted!” I lamented.
“What about Rose?” my partner suggested.
“Sure, sounds good. It’s easy to spell. Now, let’s wrap this up so I can sleep.”
I’m not entirely convinced she looks like a Rose, but it’s an easy choice, and honestly, I was too drained to think of something more imaginative.
For those navigating similar waters, you might find useful insights in our other blog posts about your fertility journey, including this one on artificial insemination. If you’re interested in options for home insemination, check out Cryobaby’s at-home insemination kit. For a deeper understanding of the IVF process, this resource is invaluable.
In summary, while naming a second child can be fraught with challenges, it often leads to simplifications born from necessity.
Keyphrase: Naming Your Second Child
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