It’s a big decision and I think you need to do what feels right for your family…not what feels right for your friends and relatives.
But…my son is four months and I just cannot imagine changing his name now! It’s so much a part of him. Plus, I would worry what he would think when, as an older child or adult, he came across something (a birth announcement, a card, etc.) with his original name on it.
I’ve heard the following nicknames used for [name]Fiona[/name]:
[name]Nan[/name]
[name]Nallie[/name]
[name]Nona[/name]
[name]Nonie[/name]/[name]Nonnie[/name]
[name]Nina[/name]
[name]Fifi[/name]
[name]Finn[/name]
[name]Innie[/name]
[name]Fia[/name]
[name]Fee[/name]
[name]Iona[/name]
[name]Fina[/name]
[name]Faye[/name]
[name]Fio[/name] (fee-oh)
[name]Ona[/name] (oh-na)
What about a bit more of a stretch with [name]Flory[/name] (Diminutive of florence), [name]Faye[/name], or even [name]Posy[/name] (Big stretch)
What about [name]Mona[/name]? Its a bit different but similar
What about calling her [name]Onnie[/name]? It feels similar to [name]Sadie[/name] and could work as a nn for [name]Fiona[/name].
[name]Blade[/name]!! You might be on to something…[name]LOVE[/name] the name [name]Nellie[/name]…if anyone remembers my zillions of posts before, I wanted [name]Nellie[/name] so bad but could never come up with a proper name I liked enough for nn [name]Nellie[/name]. Never did it occur to me that [name]Nellie[/name] could be derived from [name]Fiona[/name] Lilidh…That I could try and work on! Still love [name]Sadie[/name] but it feels sooo hard to change her name entirely now.
[name]Elizabeth[/name], thanks for the honestly…I do need to hear that. As I know I’d be mega weirded out if a friend changed their baby’s name as I never understood name regret before this happened! I would’ve thought they were a bit nutty! Which I guess is why I’m so worried what people will think seeing as I know how I’d feel ha But now that it’s me in the situation it’s so hard!
My husband’s name was changed at 10 months when he was adopted and he seems fine. Also, I was over 30 before I discovered my mother [name]Eilish[/name] was Christened [name]Elizabeth[/name], my aunt [name]Marie[/name] was [name]Mary[/name] [name]Ann[/name] and Auntie [name]Eileen[/name] was [name]Ellen[/name] on her birth certificate! Obviously there is a family tradition pf renaming hand they all seem fine (I blame fits of Irish patriotism at the pub after the Christening…). I think [name]Sadie[/name]. I think [name]Sadie[/name] as a new
Sorry, typing while breastfeeding! I meant to say I think [name]Sadie[/name] as an extra middle name removes the angst and you will still have all your options open. I hope you find the right answer for you.
I think that there’s nothing wrong with going ahead with the name change. She’s only three months old for one thing…I feel it would be easier for everyone involved to adjust to calling her something different. Also, changing her mn isn’t as ‘major’ as if you were to completely change her fn, although I gotta say, I like [name]Sadie[/name] [name]Fiona[/name] better than [name]Fiona[/name] [name]Sadie[/name] (they are both fine names though!).
I know several people who made similar decisions with their children, to change at least some part of their name. My neighbors were foster parents, and they decided to adopt one of the little girls they were fostering at the time. She was actually around a yr old when they changed her name…and they changed her whole name. For privacy purposes, let’s just say that “[name]Kimberly[/name]” became fn: “[name]Sarah[/name]”, mn “[name]Nichole[/name]”, and went by “[name]Nikki[/name]”. I was her babysitter for a long time, and it really wasn’t a huge deal. As she got older, she didn’t know her backstory, she only knew herself as “[name]Nikki[/name]”, so we were warned to only call her by her new name. As far as I know, no one slipped up in front of her. There have been no problems, and no one thought her parents were crazy for changing her name (although myabe because it is more “acceptale” for names to be changed in this situation?).
Thank you for sharing these stories…it’s very helpful!! At the end of the day, people are def going to think I’m weird for doing it…but they also probably will move on in a day b/c who else REALLY cares what your child is called besides the immediate fam. If I go through with it, I wil likely just keep quiet on FB for ahwile like not post a bunch of pics and stuff and let it sort of just phase in over time maybe people won’t notice as much haha
I understand completely. While I’ve never personally been in this predicament, I can imagine how tormenting it must be. I hope you come to a resolution and that you have peace of mind over it. Only you can know what’s best.
Pbi: I think [name]Nellie[/name] would be wonderful for you if you decide to keep [name]Fiona[/name]. Or perhaps [name]Ione[/name]?
Good luck to you dear!
Thank you…even if I am the only one to call her [name]Nellie[/name] maybe somehow it would make me feel better!? I feel tomorrow is like do or die…I either go to the office to make the change or don’t. I don’t want to drag it out as I agree that the longer I wait, the worse it will be.
We have family friends who changed their daughter’s name from [name]Danielle[/name] to [name]Catherine[/name] when she was about four years old. I realise their daughter was a lot older than your daughter, but everyone thought it was SO WEIRD. And wrong. I’m wondering why you chose the name [name]Fiona[/name] Lilidh if you don’t like it now? You must have liked it a whole lot to choose it for your daughter in the first place. I don’t have any children so I don’t know what it feels like to experience name regret for a child, but, if I were you, I’d only change my daughter’s name if I REALLY hated [name]Fiona[/name] (and associated nicknames).
I loved [name]Fiona[/name] Lilidh! I really did! And then when she was born, the instant my husband said [name]Fiona[/name] I just wanted to scream NOOO but I wouldn’t listen to myself. I thought I was being stupid since I had loved it all along! But it just didn’t feel right when she was born!? But I thought she’d grow into it and I’d grow to love again…but I haven’t. But maybe it will grow on me in time…or not
I have never changed any of my children’s names but it took me three weeks to firmly decide on my daughters’ names. I really don’t think there is anything wrong with changing her name. Yes, you will get a few odd looks, but she is so young everyone will adapt and you won’t have to live with the name regret forever. I think both [name]Sadie[/name] and [name]Fiona[/name] are lovely but if you both feel stongly that she is a [name]Sadie[/name] then I say you should just go ahead and change it.
I think if you are going to go through the trouble of changing her middle name to [name]Sadie[/name] and asking people to call her by her middle name, you might as well name her [name]Sadie[/name] [name]Fiona[/name]. Then from here out (in school and such), she won’t have to deal with explaining that she goes by her middle name. It makes sense if her middle name was already [name]Sadie[/name], but if you are going to change it anyway, I would just move [name]Sadie[/name] to the first name spot. [name]Sadie[/name] [name]Fiona[/name] is lovely, and it would still give her the option of going by [name]Fiona[/name] someday (if she really wanted to).
[name]Nellie[/name] is cute (and is also one of my favorite nicknames ever!), but I would hate for it to feel like a substitute. [name]Will[/name] it be a temporary fix, and in 6 months will you find yourself wishing you had just gone with changing it to [name]Sadie[/name]? THat is what you have to ask yourself. If you like [name]Nellie[/name] just as much, it is an easier solution. But if [name]Sadie[/name] is the name tugging at your heart, all of the effort to change it now will be worth it. You will live with her name for the rest of your life, so you don’t want to have any regrets! Three months is not too young to change it, and the experience is easier than you might be fearing. When my second child was born, we gave her a name that I adored on paper, but it did not suit her at all. Like you, I was hoping to grow into it, and hoping I would grow to love it on her. But it only grew worse…I begin to dread telling people what her name was, and I kept wishing I could turn back time and pick a different name. I was literally consumed by regret, which spiraled into postpartum anxiety/depression. The feeling of regret overwhelmed me and grew worse by the day until we changed her name when she was around 4-5 months old. It was the best feeling ever! I have never regretted that decision, and once we did it, it felt like 1000 pounds was lifted off my shoulders. I could finally embrace her name and feel at peace about it. And honestly, most of our friends and even my brother in law don’t even remember what her birth name was, and it was only 2.5 years ago! [name]Feel[/name] free to message me if you want more details or if you have any questions. 
Yes, change her middle name and call her by that. [name]How[/name] do you pronounce Lilidh anyways?
I also think you should change her name if you want to, and try not to worry about what anyone might think! Because:
-
- I bet people won’t think it’s as weird as you expect they will (I don’t think it’s weird, and your explanation why made sense).
– [name]Even[/name] if they do, so what? It’s your decision and you and your family are really the only ones affected by it, not them!
- I bet people won’t think it’s as weird as you expect they will (I don’t think it’s weird, and your explanation why made sense).
I haven’t been in a similar baby-naming situation, but I was recently in a similar difficult-decision situation–I had been working a job I wasn’t crazy about for a month, and then was offered a job I really wanted to take. I hated the idea of inconveniencing everyone by quitting right away, but I REALLY hated to imagine what people think (and say) about me. I finally decided to take the new job, and to my amazement, everyone was really understanding, said that they would have done the same, and wished me well. I bet if you changed your daughter’s name, and even announced it on Facebook with a brief explanation, people would understand.
They wouldn’t make it so easy to change babies’ names the first year if there weren’t sometimes a need for it! Good luck!!
I am glad you liked the suggestion of [name]Nellie[/name]. However I would not rush things at all. The only reasons to change the name tomorrow are entirely self-imposed. Practice calling her [name]Nellie[/name], practice calling her [name]Sadie[/name]. Perhaps you could try strict 24-hr periods where she’s [name]Nellie[/name], [name]Sadie[/name], and Foo (or [name]Fiona[/name]) and see what seems the most natural?
I honestly do not think it is that weird. I know 2 couples that didn’t officially name their child until well after 8 weeks. (I think [name]Dominique[/name] was almost 3 months actually). So it doesn’t even make me blink.
I do like the idea of doing [name]Sadie[/name] [name]Fiona[/name] or [name]Fiona[/name] [name]Sadie[/name] because I think both names are beautiful. That way you do still kind of leave the option open.
Quick question: how do you pronounce Mhairi? Like [name]Mary[/name]? And also Lilidh. Is it like [name]Lily[/name]?
You will be saying your daughter’s name day-in and day-out for the rest of your life. You need to love her name and feel it is the RIGHT one for her. She is only three months old. By all means, change it to whatever you like. It will be a momentary hassle in exchange for a permanent and gratifying solution. Otherwise, you may end up with pangs of regret that continue everyday for years and years to come. I believe it’s much better to change it and then feel good about her name for the rest of your life.
I would absolutely NOT consider it weird if a friend changed her infant’s name (unless it was a crazy change (like [name]Charlotte[/name] to Ichobaudina). I easily see how name regret can happen. To make the announcement, I would simply say that [name]Fiona[/name] doesn’t feel right, so her name is officially being changed to [name]Sadie[/name]. Before you know it, people will adjust, and this situation will become a faint and faraway memory – and, you will have a daughter with the name you love and that was meant to be.