When I was pregnant, my favorite name for my unborn daughter was [name_f]Junia[/name_f] - a name I discovered here on Nameberry. However, I didn’t get a lot of positive feedback on the name from friends and family, and I think that discouraged me. When she was born, I didn’t think she looked much like a [name_f]Juni[/name_f] - and I remember feeling relief because I could let go of the unusual name that I loved. I ended up naming her something cute and a bit trendy that everyone loves, but as months have passed (she is almost 9 months) I’ve regretted it more and more. She has changed, and now completely looks like a [name_f]Juni[/name_f] to me. Sometimes I hesitate to use her given name because it just still doesn’t feel natural. I never thought I would still be agonizing over this at this point, but here I am. Is it too late to change her name? Possibly to something more unusual and confusing? Should I accept and move on or act on my feelings??
Another layer of complication is that she has two older sisters (3 yo + 5 yo) who might not go along easily with a change like that
I changed my son’s name AFTER sending the birth announcements. He was a couple months old. I have never once regretted it!!!
Look at how long the average life is - say 80 years even - 9 months is but a pinprick on that timeline. She has the rest of her life to live with the name and you have the rest of yours to call her it and feel like you gave her the name your mama heart felt good with!
I had red flags like you - not wanting to call him the name, not feeling proud to introduce him by his name, picturing him as the other name, etc.
His sibling and the rest of the family caught on to the namechange and adjusted…but more than that I felt so at peace and have been thankful ever since that we changed it!!
I hope sharing my experience helps.
If you’re going to change the name do it NOW before she learns to talk! I’m also having serious regrets about my two year old’s name but I think it may be too late for us to change…
I think you could do it. There’s a long time left, 9 months isn’t that long. You could just try using it more and more, as a nickname, for a few months before legally changing the name. If you can’t stick to it, go back to the current name.
It’s not too late to change. Go with what feels right!
Maybe you could even add [name_f]Junia[/name_f] to her current name(s)? Like, say her name is [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] [name_f]Olivia[/name_f] - you could just change it to [name_f]Junia[/name_f] [name_f]Sophie[/name_f] [name_f]Olivia[/name_f].