I don’t know about anyone else, but choosing baby names in our house is a huge battle. Hubby and I have completely different tastes in names. His suggestions make me cringe and visa versa. Of course my suggestions aren’t cringe, us women are always right 😉
Choosing Lambs name was pretty difficult too. I had a shortlist of names I liked, but again hubby had his own preferences and we couldn’t agree.
The name we went with was actually hubby’s suggestions initially. We knew we wanted a name beginning with J but I just didn’t want the usual names like Joshua or Jacob. As lovely as these are I just wanted something a little more unusual. I also wanted to find something no one we knew had used. Which was of course impossible as J names are hugely popular.
The weeks went by and I finally decided to go with the J name that hubby like initially, however by this point he had gone off it and wanted to choose something else! You see, he does this a lot and it really stresses me out! I finally think we’ve agreed on a name and suddenly we are back to square one!
About 2 weeks before Lamb was due hubby finally agreed that we should call him the J name. Phew! I had my heart set on it and it felt right. We were sensible though and had a back up. When you finally meet your little one the name you’ve chosen just might not suit them. Believe it or not our back up was Freddie. To us, Freddie was a cute name that would suit a little blonde boy (we assumed Lamb would be blond as both hubby and I are) and knew we wouldn’t end up hating his name if it was Freddie!
When Lamb was born I remember hubby asking if I still liked the J name for him and luckily I did. It was perfect. I loved it then and I still love it now.
Fast forward 3 years and we are back to the baby naming battle with baby number 2.
I actually love a name that was on my shortlist for Lamb in early pregnancy. I’ve gone back to it and really think our little boy will suit it. And guess what, hubby initially suggested it this time like he did with Lambs name. Of course, in usual hubby style, a few weeks later he goes off it and my heart broke a little.
Choosing a baby name is so, so difficult, especially for boys! We found choosing girls names so easy with times, but of course we were having boys.
On Wednesday evening we had a 4D scan (I’ll be writing a post about this soon) and we got to ‘meet’ our baby boy. OMG he is absolutely gorgeous. I mean, of course I’m biased, but he’s seriously cute and the name I want for him is just perfect. It’s the only name I can see myself calling him. You can suggest as many names as you like, I just won’t like it enough. It’s not his name.
We went out for dinner after the scan to celebrate; we were on such a high after such an amazing experience. Looking at our 3D scan photos I knew the name I wanted was his name, I just had to convince hubby.
His issue is, he doesn’t want a name that people would make fun of, but we all know there’s a huge craze for quirky and unusual names, and these are actually more ‘normal’ to hear. The name I want isn’t even that unusual, although I only know one person with that name.
I’ve told a couple of people the name I want and it’s had a really positive reaction. I’ve told hubby this over and over, and although I feel bad for trying to force the name on him, I just know it’s the right choice.
At dinner after the scan I can happily say we’ve finally agreed on baby number 2’s name (unless he changes his mind again, there’s still time!). We have his first and middle name and I love it. Like with Lambs name, the first name is a little different and the middle name is very traditional/old fashioned, but this works really well and they sound great together (not that you say middles names very much).
Of course I’ll be keeping his name a secret until he’s born, especially as I’m not convinced hubby is totally happy with it.
If you are unsure about a name my trick is to imagine telling someone what your baby is called. For example, picture yourself bumping into someone you haven’t seen in a long time and they ask you what your baby is called, then reply with the name you’re considering. If you can image telling people this name and it feels right then go for it. If it sounds cringe then it’s not ‘the one’.
Who else struggles with baby names? It really is such an important decision, well I think so anyway. Your child has to live with it for the rest of their life, but you do too. You have to say it millions of times and the last thing you want is a name you end up hating.
Fingers crossed we stick with the name I want! 😉
Ax
Busy B is a gorgeous stationary brand. I’m currently using their 
and I love it. A mum can’t have enough notebooks or organisers so why not take a look at this 
or this 
.
Everyone loves candles. Well, everyone I know anyway. A mum will not be disappointed if you buy her a yummy candle, especially if you team it with a relaxing bubble bath and glass of bubbly (alcohol free for me of course!) This 
candle would be perfect to freshen up the home and make a relaxing environment.
Don’t forget the key to a woman’s heart is usually chocolate! I love Lindt (thank you to Lindt for sending me some for Mother’s Day! Yum!) and I wouldn’t complain if hubby and Lamb bought me some. This 
would make a great gift for mum.
. She’s hilarious and I’d love to read this book. “The Unmumsy Mum writes candidly about motherhood like it really is: the messy, maddening, hilarious reality, how there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach and how it is sometimes absolutely fine to not know what you are doing.”
How cool are these 
! Lamb would be so excited if he could buy them for me. We all know how obsessed he is with The Avengers. Nothing beats a new pair of pjs. Of course as I’m pregnant I’d have to buy these in a bigger size or wait until after baby is born to wear them!
Perfume is always an easy option if you’re struggling of things to buy. I absolutely love Viktor & Rolf scents but I never want 
would make a lovely gift for any mum (as long as they like sweet scents!)
and would be so happy if Lamb bought this for me for Mother’s Day.
As with the Elizabeth Arden hand cream I’ve heard amazing things about Liz Earle products. In fact my mum is a huge fan. Unfortunately no matter how much I’m glowing during this pregnancy I’m still suffering with breakouts. This 
is exactly what I need.
you can take a look at if you need some ideas. You know the score. Big, dark coloured pants, cosy socks, pjs or nightie (nursing ones if needed), dressing gown, loose clothes etc.
. I don’t need to explain why do I? The towels n hospital are usually white, it might be nice to have some that don’t show up any marks or stains as easily.
. I stumbled across this really nice toiletry bag on Amazon today and thought it would be the perfect item for my hospital bag. The showers/toilets in the hospital are shared by a number of new mums and can get pretty wet and grubby. This toiletry bag is perfect as it can be hung up and kept away from wet areas keeping your products clean and dry. It;s big enough for everything from make up to shower gel and even maternity pads and breast pads
Slippers. the most important thing when taking slippers to the hospital is they have rubber soles. The toilets and showers will most likely be all in one room so the floor will be soaking wet. These simple and 
will be perfect. Lightweight and easy to dry if they get wet. make sure you get slip on ones too!
Whether you’re breastfeeding or not you’ll need some 
in your hospital bag as you may find you leak once the baby is born. If you end up staying in hospital a few nights then you can almost guarantee when your milk comes in you’ll need these. I actually started using them from 25 weeks when I was pregnant with Lamb! I leaked so early! I’m 28+4 weeks and I’m not using them yet, although I don’t think it will be long before I am!
You will of course need some 
. You could probably get away with the biggest sanitary towels you can buy, but I used maternity pads last time and actually wore 2 alongside each other for extra protection! TMI? Sorry!
If you’re planning on breastfeeding you may want to throw some 
into your hospital bag. I had some at home prepared and had to ask hubby to go home and get them for me. Turns out I have really small nipples (sorry for the TMI again) and this was why lamb couldn’t latch. It broke my heart, but once I put the shields on he guzzled away! You really can’t predict how feeding will go, so it’s worth being prepared if you need a little help in the early days.
Again, if you’re planning on breastfeeding you’ll want to take some nipple cream with you. I used 
when I breastfed/expressed with Lamb and it was incredible. I highly recommend it. It’s 100% natural and doesn’t need to be removed before breastfeeding.
I’ll definitely be taking my 
with me to the hospital. Whether i’m staying n over night or not, I imagine I’ll be in a bed for a while and I’ll need all of the comfort I can get! I’ve really made use of my maternity pillow in this pregnancy and it’s given me great support to my back and bump.
I will 100% be taking my make up to the hospital. I remember when I was in labour with Lamb I made sure I had done my make up before we left for the hospital – hubby thought I was mad! Wearing a high coverage foundation like 
or studio fix should last pretty well. 
You would be crazy to forget your phone and 
(unless you don’t own a phone). Labour can be time consuming so you may want to listen to some calming music or play ridiculously addictive games on your phone. You also might want to keep in contact with close friends and family about your progress.
