Preggie Pals
All About Baby Names

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[00:00:00]

Pamela Redmond Satran: Finding the perfect baby name is sometimes a challenge for parents, and let’s face it, there’s a lot of pressure. So how do you go about creating your initial list? And how do you narrow down the possibilities to determine which name is best? Here to provide some answers is Pamela Redmond Satran, Co-creator of https://www.nameberry.com and co-author of several baby name books. This is Preggie Pals, Episode 5.

[Theme Song/Intro]

Sunny Gault: Welcome to Preggie Pals, Broadcasting from the Birth Education Centre of San Diego. I am your host, Sunny Gault. Thanks so much for joining us. Preggie Pals is all about our listeners, you can visit our website at https://www.preggiepals.com for more information on how you can become part of our show. It’s very important to us. You can join our conversation by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus. You can also send us comments or suggestions through the contacts section of our website or call the Preggie Pals hotline and that number is 619-866-4775. Let’s start with our introductions. I am Sunny like I said. I am 34 years old. I am a web video host and producer and host of this show. My due date is April 28th. It’s going to be a little boy. I have a little boy at home already and we are having a C-Section which is scheduled for April 23rd.

Rachele DeMeo: My name is Rachele DeMeo and I teach college part time. My due date is June 23rd and we are expecting a little boy. It’s our second little boy and we are hoping for a vaginal birth.

Cherri Christiansen: I am Cherri Christiansen. I am 31 years old and I work in a Consumer Research. I am also due on June 23rd with my first child and we are waiting to find if it’s a boy or a girl, which we are very excited for, just a couple more weeks and we are hoping to have this baby at home.

Sunny Gault: Okay, welcome to the show ladies.

[Music]

[Featured Segment: Maternity Fashion Trends - Perfect pair of jeans!]

Sunny Gault: Before we start today’s show, here are some fabulous Maternity Fashion trends.

Krystal Stubbendeck: Hello Preggie Pals, I am Krystal Stubbendeck, Maternity Fashion Expert and founder of Borrow for Your Bump, or you can buy and rent designer maternity styles for a monthly rate. Today, we will help you find a perfect of jeans for your expecting months. As your bump grows, finding a style that works for your body type can be challenging, let alone, finding a pair that is flattering and comfortable as your body changes. Jeans are a must-have for your maternity wardrobe and so hopefully we can pair you with one that fits just right. A straight leg jean is one style that everyone can wear. This look is similar to the skinny jeans, but is much more forgiving, especially for those with curvy hips, full thighs or thick calves. The straight leg jean should fit from through the hips to the thighs but not too baggy otherwise, they can make you look bigger than you are. And what to wear with them? A-fitted top and fun flats. Try the dark washed skinny jeans by Seraphine, which also is available alongside this. And what about the ever popular skinny jeans? Who can wear them? Mostly those with proportional figures. Those with a tummy or fuller hips can offset curves with skinny styles that have slightly roomier leg openings. Skinny styles should fit comfortable like second skin. Soft stretchy denim, shouldn’t dig and bunch into the skin., especially as your body is changing. Be aware of a fit that is too constricting. Balance the tight fitting jeans with a loose tunic top that is so cute with a growing bump. The best part is any shoe style goes with the skinny jean. Our recommendation is the Luxe Skinny Jean by Seraphine, in grey, which is a favorite of January Jones. The flare jean which is making a come-back again is a style that almost everyone can wear. If you have full thighs, just choose a pair that is a little more fitted in the thighs. A full jean should fit snug around the hips and waist but loose and flowing from the knee down. The pant should skim the floor and completely cover your footwear, at least to the top of the shoe. Pair the style with a fun fitted T and a blazer to show off the bump, or a loose peasant top to take the attention away from the center of the body. Balance the wide leg with a heel wider than the flare, like a wedge, which is more comfortable and will provide extra balance. Lastly, the boot-cut fit can be worn by anyone. This fit is especially good at balancing and creating curves. The fit should start to taper at the knees and then slightly get wider as it reaches the floor, as the name says, enough for boots to fit. Pair the boot-cut fit with a loose top which is comfy and some fun footwear. These are the jeans you can really play with. Dress it up with a loose blouse that cinches under the belly. We like the chiffon blouse with neck tie by Seraphine with blue and black polka dots. As for our boot-cut pick, make sure to find a pair that will grow with you, like the Union Laurel Cannon with higher panel by Paige Denim, which goes over the bump. Most likely, you won’t need a maternity size until your second trimester. But everybody in pregnancy is different. Comfort is key and although the elastic panel on most maternity jeans will grow with you, you want to make sure there is enough hip space too. Denim is difficult to buy early on and keep your whole term because it has less stretch than other fabrics. For that reason, borrow for your bump is your best bet when shopping for maternity denim. With a variety of styles like skinny, Boyfriend, boot-cut and well know designers; you can rent for 30 days and return them for a new size as your bump grows. Don’t forget to check out our denim styles mentioned at https://www.borrowforyourbump.com and be sure to listen to Preggie Pals for more great pregnancy tips.

[Music]

Sunny Gault: Today on Preggie Pals, we are tackling one of the biggest decisions parents will make on behalf of their children. And that’s: What to name them? As you know, it’s not always an easy task, but here to help us navigate the name game is Pamela Redman Satran. She is the co-founder of Nameberry.com, which is a popular baby name website. She is also the co-author of several baby name books. We are actually going to have a chance for you to win a couple of these books, including: The Baby Name Bible and Beyond Ava and Aden. So, stay tuned for that. Pamela, welcome to the show and thanks so much for joining us.

Pamela Redmond Satran: Great to be here, thanks Sunny.

Sunny Gault: Sure. Okay, let’s kick things off and talk about current trends. I know you talk about this in your books as well. What are some of the current trends we are experiencing when it comes to naming our babies?

Pamela Redmond Satran: One of the biggest trends we are seeing are what we call modern hero names. For an example that you could think of Mariah Carrey naming her little girl Munroe after Marilyn Munroe. These likely presidential names like Lincoln or Kennedy. And a modern hero might be someone in your own family. A grandparent you really admired. So I think people are looking to invest in a name with more than just a pretty sound. Either looking for a name that’s symbolizes the quality, like truth or justice, or a style, a place. People are looking for place names, such as the place their baby was conceived. And sometimes an ethnic name might be important to symbolize something about your family background. Something beyond just a name itself.

Sunny Gault: I feel like people are really going outside the box right now and really trying to find really unique names and you know, when..., you know I was born in the late 70s and I feel like a lot of the names back then were pretty common. And now everybody that had com.... you know, more of a common name is ready to name their own babies. And I think that they’re..., they may be thinking: “Okay, so, you know, there were 10 Jennifers or 10 Kellys in my class”, and now they are thinking a little more outside of the box. Do you see that, you know, trending as well? People really trying to find more unique names for their babies?

Pamela Redmond Satran: Definitely, and that is borne out by statistics. There are just many more names in play and fewer parents are picking the top-10 names. And more people are picking names that, you know, are unique or at least unusual.

Sunny Gault: Now, how quickly do these trends change? I mean, it’s not really overnight. Is there some sort of generational, you know, change that we experience? Or is it faster than that? How does that work?

Pamela Redmond Satran: Well, I think that different trends change at different rates. You see a top-10 name or a number 1 name like Jacob, really staying up there, year after year. Isabella. Those top-10 names move very slowly. But names like...., you know one name we are kind of flash-trend is fierce animal names like Fox and Bear; and I think a trend like that, like a fashion trend can kind of come and go pretty quickly.

[Laughter]

Sunny Gault: It’s true; we are looking at each other in the studio when you said Fox and Bear.

Pamela Redmond Satran: Well you know a celebrity choice like Blue Ivy, you know, the Beyonce choice. I think that can kind of kick off a lot of people looking for color names, for instance, they might not be naming their baby Blue, but they might be naming her Indigo or Cerrilian. You know, sometimes we are not even conscious of where the trend starts and yet suddenly it’s just in the air. And we are seeing a lot of names of that type.

Cherri Christiansen: Maybe I don’t need a baby book. Maybe I need a pack of Crayola Crayons. You know, one of those jumbo packs that have over 100 crayons in them. Maybe that’s what I need.

[Laughter]

Sunny Gault: Right. But they come up with some really good names in there right?

Pamela Redmond Satran: Yeah, and you know what? I think you bring up a good point because I think that a lot of parents are looking beyond baby books or baby name sites to things like, you know, their family tree, to the phone book, to the map, to the dictionary, you know, kind of searching further and further afield for a name that is really unusual and distinctive.

Sunny Gault: I have a tip for anyone looking at names. I look at the credits of movies!

Cherri Christiansen: Oh, I know what you are going to say!

Sunny Gault: .... I do, that’s a perfect place to find a baby name, because, I feel like people in Hollywood are a little more...., you know...., eccentric or whatever, you know, they.... they are more creative for sure! Right? So...

Cherri Christiansen: Well most of those people chose those names too, if you think about it....., most of the names in the credits probably weren’t names their parents gave them, just given how many people I know in L.A. who change their names...

Sunny Gault: Right, right! It’s like a show-name or something, right?

Cherri Christiansen: Right. Exactly! But I do the exac...., I do the exact same thing too. I’m watching TV and when the credits roll and I just look at all the names, hoping that something is just going to suddenly pop out at me, just because it seems easier than sitting down and reading the book.

Sunny Gault: Well, I have a question here for the panelists here in the studio. Do you guys find yourselves following trends? Do you not care about trends? What is your take in your plan for naming your babies?

Rachele DeMeo: I don’t care for trends. I don’t know. I...., I don’t like extremely common names, where you name your child and there’s 25 other kids that turn around. But, I don’t like names that are so out there, that years later, your kids like “Why did you call me Apple?!”

[Laughter]

Rachele DeMeo: ...You know what I mean? Or, you know, just..., I don’t know. Maybe its...., I mean yeah, it’s good to be original, but I don’t like when it just is so out there that your kid is going to end up getting teased for it for years and years and years. And I’m not one to follow trends like that.

Cherri Christiansen: And that was me. I had a hard time with my name growing up. My middle name is Haley and actually, there was a while when I was a teen where I really thought I just wanted to change my name and go by Haley. It’s really hard to just suddenly go by a different name, if you are not in Hollywood. But I just had a hard time with Cherri. I just thought it was, you know, it was so unique. Everyone in my class was Lisa or Lauren and it was the same thing we were talking about with the Jennifers, really common names. And when I was very young, I was jealous. I thought “Why couldn’t I also be a Lisa? Why couldn’t I also be a Lauren? Why did my parents have to give me this really weird name, which it has a story behind, so maybe I will tell you guys later.

[Laughter]

Cherri Christiansen: But as I grew up and I got older, I realized that actually part of what I loved about my name was that, I was in my twenties before I ever met somebody else with my name. And it was kind of cool. I just...., always to this day, I have to spell it for people. I get called Sherri and Cherrie and I have to tell people “It’s Cherri, like the fruit! Not spelt like the fruit, but like the fruit!”.

Sunny Gault: I remember the first time I met you, I think like I said, you know, “Sherri,” you were like, “No, it’s Cherri like the fruit”.

Cherri Christiansen: Yeah! People ask me, “Is it Sheryl?” I’m like “No, it’s not Sheryl! It’s Cherri”. You know and people..., I get so many questions like “Were your parents on drugs? Where did they get that from?”

Sunny Gault: I get the same thing! Because it’s Sunny, you know, it’s an unusual name and people always say, “Okay, were your parents like ‘flower children’?” or whatever....

Cherri Christiansen: My sister in law is Sunny and I’d never met a Sunny before I met her and you are number two. So I only know two Sunnys. I think that’s pretty original.

Sunny Gault: It’s nice because, you know, you have the whole..., “the playground” effect I like to call it, where you know, you say your baby’s name on the playground, only one kid is going to turn around. Right? So it is nice and you do feel pretty special. For my name in particular, I felt a lot of pressure growing up because with the name Sunny, you are expected to always be happy.

Cherri Christiansen: I was going to just ask that. Yeah.

Sunny Gault: And it really is true. I met a Sunny once, who was the, you know, exact opposite of what you thought. And I think she really struggled with her name growing up, because she dyed her hair black and she only wore black and it was just one of those, almost like a Goth thing. You know?

Rachele DeMeo: You have the energetic personality that kind of goes with the name.

Sunny Gault: But I actually wonder if I have that personality because of my name?

Cherri Christiansen: Because of your name.

Sunny Gault: You know it’s kind of interesting. Because a lot of parents choose to wait until they see their baby to be able to name their baby in the hospital because they want to make sure that the baby kind of matches the name and I’m kind of wondering..., actually Pam, maybe you can kind of address this a little bit. You know, do you think babies kind of grow into their names? You know, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves, as parents to come up with “The perfect name”. But do you think we kind of grow into our names as we progress in life?

Pamela Redmond Satran: Well I know there are a lot of parents who come to Nameberry do believe that say that they seen that in their children and kind of have a hope, because when you are choosing a name, you don’t really know who baby is going to become and so a name does kind of symbolize who you want them to be. And different names have different levels of pressure. Certainly Sunny’s got to be one of the.....

[Laughter]

Sunny Gault: The top ones?!

Pamela Redmond Satran: ....bigger pressure names...., you know, and then there are names that are very dramatic, like the one that springs to mind might be like Perchastity and it’s just a whole other name and if you’re just kind of an average little girl, it might be....., it might be a lot to live up to. I have a son named Joe and in a way, that’s sort of the opposite thing which is just Joe is like Regular Joe and my Joe. And my Joe is anything but a Regular Joe, from the way he looks to the way he acts. So I think that his name is you know, kind of sets up an expectation that he doesn’t live up to.

Sunny Gault: Right.

Pamela Redmond Satran: I think it says more about what we hope as parents than it says about who our children really become.

Cherri Christiansen: Sure.

Rachele DeMeo: I know, it was...., my son Noah...., I kept picturing a little boy with, you know blond hair and blue eyes, and it was all I could see the whole time I was pregnant. It was just....., with this pregnancy I’m not at all like that, but with my first, I just...., I don’t know. Seemed like I was so adamant that he was going to come out with blond hair and blue eyes, to the point where we actually had two other names picked out, should he come out differently, because I just, I couldn’t picture him...., I pictured him a certain way, very active, but happy and easy going and I thought, “If he comes out so different than my imagination, I couldn’t call him that”. But when he came out, he actually ended up being little Noah. But it’s like, I love the name. So it’s .....

Sunny Gault: I love the name too.

Rachele DeMeo: It’s when you like it, it’s hard. And like my husband....., well my name is somewhat unusual, Rachele, there’s not too many Racheles, but my husband, his name is Jastin.

Sunny Gault: That’s really cool.

Rachele DeMeo: And I would love it. I would totally have a son with a Jastin, you know, have another Jastin, but my husband is like, “No, I don’t want J Junior!”.

[Laughter]

Sunny Gault: He wants to be more unique.

Rachele DeMeo: Yeah, and I love it because it’s similar to Justin. I always love Justin. I always love the name Jason, but Jastin is kind of very unique and I’ve never met someone named Jastin before, so I really like it because it’s out there, but it’s not too out there.

Sunny Gault: Right. Pam what are some of the general dos and don’ts when it comes to choosing a baby name. What advice do you have for parents out there?

Pamela Redmond Satran: I think that parents, moms and dads should try to come up with a name that both should feel good about. It might not be your number one name, but, I think you both should be on board with the choice. And so that’s one rule. A second rule is that it should really be your choice and not a choice that you feel pressured into by family or friends. When we do see Baby Name Regret on Nameberry, the number one reason for the regret is you know, your mother in law pressured you into naming the baby after her father and you just don’t like the name and you never feel comfortable with it. And a third thing I would say is, that parents should really take their time and talk about not only the names, but maybe their feelings and the reasons behind the names because names can often symbolize deeper memories, deeper feelings about important things like family, gender identity, that kind of bare talking about in a bigger way, rather than letting the conversation devolve quickly into, “Ruby?! That’s a horrible name!” you know? “How could you think that!”

[Laughter}

Pamela Redmond Satran: Just kind of take the time to figure out, you know, what is it about Ruby that he loves so much.

Sunny Gault: Right. Yeah.

Cherri Christiansen: I find that there are so many names that I’d go through a book and I like them and you know, my husband, everyone knows my husband and I are really struggling with this and part of the reason is that we are not spending that much time doing it because we are struggling with it. So....

Sunny Gault: Well you have a lot going on in your life!

[Laughter]

Cherri Christiansen: We do have a lot going on and so..., but I will pick out a name and he is like “Oh, no, no. I used to know someone with that name and I don’t like that” and vice versa.

Sunny Gault: But that’s tough because you don’t want to think about that right?

Cherri Christiansen: And it’s like, well its almost every name in the book’s either way too out there or we know someone by it, and there was a name that I always had in mind for a little girl and you know, recently, within the past year, I met someone with that name and this person had such a negative impact in my life that I was like “Oh my God! I don’t think I could ever give my child that anymore!” And I’m like here’s this name that would have been a family name, that now I’m like, I just don’t think I could use that. So you do have to agree and on an aside note, my husband and I adopted a little cat, a kitten, this was about three years ago, and we just did not know what to name him. We named my girl cat Isabella so now, I just discovered earlier in the intro that that’s one of the most popular girls’ names, I didn’t even know that, so now my husband won’t let us use that. He said “If the cat’s named Isabella, even though we call her Izzy, we can’t use that, but with the boy, we couldn’t come up with a name and long story short, we started calling him Mr. Poopi Pants.

[Laughter]

Sunny Gault: Don’t name your kid that! By the way. You may want to after the first month...... but.....
[Laughter]

Cherri Christiansen: This was...., this was his. No, no. Let me tell you, people are very concerned about this because everyone said “You can’t name your cat Mr. Poopi Pants!” And it wasn’t his name, it was just a place holder until we figured out what we were going to call him. Was it going to be Sam or Eddie or we were going to come up with a cute little name for him, but we never did and three years later, my cat is Mr. Poopi Pants. And it’s very funny when I’m at the Vet and everyone is like “Mr Poopi Pants! Mr. Poopi Pants!

[Laughter]

Cherri Christiansen: We’re like, “We’re here!”. But now, people are concerned, because they are like “You couldn’t name a cat! How are you going to name your baby?!” So...

Sunny Gault: Yeah. There’s a lot of pressure! There is.

Cherri Christiansen: Although Mr. Poopi Pants might work for ......

Sunny Gault: Your baby?!

Cherri Christiansen: But it’s not going to work on a Birth Certificate or a Passport. Yeah.

Sunny Gault: No!

Rachele DeMeo: Pamela. What’s your recommendation for couples who don’t agree on a name or who like one really likes it, another one is kind of on the fence or one likes it, the other one just doesn’t know....?
Pamela Redmond Satran: Yeah. It’s a really common occurrence. You know, it’s usually, I have to say the poor wife who comes up with name after name and the husband just sits there saying No, No, No! I know we had a really funny blog once with the husband saying “My wife’s job was to suggest them my job was to reject them!”

[Laughter]

Sunny Gault: It’s so true!

Pamela Redmond Satran: His wife finally said, she made a list of 10 names and she said “Pick from the list. That’s it!” Or you know, you can each put a list of 10 names and he’s got to things on the names and you swap lists and you know reject or accept. You know, there are 1000s and 1000s of names out there. We have over 50,000 of them in Nameberry or in the Baby Name Bible and I think you just need to keep working at it and try and you know, keep a light tone and look for reasons behind the choice because that might lead you to new names that you didn’t think of before.

Sunny Gault: Well there’s a lot of opinion and even superstition when it comes to selecting a baby name. When we come back, we are going to pull our expert Pam and our panelists here in the studio and get their reactions to issues surrounding baby names that some say are Taboo. We’ll be right back.

[Music]

Sunny Gault: Alright, we are back. We are talking all about baby names with our special expert Pamela Redmond Satran, and she is the co-founder of https://www.nameberry.com . She’s written a bunch of Baby Name books and Pamela, I would love to have your take on some of these things, these questions, these topics that are a little bit taboo when it comes to revealing your baby name choice and making these decisions and we’ll just kind of go around the room here and get everyone’s opinion. So first question is: When should parents reveal their baby name choice?

Pamela Redmond Satran: I think that it can really can be smart to wait until after the baby’s born to tell family and friends your real choice. For the reason that if you tell before-hand, everybody’s going to jump in with their opinions and if you tell afterwards, I think people are going to feel a lot more pressure to keep quiet. On the other hand, as I said, you might want to go online to a site like Nameberry and get some opinions before-hand, so you realize maybe ahead of time that everybody’s going to have trouble pronouncing that name or spelling that name, or that name is a lot more popular than you think.

Rachele DeMeo: That’s what we’ve done. Just how our families are, we just thought, you know what? If we tell them the name and they don’t like it, and then they are going to...., they won’t stop, you know, telling us that they don’t like it.....

Cherri Christiansen: That’s the last thing you need to hear about.

[Laughter]

Rachele DeMeo: ....you know, like we really have like a feeling of how our first born was going to be and we didn’t want to be influenced by it. So we just kept it secret until he was born. That’s what we are doing this time round as well. For the same reason. And now already, I have my father telling me: “You should call him this and you should call him that”. And .....

Sunny Gault: And everyone has their own opinion, right?

Rachele DeMeo: Yeah, and it’s like, okay, well, for us, that’s why we are not telling you is because we know how you are going to be.

[Laughter]

Sunny Gault: I think that if you choose to announce it, you need to have some thick skin.

Cherri Christiansen: Yeah.

Sunny Gault: You do. You need to be very, very confident in your name. My husband and I were very confident in Urban and we knew that it was one of those names that some people might not understand, including my mother, who said “What?! Your naming him what?!”And I said, “Mom, you really just need to respect this.” And you know, “We are totally 100 percent for this and we just need your support in this.” And I will tell you, until we knew what we were having, because with my mom, we kind of gave her a heads-up going to the ultrasound, the 20 week ultra sound. “Okay, if it’s a boy...”

Cherri Christiansen: Oh, you did tell her.

Sunny Gault: We did tell her, because she’s just so opinionated. The moment she finds out that I’m pregnant, she wants to talk about baby names. So, you know, rather than hear it like every time I talk to her on the phone, I wanted her to know I had a name picked out. You know, so I kind of shared that with her before. But I will tell you what. She fought me right up until we knew what it was, and the moment I called her and I said, “We are having a little boy! And his name’s Urban!” From that moment on, she was very supportive.

Cherri Christiansen: Oh, that’s good.

Sunny Gault: She just kind of dropped it. She was like “Okay.”

Rachele DeMeo: You had made up your mind on it. Yeah.

Cherri Christiansen: Well, that’s the thing. You know, people I know who have picked a name before-hand and who have announced the name, I feel like they are so certain about it, they are 100 percent, that I really feel that those people really don’t care what anyone else has to think. They have chosen the name and it’s the right name for them and I think if that’s how you are, then that’s fine. Because nothing is going to change your mind. And like you said, as long as you have some thick skin. And I think if people see that ‘this is the name’ then maybe they’ll treat it the same way as if they would after the baby was born.

Sunny Gault: Hey Pam, what advice can you give us on naming siblings.

Pamela Redmond Satran: Yeah. You know a lot of parents now have a kind of ‘sib-set’ when they choose the name and the first name does kind of set the tone, where subsequent names should be compatible in style and feel, but not too matchy, matchy, you know, I think the Kardashians aside, and the Dogers’s. I think the days of John and Jane and Jean are sort of passé. So, I would recommend that names feel like they are in the same family so to speak. But I think you can take this too far with feeling like the names really have to go together, and as a result you sort of by-pass the name you really love. So don’t take it too seriously.

Sunny Gault: Like you mean by...., sewable, or... like how do you mean, the name should go together?

Pamela Redmond Satran: Well, I think that...., you know, I think Sera and Urban are actually a great pair because they are both really unusual. They are five letters, two syllables, they sort of have a real consistency with sound, without sounding like Sayer and Sawyer, which would be too close.

Cherri Christiansen: Yeah, I was thinking, the example that came to my mind was Kylie and Kaylie or something like that. They are almost the same name.

Sunny Gault: Yeah, that’s tough. And you know when the mom gets mad, she’s going just blurt out what....

Cherri Christiansen: I feel like that often-times, people with twins do that though. They will pick two names for their twins that are super-similar too and I think that’s a whole other topic is when people pick out their names for their twins, I’m like “How do they know which name goes with which baby?” Is it whichever one comes out first?

[Laughter]

Sunny Gault: I guess so!

[Laughter]

Pamela Redmond Satran: You know my sister-in-law had twin girls and she did it alphabetically. The first baby born had that first name alphabetically. Her daughters names are Georgia and Louisa, which I think, are a perfect pair, for twins, or sisters, where you know, they are both feminizations, they both have a vintage feel, they are unusual but they are not too close like Lucy and Louisa for instance would be too close, I think.

Sunny Gault: Right. And then, how much emphasis should we be placing on a baby’s middle name? I feel like a lot of parents are trying to get the first name and the middle names to sound really good together, which is great, but how often are you really, at least in the U.S. using your middle name?

Cherri Christiansen: Isn’t it when your mother’s yelling at you?

Sunny Gault: Pretty much! I believe so! That’s when it comes out!

[Laughter]

Cherri Christiansen: Cherri Haley! It’s funny, because when you asked that question, I’m curious the answer, just because for me, I’m so overwhelmed with the first name, I’m like “Let’s just get the first name and then we’ll figure out a middle name later.” But I’m curious, is it important that they go together?

Pamela Redmond Satran: I think that more parents are looking for middle names that have serious meaning in terms of their family or something about their lives, and they will use a name in the middle place like Justice or Indigo, that has some personal meaning or family meaning, but that they might not use in their first place, like a grandmother’s maiden name for instance, that they wouldn’t use in first place. The other thing that people are using as middle names are kind of connector middle names, but I think as a modern equivalent of you know, the Annes and Lees of our youth. And names that I’m hearing a lot these days in that way are June for girls, Rose for girls. For boys, it’s probably James is one that seems to come up a lot. And I would sort of caution against this, because, even if Rose sounds like a fresher choice and maybe it’s your great grandmother’s name, there are a lot of little girls with the middle name Rose and it’s just kind of a filler name in that middle place. I think in the middle place, you can look for something with deeper meaning.

Cherri Christiansen: One of the things we haven’t talked about, but that affects me personally is I..., I have a very long last name that I’ve married into. It’s a bit of a mouthful. Christiansen. And I had a much, much shorter maiden name. But I find that’s part of the reason we are struggling with the name so much, is that because it’s such a long name, most of the names that I’ve been attracted to are longer or have more syllables and then it seems such a mouthful even without putting the a middle name in there. Do you have any advice where sort of taking into consideration your last name as well?

Pamela Redmond Satran: Yeah, I do. And I have to say that when..., I have three children and I gave them all two syllable names for reasons for that were not conscious.

[Laughter]

Pamela Redmond Satran: And our last name has two syllables, Satran, and it ends with ‘n’. And afterwards, I thought, “Well, that was really dumb”, because I think that two syllable, two syllable, is kind of a flatter rhythm, whereas, if you..., I think the best rhythm is an un-equal number of syllables in the first name and the last name. And the very best is you know, if you’ve got a 3-syllabol last name, it would be one, two, three or two one three. So you might want to pick, not that you are going to name that from Sunny, but you know, Sayer John Christiansen would be a good choice. Or James Thomas Christiansen. And not Sabastian Christiansen.

Cherri Christiansen: Yeah.

Sunny Gault: Pamela, do you think parents over think baby names?

Pamela Redmond Satran: I think that it can get to that point these days, but I think that there were so many decades where people under-thought them, you know....

[Laughter]

Sunny Gault: We are making up for that.

Pamela Redmond Satran: Witness the Jennifer’s in the world. I think that, no, I don’t think they do actually. I think that people can get to the point where they are little bit crazy about it and you know, no name seems right and you really just have to choose, but for the most part, I think that these are really symbolically important decisions and that they do bare a lot of discussion.

Sunny Gault: Well special thanks goes out to Pamela Redmond Satran for being our special guest today. Pamela, it was great having you on this show. We loved all the information you gave us about baby names and hopefully, it will help a bunch of our listeners out there who are kind of on the fence as to what exactly what they should do.

Pamela Redmond Satran: Well thanks Sunny and good luck to you all. I can’t wait to hear your names choices. Sunny, we already know yours.

Sunny Gault: I know, I spilt the bean on mine right?

Pamela Redmond Satran: Right, right, yeah.

Sunny Gault: Well if you want to know more about Pamela, her books and her website, you can visit the Episodes page on our website and look for today’s topic which is All About Baby Names and of course, as I mentioned earlier, we are giving away copies of two of her books, The Baby Name Bible and Beyond Eva and Adan. If you guys want an opportunity to win a free copy of these books, all you have to do is head on over to our website which is https://www.preggiepals.com , you click on Episodes and then go down to contests, you can learn all about how you can enter. If you’d like to purchase any of her books, you could do so through our online store.

[Theme Music]

[Featured Segments: Baby Registry Secrets - Consider your needs]
Sunny Gault: Before we wrap today’s show, here is some Baby Registry Secrets.
Havia: Hi Preggie Pals. My name is Havia, Sales Associate with Agana Baby, here to discuss some tips you want to consider when Creating The Perfect Baby Registry. The secondary tip is to consider your needs. There are items that will definitely need such as bottles, pacifiers, feeding goods and diapers. Your registry is the great to include these items and get a kick start on gathering them for your new baby. Make a list of which brands you prefer for those items and be sure to get them up on the Registry for everyone to see. Remember, there are some items you may need that are a little more difficult for others to purchase. This doesn’t mean, leave them off of the Registry as there are people who very well might purchase them for you. Keep it in mind, many people usually have family members and close friends, willing to spend a little more for the new addition to the family. Different parents also have different techniques in raising their babies. Some prefer cloth diapers over disposable, some prefer carriers and slings over strollers, some prefer organic materials. This is where you get to request the items needed for each of those techniques. Other examples, if you would like to use cloth diapers, be sure to list the brands you prefer to use, so you receive the items you want to raise your child with. Remember, not everyone has kids and not everyone will raise their children exactly as you will, so they may not be familiar with the products you are referring to. Being clear will help them find exactly what you are looking to receive and will make the process of shopping for the items a whole lot easier. This will be a huge benefit to you. For more tips on Creating The Perfect Registry as well as what to include on the registry, visit https://www.aganababy.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @Aganababy and be sure to listen to Preggie Pals for more great Registry Tips in the future.

[Music]

Sunny Gault: That’s it for today’s episode. If you have pregnancy topic you’d like to suggest, we would love to hear it. Visit our website at https://www.preggiepals.com or send us an email through the contact link. If you have any questions about today’s shows or the topics we discussed, you can call our Preddi...., Preggie – let me try that again..... If you have any questions about today’s show or the topics we discussed, call our Preggie Pals hotline at 619-866-4775 and we’ll answer your question on an upcoming episode. Coming up next week, we are discussing Natural Child Birth with non-other than the mother of midwives, Ina May Gaskin. She’s an amazing woman with so much experience to share, you won’t want to miss this episode. Thanks for listening to Preggie Pals, your pregnancy, your way.

[Disclaimer]

This has been a New Mommy Media Production. The information material contained in this episode are presented for educational purposes only. Statements and opinions expressed in this episode are not necessarily those of New Mommy Media and should not be considered facts. Though such information materials are believed to be accurate, it is not intended to replace or substitute for professional medical advice or care and should not be used for diagnosing or treating health care problems or disease or prescribing any medication. If you have questions or concerns regarding your physical or mental health or the health of your baby, please seek assistance from a qualified healthcare provider.

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