In-utero Child Names

[Dee Bee]

The Sun-Sentinel newspaper here runs a Sunday "Health & Family" column called "We Ask, You Tell." The pre-advertised question for this coming Sunday was "What nickname did you have for your in-utero child, why did you choose it, and did it stick after birth?" I was informed today that my answer will be among those featured. Here it is.

I gave birth to my first (and only) child in July, 1980. Ultrasounds were not standard back then, but my husband and I felt fairly certain our precious bundle would be a boy. We began calling the baby "Balthazar" early in the pregnancy. I'm not sure exactly why we chose that name other than that it was unusual. Also, my pregnancy was confirmed in November just prior to the Christmas holiday kick-off. In the Christian tradition, Balthazar was one of the Magi (Wise Men) from the East who visited the newborn Christ child.
On July 12, Balthy entered the world: not a boisterous 10+lb. boy (as predicted), but a petite baby girl! At that moment, the nickname "Balthazar" became history. Our now-25-year-old daughter, Sarah Bressner Erickson, has been the pride and joy of our lives ever since!

Did any of you have in-utero names for your children? Why did you choose those particular names? Do you still use those names as nicknames?

[O Town]

Ya know, I can't recall calling the kids anything while in utero. I know with my first pregancy it was twin girls and I used to say the one on top and the one on the bottom. Thats about it. With my 2nd, a singleton(thank god), it seems I would call her cutsie names but nothin impertictular, like peanut, and nugget. I do actually still call her nugget, but now it is nugget of love. And with the twins they got their nick names after birth when they where infants. Bird and Rock. Dont ask. Bird came out of no where(she was the laid back one of the 2) and rock because she was so stiff all the time and firm.They weighed about the exact same but carrying her was like carrying rocks. Those names did stick as well they are 7 now, and the little one is 3, all girls. Interesting topic, can't wait to read other answers.

[streetsoldier]

We called our son, known here as "coppertop"..."basketball".

At 8 lb. 6 oz., we were close.

[Amanzi]

When my husband saw the ultrasound for my son he said he looked just like a little bean... so the name in-utro stuck for my preg as "bean". He became very very active, even my obgyn said that he was one of the most active babies he had ever monitored. The poor ultrasound tech had a very hard time trying to measure things at my second ultrasound becuase "bean" was rolling around all over the place. So by the end of my pregnancy he became the Mexican Jumping Bean.

My daughter was just the opposite, and on occasion I had to actually drink orange juice or something sweet to check her movement. She became "sleepy head"... Actually thats pretty much true to this day, my son is the hyper active busy bee, and my daughter is the laid back one who likes to sleep. The nick names have changed, but the personalities have not changed much.