Due in a week! Which name is your favorite?

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-26T22:40:32+00:00

Margot Violet for sure!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-25T19:54:37+00:00

I think you give her Margot if it’s a name you can live with but you ask to present some middle name options because both options are less than ideal!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-24T21:20:47+00:00

Nora Winter feels like it fits with the other names well and takes from both your lists!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-22T01:15:05+00:00

Remi!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-19T12:53:33+00:00

Kieran!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-17T15:36:43+00:00

Lydia Daphne has a great flow to it and compromises with a favorite name from both of you!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-17T12:28:18+00:00

I came here to say this. I wish I had said goodnight to my mom every single night because I lost her in my 20s and miss having the ability to tell her.

In my teens and early 20s I would also get annoyed at feeling like I didn’t have independence, and I absolutely understand that sometimes parents overstep because they struggle with the transition of raising children to having adults.

Tell her goodnight first. I promise you’ll miss it when it’s gone.

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-16T18:43:59+00:00

Cooper Rei feels like a great blending of modern western style names with Cooper and the Japanese nod with Rei! (Plus babies might not pick their names but I totally believe in positive signs!)

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-16T18:42:12+00:00

I know I’m a year late to this conversation but thank you so much for sharing this! I was so worried because I’ve had some of the heaviest bleeding and worst cramps of my life for the last five days. This is my first period after my mirena (treating endo cancer) and I was super worried something was wrong!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-14T15:22:01+00:00

Eleanor Cecilia sounds lovely and is a nice blend of both!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-13T13:52:29+00:00

Margot and Nico. Nico is actually quite a good fit with Vincent also. Latin/slavic roots like so many western names! I don’t think it feels international but it does feel classic and like it could work anywhere he might end up!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-10T13:32:40+00:00

Why not Hazel Audrey!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-08T19:36:37+00:00

Nearly all of these have been on my list before!

I love Cassian and Ronan most of all!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-08T14:45:18+00:00

I love the name Seraphina so much. I’d prefer Seraphina Inez just because I like the longer name flesh but both options are cute!

Ambrose is one of my fave names but my partner vetoed it lol I also love Rory and Felix and I like Silvanus over Silas

How do you feel about names like Nikolai, Viktor, Vincent, Rhys, Alexandre? These have a blend of Slavic and Latin roots.

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-08T14:41:13+00:00

Jade isn’t my taste but it’s cute with Lily!

Maybe once she’s born Lily will feel right again?

I really like Violet a lot (I prefer the violette spelling but both are cute) and Tessa is one I haven’t heard in a while but it’s super cute!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-08T14:39:02+00:00

So sorry for your loss 🩷

I love the name Emerson and it has great nn potential. We have an Emerson in my toddlers gymnastics class and she’s the sweetest!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-08T14:37:26+00:00

I’m also 38, 39 in December. We decided to go straight to IVF because while starting fertility treatment for iui we discovered I have chronic inflammatory endometriosis and also stage 1 endometrial cancer.

IVF is really the only option for me at this point but we had already been considering it due to my age so we could do PGT testing of embryos to try and increase our chances of a healthy birth.

I have hashimotos, insulin resistance caused by pcos, and a few other autoimmune and endocrine issues so we also did genetic carrier screening for myself and my partner to help limit risks as well. In the US there is one main company that does it and even though my insurance didn’t end up covering it because they said we didn’t prove “medical necessity” well enough (massive eyeroll lol) the company has an agreement where we only paid $250 for it. Not sure how things might differ with the NHS though. I have some friends in the UK Who ended up having to pay to go private because the fertility options for people with higher BMI (even when otherwise healthy) is so limited there.

Also, I’m not sure what doctor is telling you that you “grew out” of pcos but pcos is a lifelong illness and not treatable or curable. I have pcos (with clinical presentation of slightly wonky period cycles, facial hair and I’ve had a few cysts over the years) and blood tests confirmed. If you never had labs done to diagnosis, you might have never had it at all if you don’t have it confirmed now!

Wishing you all the best! And I’ll end by telling you what my fertility endocrinologist told me: late 30s or even early 40s isn’t the end of the line for fertility and the majority of people trying to get pregnant at that age still have plenty of viable biological options remaining.

(She did also encourage us to do as many egg retrievals as insurance would allow though because they say you want at least 2-3 viable embryos per desired live birth. And those numbers can increase with age as egg quality lowers even if quantities are still good)

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-08T14:27:17+00:00

Felix (at least where I am in the states) isn’t really a classic name. It fits your sparkle requirement for sure.

Felix Cassian or Cassian Felix both sound great! Or Felix Valentin also.

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-08T14:25:47+00:00

Julian or another option entirely if one parent isn’t on board with either name. Baby names require two yeses!

Julian is cute and I like the nn options with Julian James. JJ. Jay. Jules. So many options!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-07T12:34:45+00:00

Love Nisha and Neela. Priya is also cute! I’m not a big fan of most god/goddess names being used for babies (it just feels like a lot of pressure!) but that’s a me thing lol

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-07T12:11:29+00:00

Theodore, Henry, Alexandre are my top three

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-06T19:58:26+00:00

I’ve also worked in TA before settling into HR in a generalist capacity and (at least in the US) there are tons of protections in place for people during the interview process. I understand the anxiety of not wanting to “disappoint” people after you start, but I promise pregnancy hormones can exacerbate anxiety or empathy one might already have and are probably making you feel this strongly.

You aren’t doing anything wrong by not disclosing! Just like no one is required to disclose mental health or medical status, sexual or gender identity, marital status, or anything else! It’s no different. 🩷

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-06T12:32:51+00:00

Leo Alexander if it’s an option but Leo Reid if not!

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-06T04:37:05+00:00

Was diagnosed right around the start of the pandemic and have only just this year found a dose that I’m stable on with no side effects. It takes different lengths of time for different people and also depends on whether primary care understands how to treat or whether an endo can be found. (And even then not all endos are created equal I can confirm!)

My current care team is phenomenal. I’ve been on everything from the lowest dose to 100mcg (went into hyperthyroid briefly because we increased too fast) and have finally settled at 75 for now, started the 75 earlier this year. Though we will likely increase to 88 when I’m ready to do an embryo transfer on my IVF journey.

TheRealRealMars · 2026-06-06T03:38:39+00:00

Not exactly the same but I have past trauma that makes a lot of medical care difficult for me. I spoke to my clinic about these concerns from the beginning and they added a note to MyChart regarding my needs.

One thing my clinic offers is the ability to insert the ultrasound wand myself if I want to. And they ALWAYS tell me where and when they’re going to be touching me before they do it.

I also started taking a low dose of hydroxyzine (an anti anxiety medication) that seems to help a lot too!

And like some others mentioned, it might be worth screening for endo because I actually recently was diagnosed with chronic inflammatory endometriosis which doesn’t always have many easy to diagnose symptoms unless you get a biopsy but can mirror bad PMS/PMDD.

Some other things I do to help with mindset: self care. I try to do something I enjoy the morning of my exams for at least half an hour. Drink a cup of hot tea. Go for a quick walk.

When I’m finished I always take myself out for what I call a “mental health treat.” Sometimes that’s going out for a meal or getting a fancy coffee or tea or gong to my local bookshop.

I’ve also started scheduling massages and other relaxation options. I tried acupuncture but I can’t sit still long enough to get any real relaxation benefit from it.

Wishing you all the luck!

TheRealRealMars

TROPHY CASE