You probably know that many parents give their children nicknames before they’re born – but did you know that they can actually help parents bond with their babies? These “noms de womb” are often sweet and amusing, but they can also be a way of using gender-neutral language for the child.
When the question of in-utero nicknames was put out on social media by ABC Radio Hobart in Tasmania, some common themes started to show. “Peanut”, “bean”, and “jellybean” were popular nicknames, as were “Cletus the foetus” and “George”. And sometimes a name given to the unborn baby might be intended as their forever name — until the baby arrives, as happened for one set of parents who nicknamed their baby “Xena” and were more than a little amused when a boy was born.