Baby Names 2012

Our lovely Facebook page members submitted their baby names to help us update our Top 10 list.

10 Most Popular Baby Names

1. Ella
2. Amelia
3. Cooper
4. Noah
5. Ava
6. Charlotte
7. Hunter
8. Liam
9. Lily
10. Xavier

Special mentions:  Riley, Jacob, Jaxon, Emily, Isabella, Isla, Jack, Kaia, Ruby and Sophie   
Here is the ful unique list in alphabetical order (and by unique we mean that while you will see quite a few similar names with a range of spelling eg, Conner, Connah, Connar).

Aaliyah
Aanika
Aaron
Abigail
Adam
Aden
Aiden
Ailea
Ajah
Alanta
Alaska
Alesandro
Alex
Alexander
Alexandra
Alexis
Alfie
Alice
Alicia
Amelia
Andrew
Anna
Annabell
Annalia
Anneke
Archer
Aria
Ariella
Artemisia
Asheia
Asher
Ashton
Audrey
Ava
Avery
Azariah
Bailey
Bella
Benjamin
Benny
Bianca
Blake
Blayze
Bonny
Brayden
Bree
Brennan
Briar
Bridget
Brodie
Brody
Brooke
Cade
Caelan
Cailean
Caitlin
Caleb
Cameron
Campbell
Carter
Casey
Castiyle
Charlie Charleigh
Charlotte
Cherie
Chiana
Chloe
Clara
Cody
Connah
Conner
Connor
Cooper
Corban
Coredlia
Crispin
Cruz
Cullen
Dakota
Damian
Daniel
Daria
Darius
Deacon
Declan
Devin
Dillon
Dolorez
Dominic
Dylan
Dyllan-Rae
Eben
Eddie
Elijah
Elise
Eliza
Elizabelle
Elizabeth
Ella Ellie
Elliott
Emily
Emma
Emmett
Ericka
Esmae
Esme
Etha
Ethan
Eva
Evangelene
Evelyn
Evie
Finn
Flynn
Franchezka
Frederick
Geordie
Georgia
Griffin
Harley
Harmony
Harper
Harrison
Havanna
Hayley
Haze
Heath
Holly
Hudson
Hunter
Illa
Indiana
Indie
Indyanna
Isaac Isabelle
Isabella
Isla
Izaac
Jack
Jacob
Jade
Jadon
Jai
Jaidah
Jaide
Jaiden
James
Jamie
Jarome
Jaron
Jaxon
Jayda
Jayden
Jesse
Jett
Jonas
Jonothon
Jordan
Jorja
Jos
Joseph
Joshua
Julia
Kaden
Kaeli
Kaia
Kaiden
Kaitlin
Kaitlyn
Kaitlynn
Katherine
Kayden
Kevin
Keziah
Khloe
Kingston
Kirsten
Kiya
Krystal
Kyran
Lachlan
Lacy
Lani-Jane
Layla
Leonardo
Levi
Liam
Libby
Lila
Lilijanna
Lily
Lincoln
Lleyton
Locklyn
Logan
Lola
Lucas
Lucy
Luka
Lukas
Luke
Mac
Macaulay
Mackenzie
Maddison
Madeleine
Madeline
Madelyn
Madilyn
Mahi
Maia
Makai
Makayla
Mana
Mason
Max
McKaia
Mekhai
Mia
Micah
Michaela
Milaan
Milla
Miller
Millicent
Mollie
Molly
Monica
Morgan
Morgana
Morghan
Natalie
Nathan
Nathaniel
Nikolai
Nivarah
Nixon
Noah
Noelle
Nova
Oceana
Olive
Oliver
Olivia
Onyx
Orion
Paige
Paige-Tayla
Paityn
Paul
Paxton
Peyton
Phinneus
Phoebe
Portia
Pyper
Quentin
Quinn
Rebekah
Reede
Rico
Rilan
Riley
Romeo
Rory
Rose
Ruairidh
Ruby
Ryley
Samantha
Samual
Samuel
Sasha
Savannah
Sayden
Scarlett
Seith
Seth
Shakayla
Shakiya
Shanade
Shelby
Shia
Shikyla
Shiloh
Sienna
Sierra
Sofia
Sophia
Sophie
Stefan
Stella
Stephanie
Sullivan
Sydney
Taevyn
Tahlia
Tamsin
Taylar
Tessa
Tobias
Triton
Troy
Tyler
Typer
Tyson
Vanessa
Vera
Victoria
Vienna
William
Willow
Winter
Xavier
Zachary
Zain
Zara
Zion
Zoe

Hopefully that will give you some ideas if you are struggling to find the perfect name for your new arrival!

Faces of La Leche League NZ

The recent vilification of La Leche League NZ (LLLNZ), by New Zealand media and members of the public has been quite an eye opener.   Slow news day was it NZ Herald and TV3?

This great article by Donelle Bellanger Taylor raises the most valid of points in this whole debate.  Most people have absolutely no idea who LLLNZ even is.  She notes:  

I don't understand why people find it so hard to comprehend that hospital midwives are not La Leche League, lactation consultants are not La Leche League, Plunket nurses are not La Leche League, and random grumpy old ladies aren't La Leche League either.  

La Leche League is made up of volunteers who give their own time to work with women who call them or come along to meetings. Women come to them to get support and information to help them succeed in breastfeeding."

I agree that LLLNZ has a bit of an identity problem.   Many people seem to believe that it's full of hairy-legged hippies who sit around with their norks out, feeding their 7 year olds and because they are a volunteer organisation, there is not and will likely never be, any funding for a big glitzy marketing campaign to change that misconception.  This means the fantastic work they do every day in our communities (providing support and information to breastfeeding mums) and the real face of LLLNZ as it is today, simply doesn't get shared.

So here they are - just some of the faces of LLLNZ members and supporters, mostly ordinary NZ mums just like you and me - hardly the horrific hairy-chinned "breast feeding nazis" they've been painted! 



More images are being added all the time, but we had to start somewhere.

Please note:  This video has been put together by me, through my connection with other LLL members and is therefore completely independent of LLLNZ.

Final thought:  Putting aside deliberately inflammatory reporting and incorrect identifcation of LLL personnel, if even half the horror stories are true then perhaps it's time for LLLNZ to reassess training and it's level of intervention.   In some situations the goals of LLL (as a breastfeeding support organisation) and parents won't match, and that's likely to be where the breakdowns are.