There are many superstitions connected with fertility, pregnancy, labor and birth, and caring for your baby. But have you ever thought about it being good or bad luck to name your baby and start using the name while he or she is in utero?

In some religions it is still considered bad luck to name a baby before birth. "An example would be Jewish law," explains Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE, author of "The About.com Guide to Having a Baby," among other books (www.robineliseweiss.com/author.htm). "It was - and is still today to a certain extent - believed that if you named a baby before birth it would bring evil spirits." Weiss says that this is why many Jews still don't have baby showers or name their babies until eight days after birth for boys and even longer for girls.

"I think it's bad luck not to [name a baby before birth]," notes Laura Wattenberg, author of "The Baby Name Wizard" (www.babynamewizard.com). "I've talked to a large number of parents who have baby-name remorse in that they either didn't like the name they chose or couldn't choose a name," she adds. "They felt like it was wrong to pick the name until they met the baby. They've said, 'Once I look at the baby, I'll know.'" For others, however, a name makes them feel better connected to the baby while it is still in utero.

Some don't name their babies in utero because they just haven't decided. "I don't believe that if you don't name before birth it means that you don't think about it," Weiss says. "Many people who wait to name their baby have lists prepared. They may have two to three names on each list and want to see who the baby really is before choosing a name."

Wattenburg insists deciding before the birth is important. "I find that people who, for superstitious reasons, wait to choose a name set themselves up for a lot of stress and regret," she says. If you think about it, she adds, you've just given birth. You're probably not at your most clearheaded and creative point.

Actress Helena Bonham Carter took the full six weeks that Britain gives new parents to name their babies to name her daughter. "Most states don't require you to name your baby at birth or even before you leave the hospital," Weiss states, "though most encourage you to do so because it's easier on them."

Not set on a name? Another option to consider is having a nickname for your baby while it's in the womb. Many parents refer to a fetus as peanut, for example, or bean, right after they've seen those first ultrasound images. "Some parents have named a baby before birth," says Weiss, "and after the baby is born, they look and say, 'That is so not your name.'"