Melbourne, Australia
My name is Brittany Elyse-May Martin, I am 28 years old, I was 27 when I fell pregnant with Rosie in the year of 2022. I grew up on the Gold Coast, Queensland, with a very full family, so I always knew I wanted kids of my own.
I grew up very sporty, running in marathons, doing triathlons and in 2011 I graduated Year 12 and went on to study a Bachelor of Nursing. I worked as a Mental Health Nurse at both the Gold Coast University and Robina Hospital on the inpatient wards of both Adults & Children's Mental Health. I absolutely loved my time on the Children’s ward, I learned lots and experienced the highs and lows of recovery and relapse. Unfortunately I am no stranger to mental illness, I myself suffer and am treated for an Anxiety Disorder and felt a lot of this towards the end of my career in nursing. I hope to go back to it one day, but for now I am taking a break from the hospital scene. I went on to dipping my toes into Primary School Teaching. I was a Teacher’s Support at a little Catholic primary school when I moved to Melbourne.
I moved to Melbourne in 2020 to support my Husband’s career. He is an AFL football player. He was playing for the Gold Coast Sun’s when we met 8 years ago and now plays for Carlton Football Club. We eloped in the summer of 2022 in Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne. It was perfect. Just myself, my now Husband, Celebrant, witnesses and photographer. That probably sums us up as a couple. We’re very private and enjoy our time together so we felt no need to host a huge wedding.
Then came the positive pregnancy test a few months later. We’d talked about trying for a baby once we were married. It took a few cycles... and it was Rosie all along. Perfect just as she is.
Motherhood is wild! Nothing can prepare you for it. So hard and all consuming. I have never felt so overstimulated, yet so proud of what my body has created in Rosie. I still don’t have the words for it 6.5 months in… maybe I never will. It is everything.
my name journey story -
Rosie Elsie
The name Rosie came to me very early on during my pregnancy. I remember discussing is with my own Mum in the car one day. It was just so feminine and sweet. What I imagined my little girl to be. We found out the gender and it was always Rosie for me. I knew nobody personally with the name. I wanted a traditional yet uncommon name. Nothing too out of the ordinary or completely outrageous ha ha. I always looked at the model Rosie Huntington-Whitely as fashion references or hair styles for events and she just oozed elegance, class and I’ve seen interviews with her where she was cheeky as well. The name just resonated with me with what I imagined my own daughter to be one day.
It literally took 9 months to convince my Husband, but we got there especially after he watched me push our daughter out. I think he would’ve given me anything at that point let alone a forever name, was the least he could do ha ha.
Rosie’s middle name, Elsie, is after my Husbands Great Grandmother. He is Aboriginal and they call them their Jalbi. She is still alive at 90+ years old and is Rosie’s Great Great Grandmother (Jalbi). Rosie also has a bush name that was given to her at birth, her bush name is Yilybiri (pronounced like “ill-bree”). She was gifted a gold bracelet that she wears with her forever name on the front and her bush name on the back.
names I loved and did not use -
My husband loved - Siena. I wasn’t totally against it, but it just didn’t compare to Rosie for me. He also googled it to find it when I was 8.5 months pregnant so the thought behind it didn’t do it for me sentimentally. Are all husbands like that? Ha ha
Other names I loved and didn’t use - Rain & Winter
I still have my dream boy name if we were ever to be lucky enough to have one -
I'll keep that one to myself until the time.
how I found the name nest -
I found Rosie’s first and middle name on your page during my pregnancy! Rosie and Elsie are both beautifully featured.
my advice for mothers who are on their own naming journey
The best advice would be not to second guess your instinct with your favourite name. It will come to you during your pregnancy and you will just know its perfect. Don’t tell anymore before the baby is born because you don’t need anyone else’s opinions or reactions to impact your decision. I am so glad I stuck with Rosie. She became her name instantly.
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to follow Brittany's story and to find out more about her, you can find her on Instagram @__brittmartin
I hope you enjoyed reading Brittany's name journey's and I can not wait to bring you more stories, from women around the world in this new journal series 'behind the name'.