During her pregnancy with her third child, Whitney Leavitt deviated from her usual baby naming practice. Whitney Leavitt, known from The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and her husband Conner celebrated the arrival of their newest child on Wednesday, October 24, as confirmed exclusively to PEOPLE. While they typically wait until they meet their newborn to choose a name, this time, they made an exception.
Although the couple opted not to learn the baby’s sex before birth, Leavitt shared that they had already chosen the name Billy Gene for their son. She noted that they appreciated the name’s “gender neutrality,” which appealed to them. “We fell in love with the name immediately — even before meeting him,” the mother of three told PEOPLE.
Whitney Leavitt shares a tender moment with her newborn, Billy Gene
Waiting until the birth to discover the baby’s sex made it easier for the couple to select a name in advance. “The name allowed us to feel connected to the baby without knowing the gender,” she explained.
Billy is the newest addition to their family, joining their two-year-old son Liam and four-year-old daughter Sedona. Leavitt mentioned that both children initially thought they were getting a new baby sister.
“Upon meeting Billy, they were a bit surprised that they actually didn’t get to decide the baby’s gender,” she revealed. “But they’ve warmed up to him quickly, and now all they want to do is hold their new baby brother.”
As for her instincts about the baby’s gender, the MomTok creator felt “very confident” that she was expecting a boy, as her pregnancy felt “so similar” to when she was pregnant with Liam. The moment her suspicions were confirmed was just as meaningful as she had anticipated.
“Finding out the gender in the delivery room created a feeling of greater anticipation that I couldn’t wait for,” she expressed. “Discovering that we were having another boy brought an overwhelming sense of emotion.”
