A mum said she has "no regrets" after the coronavirus lockdown helped her name her baby daughter.
Jodi Cross, 36, fell pregnant with her first daughter during the second coronavirus lockdown in 2021 after a year of trying to start a family. Hairdresser Jodi credited the coronavirus lockdowns as being the reason they finally were able to get pregnant - because they had more time to try for a baby due to being on furlough.
Jodi and her husband, Rob, 26, opted for a unique name for their tot - to remember the lockdown period.
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Jodi said lockdown was a "really good time" in their lives despite the pandemic - and they named little baby girl Lockie after it, who arrived on November 28, 2021. The mum-of-one said although it might surprise people, she has "no regrets" over their name choice.
Jodi, from Wixams, Bedfordshire, said: "We had been trying for a year to get pregnant and lockdown meant I was furloughed and Rob was working less. I think we just relaxed a bit because we had so much more time than we normally would, and then we found out I was pregnant.
"When she was born there was the new strain of covid coming about - Omicron - so we knew she'd be a lockdown baby. So we named her Lockie for lockdown - we really liked the name, and lockdown was a good time in our lives because it was so relaxing. People might not like the name, but I don't care what they think."
Jodi explained that at the time of the lockdown starting, she and Rob were living separately, so Rob - who has one child from a previous relationship - moved into her flat with her. They began trying for a baby but had no luck for a year.
It was only when they began to assuming it wasn't going to happen that they got a surprise. Jodi said: "I ended up taking over a little salon during lockdown because I had been on furlough a long time.
"By this point we had been trying for a year and thought pregnancy wasn't going to happen so started to focus on work instead. A week later I found out I was pregnant."
The couple were overjoyed - and even surprised their families by getting married in secret when Jodi was seven months pregnant. Although some people might find her mad for choosing to name her daughter based on such a hard time, Jodi said she doesn't care.
She explained not only was 'Lockie' based on lockdown but also several coincidences leading up to her birth where the word kept appearing again and again. She said: "There was a girl who came into the salon whose surname was Lockey at the time we were considering names - and then we got married in Gretna Green in Scotland, where there are lots of locks.
"The primary reason was definitely lockdown, but the name just felt right."
Nobody has ever said anything bad about the name to Jodi - although she says it's possible people have behind her back. She said: "People might not like the name, but I don't care what they think.
"You never know, other people might hear our story now - and next year it might be the most popular baby name."
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