A mum has said she “doesn’t care what people think” after she named her baby after the coronavirus lockdown. Jodi Cross fell pregnant with her first daughter during the second lockdown in 2021, after a year of trying to start a family.
Jodi and her husband Rob, both 36, decided to give their daughter a unique name to remember the lockdown. Their baby girl, Lockie - after 'lockdown' - arrived on 28th November 2021 at 5:28am, weighing 5lbs 2oz, at Bedford Hospital, Bedfordshire.
The couple credit the coronavirus lockdowns as the reason they were finally able to get pregnant, as they had more time to try for a baby on furlough. Jodi, a hairdresser, said lockdown was a "really good time" in their lives despite the pandemic - and they named little Lockie after it.
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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 told how she and Rob, an electrical business director, were in the same class at school - but lost contact, until meeting again on Tinder in November 2019.They quickly struck up conversation and ended up meeting at a local pub for a catch-up.
Romance quickly blossomed between them and they started dating - until Coronavirus struck and the country hit a standstill in March 2020 as the nationwide lockdown in the UK began. At the time the couple 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 getting married in secret when Jodi was seven months pregnant in October 2021.
In November, their first child together was born. The couple opted to name her 'Lockie' - after the Covid-19 lockdowns at the time of her conception and birth. Jodi said the unusual choice represented a happy time for them - as she and Rob "had the best time" throughout the pandemic.
She said: "We know lots of people didn't enjoy lockdown but for us, it was a good time. We actually had the best time in lockdown.
"With both of us being home, we had no worries and found it really relaxing. We named her after a good time, not a bad one."
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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