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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Zahna Eklund

'My mum-in-law has claimed stake on our unborn baby's name - but I hate it'

When it comes to naming your baby, there's no one who can force you to choose a name you don't want to use, as the decision over which moniker to pick is down to you and your partner.

But one mum-to-be has been at loggerheads with her boyfriend's mum because she is demanding the couple use a specific name for their impending arrival that neither of them is keen on using.

The woman explained she and her partner are keeping the gender of their baby a secret from their family until the birth, but they know they're expecting a baby girl.

However, the grandmother-to-be is livid with their decision, as she has insisted she needs to know because she absolutely must help with the "name-picking process".

The woman's mother-in-law wants to call the baby McKenna (stock photo) (Getty Images)

Then, when the woman said they were considering the middle name Scott if they were to have a boy as it would honour her late father, her boyfriend's mum began to demand that they use McKenna for a girl - as it was the name she was going to give a baby girl that she sadly lost during her pregnancy 18 years ago.

In a post on Reddit, the woman said: "We found out not that long ago that we were expecting a girl. My boyfriend's mother has always wanted a granddaughter as she had two boys and my boyfriend's brother doesn't want kids. However, my boyfriend and I decided to keep the gender of the baby a secret until she is born.

"One evening recently, my boyfriend and I went out to dinner with his parents and the discussion of baby names came up. My boyfriend's mother kept asking what the gender was to be able to decide on a name. We explained that we wouldn't be announcing the gender until birth. She kept insisting we tell her as she needed to help with the name-picking process.

"We explained to her that we were to decide the names, and it was our decision only. We also addressed that if it was a boy, we would have Scott as the middle name as that was my father's name - he passed from cancer when I was 13. My future mother-in-law stated that if I 'get to name the damn baby after him, then the girl's name should be McKenna.'

"My boyfriend's mother was pregnant around 18 years ago and lost the baby during childbirth. The baby would've been a girl and she was going to be named McKenna. It's a heartbreaking story and I feel so horrible that she had to experience that. However, I don't want my daughter to be named McKenna.

"I dislike the name, no offence, and my boyfriend had no connection with the baby. He was too young to even know what happened. Regardless of my opinion, if my boyfriend wanted to name our child after one of his loved ones, he could’ve stated that - but he hasn’t."

The woman's mother-in-law then branded her "rude and selfish" for refusing to even "consider" McKenna as a name for her daughter, and said that her baby had "just as much of a right to be honoured" as the woman's dad.

She added: "My boyfriend kept insisting that the idea was ridiculous; I was very close with my father. He was sick for years and I even had to watch him die, so naming a son after him would be him living on. He passed at 38, so it's to honour him.

"My boyfriend never even knew his mother was pregnant until after everything because he was so young and the name McKenna had never even been brought up in their household until now."

Commenters on the post sympathised with the mother's loss but insisted it wasn't right for her to force the couple to name their daughter McKenna.

One person said: "MIL needs [to be] reminded that this is NOT her child! She has no entitlement to the baby girl or any of the decisions either. Establish and enforce boundaries now, because I can already see that she's going to try and stomp all over your boundaries and choices!"

While another added: "That’s not an appropriate request."

And a third posted: "She has ZERO rights when it comes to you and your boyfriend's baby! You decide what PRIVILEGES she has regarding time with the baby. She can't decide a dang thing. Congratulations on the baby!"

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