This archive report was first published on 12 May 2020.
On the cusp of motherhood, a 24-year-old woman is facing a daunting challenge: her husband's family is opposed to her naming their son Gaylord, a name that has been a family tradition for generations.
According to the expectant mother, her husband initially agreed to the name, which has been passed down through her family since the 1800s. However, with only a few months left until her due date, he revealed that he had changed his mind and no longer wanted to use the name.
But that's not all - the mother-in-law had been feeding her son 'woo-woo nonsense' about how to time intercourse, which crystals to put beside the bed, what foods to feed her, and to even keep the house warm all to make it impossible for her to have a boy.
The expectant mother feels betrayed by her husband's change of heart and his mother's deceitful plan. 'I never would have married him if he'd just told me he couldn't accept my family name,' she said. 'Now he won't even agree to any sort of nickname, or using it as a middle name, when he initially said it was fine.'
With her marriage on the rocks and the couple unable to agree on a name, the mum-to-be felt as if she had no other option but to name her son by herself. Her father assured her that the law gave her the right to do so.
However, the mother-in-law's scheme was not just about preventing the use of the name Gaylord. She had been trying to manipulate the expectant mother into having only female children, so that the name would skip another generation.
The couple has since cut ties with the mother-in-law and is determined to live their lives on their own terms. 'We're cutting her out of our lives and living the way we want,' the expectant mother said.
