ABC journalist reveals why she named newborn Methamphetamine Rules

While deciding on a baby's name can be an opportunity for new parents to get creative, one ABC journalist has gone above and beyond on originality — giving her son the bizarre moniker 'Methamphetamine Rules'.

Kirsten Drysdale's decision to name her baby after the illicit drug stunned and horrified Aussies after it made headlines on Tuesday.

However, in an unexpected twist, the new mum revealed to A Current Affair that she chose her son's title "in the name of journalism".

The story behind the name

The journalist — based in Newcastle, NSW — explained her son's name was part of an experiment for a new television show called WTFAQ.

The show answers viewers' questions on weird and wonderful topics, with a recent submission inquiring about the process of how the birth registry chooses legal names for babies when parents don't submit a name that's "acceptable".

Pregnant at the time, Ms Drysdale believed her personal circumstances could help her professional quest to find out the answer, admitting her and the show's team "will do whatever it takes" to find answers for those watching at home.

"I knew there was in theory a very, very, very small risk that there could be some kind of human error or a system failure but I really didn't think this would happen."

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Journalist 'shocked' when name was approved

Ms Drysdale was initially in "shock" when the name slipped through the vetting process after her son was born in July — as were her partner and family who called her a "fool" for taking the risk. However, she said they managed to find the funny side of the situation.

It is unclear how the name was approved by the birth registry, other than the fact it shouldn't have, but Ms Drysdale assured her son's title would be changed and this "journalistic whoopsie" would be corrected on his birth certificate.

"There's no lasting harm done, we checked what the risks were before we did it and we've shown there probably needs to be tightening up on the processes ... It's a journalist service."

"He won't be baby Meth forever."

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