The amazing birth of Baby Grant

I am so excited to share the story of the amazing birth of Baby Grant because it was proof that Babies do want me at their births!

Jokes apart, I have shared before how living life on-call is often very hard; not so much because I am constantly hoping that everything will go well for the family I am supporting, but because having a family of my own implies that there are so many factors and decisions and backups that need to be involved for at least 4 weeks in a row. Which is often underappreciated with the result that if I want to go on vacation with my family for a couple of days, I end up having to take the whole month off because ( especially first time) moms want to make sure that as their Doula and Birth Photographer, you are available to them for the five weeks surrounding their due date. But I digress…I fell in love with Grant’s Mom from the very first moment I met her in Culver City on a rainy Los Angeles day. She was warm, calm, radiant… a true joy to be around. I was honored to photograph her family at the beach for her maternity session and play in the waves with her daughter, who has the most amazing curls and would make Shirley Temple giggle with joy.

The week Mama B. was due, turned out to be absolutely bananas at my house. My husband had a last-minute business trip and my MIL, who is usually my rock and my children’s caregiver when I am at birth, was suddenly not available.

But I really wanted to be at the birth of Baby Grant!

I have to admit I did panic a few shirts of sweat, but this turned out to be such a great lesson for me to look for a solid network of multiple backups, which I did, in the end, find. Nevertheless, the minute my husband walked home from his business trip, I received ‘the’ text I had been waiting for and the confirmation that Babies are oh ever so kind and so willing to wait and are truly Heaven sent, even when being born is not about their Doula nor Photographer ( but this time I did really think there was a message in there for me too!)

Grant had a beautiful birth at his home in Manhattan Beach. His mama pushed him out in his full 9 lb of goodness, while surrounded by the Midwives, Dad, and Big Sister asleep in the room next door. Here are some images of the birth of baby Grant that his Mom B. gave me permission to share. I simply adore this family!

Fun fact, as I was driving back from the beautiful birth of baby Grant, I turned on the music and tried to enjoy the sweet relief of a birth gone so wonderfully.

Despite the late hour of the night, I run into a little bit of traffic and and a couple of red lights.

While I was waiting for the light to turn green, I looked up and realized that the cross street I was stopped at was, wouldn’t you have guessed it, Grant street!!

I know that is a popular name and that many streets in the US across the country are named after it, but what are the coincidences that this is the moment I decide to pay attention? Right after attending the birth a baby named Grant?

You may call it coincidence, but I like to call it Divine Providence!