Marylou Grace Galbraith

I don't really think about it while it's happening, but when I do take a moment to look back I'm always amazed at everything surrounding the birth of our children, especially my wife.  She always chooses to do this.  It's not a surprise, it's not a mistake, it's her choice.  She chooses to fulfill her part of the plan of our Father in Heaven, to give life, and I honor her for the great sacrifice she makes each time she pairs a spirit body with a physical body and brings forth a child; she is an elect lady, a virtuous women, a righteous mother.

Our friend Sara Lester took pictures during the birth and captured some of the defining moments.  Amber posted this first picture to facebook with the title "Team Galbraith".


Marylou Grace Galbraith was born 31 May 2013 at 7:01am at home. She was 8lbs-11ozs, 21" long, has a 14" head and was all covered in vernix. She cleaned up beautifully and I caught a picture while Lucy was dressing her...

There were a lot of people helping, including three of our girls, our midwife Amber and her mom, and our friend Sara Lester.  I love this picture of cutting Marylou's umbilical cord. Here's a new person just finishing the process of coming into the world, surrounded by people who love her, helping her to make a good start.

As usual we didn't know our time table (I suppose no one does) but the Lord handled the details beautifully.  Amber was delivered and clean up had begun when the children started waking up. Aurora was caught up in the magic of the moment and Sara captured her as she discovered her new baby sister with all the innocence and curiosity of a two year old.


I'm not sure if you've heard this story before so I'll tell it now.  When I was 14 I helped my parents as they worked together to bring my little sister Ruth into the world.  The midwife wasn't going to make it in time and so it was just the two of them working together and me doing the running as needed.  Watching how my parents worked together I began to understand what it means for a husband and wife to be one.  They had a perfect focus on a single goal; they gave everything they had to fulfilling that goal; and they held nothing back.  It was beautiful and it changed me forever.  I determined then and there that my life's ambition was to be a husband and father. My perfect focus is just that.  In all that I am called to do, I am a husband and father first and everything else is only a supporting role.  Maybe you can see that in these two pictures.

Amber and I have now brought eight children into the world together.  Four at home and four in hospitals. No offence to the hospitals, but having babies at home is what works for us.  There is a palpable calm in our home when Amber is laboring and I believe that is because the veil is very thin when babies are born.  During all of our home births I have been aware of the spirits of family members passed on in the room with us. There to help, strengthen, guide and encourage.  It's hard to feel that in a hospital with all the hustle and bustle, bells and whistles.  But we couldn't feel that way without help, without having confidence that everything supporting us was being quietly done in the background.  Our midwife Amber Walla does just that.  As Amber and I work together to bring a baby into the world, Amber makes sure everything else gets done.

It's now five months since these events.  I wanted to capture a few moments before the details fade.  There are a lot more stories to come as Marylou's life unfolds, that's the case with all our children.