Granger Smith + Wife Amber Welcome Baby Boy Maverick
Maverick Beckham Smith has arrived! Granger Smith and his wife, Amber, welcomed the newest addition to their family on Friday (Aug. 20). Also joining in on the celebrations are older siblings London and Lincoln.
Smith confirmed the entrance of his new son on Friday afternoon, as planned, sharing a photo that shows Amber cradling baby Mav, who's wrapped in a blanket, in a hospital bed.
"He's here! Wow…so many emotions," the singer says. No details were revealed about Maverick's weight or length at birth. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the couple's older children will likely have to wait to meet their baby brother, Smith says.
Mom and baby are "doing great," Dad confirms.
Maverick is the couple's fourth child. They are also parents to River, who died in a tragic drowning accident at home in July of 2019, when he was three years old. In the two years that have elapsed since their son's death, the country star couple have become advocates for swimming pool safety as well as establishing their River Kelly Fund, an organization that supports the hospital that tried to save River's life along with a variety of other causes.
The Smiths also honored River's life and legacy with a subtle tribute in their youngest son's name. They announced that they were planning to name their new baby Maverick Beckham ahead of his birth, with Amber specifying that she wanted the letters R-I-V to appear somewhere in his first name, but also avoid any similarities that were too overstated.
"I wanted this baby to have his own identity, and I didn't want him to be so tied to River. But I did want him to have a little piece of his brother in his name," Amber said in an installment of their YouTube channel, The Smiths.
Ever since announcing Amber's pregnancy in March, the couple have shared their difficult road to welcoming baby Maverick, both through their YouTube channel and a CBS This Morning feature that aired that same month.
It was originally Granger who wanted to have another baby, while Amber admits she wasn't initially open to the idea. "He came to me pretty soon after we lost Riv, and just asked me, 'Would you want to have another baby?' And I said no," she shared.
"I just had this feeling. I just said, 'I don't ever think we could replace or would try to replace River,'" Granger added, "But I said, 'I just feel like I have love available to give.'"
In January 2020, they decided to move ahead with plans to expand their family through IVF, and got the news that an embryo transfer had been successful in July of 2020. However, not long after, Amber experienced a miscarriage. With just one embryo remaining, they tried again, and in December, they learned that Maverick was on the way. Throughout the process, the couple have documented all the ups and downs on video. Granger and Amber have said that they hope sharing their experience will help others who are struggling with loss.
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