Baby born in Michigan brewery’s parking lot is given appropriate name. ‘Meant to be’

An expectant mother could not wait any longer, unable to hold off the arrival of her baby boy.

So, naturally, her husband pulled their vehicle into one of their favorite spots — One Well Brewing in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

“There’s no way this is actually happening. Like, the baby’s not gonna come on our way there,” the father, Aaron Baker, told WXMI. “We’re gonna make it to the hospital. Everybody makes it to the hospital.”

Not the Bakers, who pulled into the brewery just in time.

The couple told WXMI they had a 25-minute drive to the hospital. That proved to be too long for their baby to wait.

“Life had other plans, as Baby decided the time was NOW,” the brewery said in a Sept. 24 Facebook post of the Aug. 13 birth.

Within moments, a baby boy was born.

“By the time he put the brakes on, walked around the passenger side, he got the door open in time to catch his head,” the mother, Kyle Baker, told WXMI.

The couple chose to keep their baby’s sex a mystery until birth, and the boy name they selected was Forrest, the brewery said.

It’s fitting, as the brewery has a section in its pub called The Forest.

“Maybe this unique birthplace was meant to be,” the brewery said.

In a nod to their son’s birthplace, the Bakers gave their son the full name Forrest Wells Baker.

“We’ve always LOVED everything about this brewery (atmosphere, food, beer), and now we get to add ‘parking lot’ to that list too,” Kyle Baker said in a Facebook post.

This story was originally published September 26, 2024 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Baby born in Michigan brewery’s parking lot is given appropriate name. ‘Meant to be’."