Many cultures around the world celebrate the birth of their baby by organizing what is called a Naming Ceremony. It differs in different countries, and even within countries, may differ within families. Working with Rukayya and her family for the second time, I kind of knew what to expect seeing that I’ve documented the arrival of their first birn daughter, Nadine, a couple of years ago.

This time, with the birth of Nadia, Rukayya had chosen to birth and celebrate in Dubai. Her birth took place at Al Zahra hospital and the naming ceremony took place at a beautiful Moroccan restaurant downtown called Bab Al Mansour.

A Naming Ceremony includes the official naming of a child that has been newly welcomed into a family. Parents and significant family members have an opportunity to come forward with declarations of their promises & commitments to raising this new baby. It is a wonderful experience to watch how family members come together to celebrate this brand new life, and wonderful to see how despite being thousands of miles away from home in Nigeria, Rukayya and her family still chose to hold one here in Dubai!

Don’t forget to check out the video below!

Rukayya and Sufyan welcomed their second baby girl, Nadine, two years after the birth of their first child, Nadia. You would remember seeing Nadia for when I covered her Fresh 48 and naming ceremony that took place in Abu Dhabi at that time.

Being reunited with the family once again to cover this momentous occasion was a true honor, its always such a great feeling knowing that your repeat clients trust your skills as a Dubai Family Photographer to capture such essential moments in their family’s history. This Fresh 48 story is no different. This time Rukayya decided she didn’t want to stay in Abu Dhabi for the birth of her baby girl, and wanted to follow her OBGYN and birth at Al Zahra Hospital in Dubai. Speaking of her experience, Rukayya said it was nothing short of wonderful and that she was very happy making that decision. I think one of the most important aspects of a successful delivery is the level of comfort and confidence a birthing mother has with her birthing team and the people she surrounds herself with, so kudos to you Rukayya for not being afraid to venture out of Abu Dhabi and for making the journey to Dubai to welcome your baby girl into the world!

Check out the video for this session in next week’s post!