Originally Posted by
corporate-wage-slave
A good friend of mine was in a near exact position and used quite considerable political clout to get to talk to someone senior in the London Embassy. And the answer was still No to NIE. I gather some exceptions were allowed at one point until Washington managed out any inconsistency in approach. Her eventual answer was 2 weeks in the Caribbean instead, which worked out quite well in the end. Canada is an option from 7 September, hopefully.
Some don't need to use any political clout to talk to someone senior in the embassy there. I wouldn't even ask because the rules are clear about what gets an NIE and what doesn't, and the careerist in charge there really shouldn't go down that route of waivers and favors beyond what is already built in to the rules about foreigners coming to the US from the restricted parts of Europe.
There are lots of routes to visit newborn US relatives that don't require any waivers or favors; it's just that many of them add costs in time and/or money to pull it off -- as in using third countries to be outside of the restricted areas for 14 days prior to going to the US.
Being the parent of an unmarried US citizen/LPR child works for US VWP users from Europe to get an exemption without having to deal with US embassies/consulates or going to "non-restricted" places for 14 days prior to going to the US. But that doesn't help the OP unless the grandchild happens to have been born to a US citizen/US LPR who is an unmarried minor child of the OP -- but my bet is that it is unlikely to be applicable to the OP's circumstances.