A Birth Story

Well guys, it has been absolutely FOREVER since I have done a blog post! Let's face it, with a hefty workload, a two year old, and a husband, my free moments are spent relaxing. Ah who am I kidding? WHAT free moments?! Haha!

Butttt, special occasions deserve special attention, and this week I was honored with a very special opportunity- to capture a birth story.

Having a photographer in the room for delivery has become a really popular thing, but I had never had an opportunity to do it until Wednesday when one of my dearest friends was welcoming her new little love into this world.

You guys might remember Vanessa from a blog post I did about a year and a half ago. We had welcomed her second daughter into the world and caught some adorable little images of Baby Valentina in the hospital and then later at home.

Well this time around a few things were different, I was going to photograph the actual BIRTH and it was the birth of a baby BOY, unusual for this family of all women!

The day started out slowly, with me arriving at the hospital around 9:00 am, after a string of unfortunate events that morning. She was progressing slowly, only getting closer to labor by about a centimeter every hour or two. We waited about 6 hours for active labor and pushing to begin. Most people would think that sitting in a room with a hormone filled, pain stricken, worried mom to be, would be an awful experience, or at best, a tense one. But let me clarify for you, Vanessa was made to have babies.

She's that woman that pisses other women off. Her body bounces back instantly, she breast feeds with ease, and she also has very mild, very speedy deliveries. Considering I waited 24 hours, and pushed for four, only to have an emergency c-section, she really is quite annoying with how effortless it all seems to play out for her. Hahaha!

Spending the day with her was a blast. It was just us girls (her sister was there, too) laughing, and talking. It was like happy hour, but with less drinks, and more epidurals. And before we knew it, the baby was coming!

What happened over the next 30 minutes was incredible. Vanessa and her doctor had previously talked about a birth plan that would allow for Vanessa to pull out her own baby. Shes nut's I know, but I guess by your third child, you really can be considered an expert at this kinda stuff :-p.

She pushed for a whole 11 minutes. Eleven. And there he was. At 3:29 pm, little man made his debut.

I've never seen Vanessa cry...and she didn't cry in this moment. But she did get a little misty-eyed as she said "I've got you little guy, I've got you," and laid him on her chest. This was BY FAR one of the most amazing, touching, and REAL experiences I have ever been a part of. If you want to know strength, then spend a few minutes with this momma and she will blow you away.

Jealous yet? That was it. No crying, no screaming, not even any sweating. Just 11 minutes of slight pushing, and there he was. Being dried off, loved on, and experiencing his first few moments in this world with us. I'll share some photos from the following hour that passed. Vanessa cut the umbilical cord, had skin to skin time, fed him a little, and LOVED on him lots. He was finally here.

Once the first hour after delivery was up, it was time for a little baby physical. Little man weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 20 inches long. He came out with perfect skin, no baby acne, no red spots, no nothing. Just glowing, beautiful, milky baby skin.

Now you might wonder why I haven't mentioned this little bundle's name at all, and that's because there isn't one yet. You would think labor is the hard part, but clearly for Vanessa this isn't the case. Naming the baby is! At the time of this post, there is a strong contender, but nothing is official. So for now, he's Little Man. Sweet baby, Little Man.

So there it was, my very first birth story. What a life changing experience. I never really considered the idea of doing birth photography. I figured it was such a private thing, who wants a camera in there for that? But it truly is the most miraculous time in a mother's life. Why would you NOT want that captured? Every birth story is different. Some have complications, some are short, some are long, some are easy, and some are not. Some have happy endings, and some don't. But all births are beautiful. All births are special, and all births are worth capturing. I would be truly honored to capture any birth stories that come my way- as it allows me to capture real MIRACLES.

Well folks, that's all from here. Til next time, my friends. And to my friend Vanessa, Congratulations my dear. You are a wonderful mommy to your three beautiful children and I am so lucky to know you.

Peace and love.