The ultimate act of love
The love that filled this room before, during and after the birth of this lucky girl was incredibly palpable. How I wish this love could spread over the world, it would make our planet so much more beautiful!
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This birth is mine
This mama had a powerful and successful VBAC and kept her power by cutting her own babies cord
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First Glance
This image is from my second birth overall, and first hospital birth!
Baby Isabelle takes in the world around her, while Momma, Alexis, adores her third born daughter moments after her arrival!
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The loving embrace when the word “transfer” is spoken.
Exhaustion. Love. Support. Emotion. When the word “transfer” was spoken mom broke down into her loving husband’s arms during her next surge. She was tired, sad, relieved, and most of all supported by her loving birth team.
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Still in the Chaos
Dad holding his baby for the first time after kissing his wife goodbye. Beautiful home birth. But her placenta wouldn’t come out. She had to be transferred and put under to have it removed. But she was home with her family later that evening and all is well.
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Touch & Water
This is the third birth I have photographed for this family. Each one is beautiful. Their connection as a couple and a family sings through in every image I have taken of them and that could not be more apparent than right here in this moment.
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Tug Of War
Tug of War – a type of sport in which two teams show their strength by pulling against each other at the opposite ends, and each team tries to pull the other over a line on the ground.
I love the description of Tug of War because it’s like the mom and midwife helping the baby to go from one world to the next.
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Motherhood all around
Mom had precipitous labor and gave birth with out any one in the room. Dad was putting the kids to bed in the other room and we were all pulling into the neighborhood. This was the first normal moment surrounded by all the real life things.
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Relax, Soften, Open
This image was photographed moments after mama stepped into the birth pool for the first time. She was settling in, allowing her feet to adjust to the temperature of the water, while taking in the fact that the she will emerge from the pool with her baby earthside.
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Euphoric
My client was giving birth to her third baby, after two fairly quick previous labors. She certainly did not expect this labor to last over 24 hours! She and her husband, who had worked so beautifully together the entire time, were beyond elated to finally meet their baby.
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That just happened
Birth happens, on the floor, next to you birth pool that was only filled a little bit. Baby came as quick as lightning. I love the details: dad’s sock with his big toe peeping out, still wearing his work clothes. He was overwhelmed by the moment and I love how he does his shirt over his face to cover it up. I was only there for 5 minutes before baby was born.
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endorphin
When hormones kick in to allow the mother to sleep between contractions. Here short nap with dad.
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Redemption
A beautiful, unassisted, and redemptive birth. With mom completely held and supported as she birthed her 2nd son in the water.
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Three Midwives and a Mother’s Instinct
Following an arduous pushing phase, a bulb syringe stands idle, just within reach. The baby boy is not ready to cry out to the world, but he is safe. Watched carefully by his team of midwife and student midwives, he is stimulated by his mother’s instinctual kiss to the foot, a kiss even she does not recall giving. Here, a perfect balance is struck, of hands-on support and adequate space. In this pause there is no rush to intervene, no threat to life, no disconnection, only Three Midwives and a Mother’s Instinct.
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Held
Seconds after birthing her baby, held as they were held in the womb, she reached out to hold her partner too, who was overcome with emotion at the birth of his child. You can see the bloom of fresh blood spreading in the water, still clear at the back. A midwife is at the ready, but is allowing the family their space to meet their new reality.
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A Euphoric, Redemptive Hold
Becca’s redemptive birth. After a devastating shoulder dystocia led to a trauma-filled delivery with a neonatal code and cooling blanket therapy in the NICU with her last baby, Becca finally got the healing, redemptive birth she envisioned. She was able to hold her baby, her husband by her side. No resuscitation, no alarms, no teams rushing in her room. Becca, Mark, and baby Bodie, basking in immediate postpartum bliss.
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Family skin to skin
The release after of a long 3 day labour. Finally skin to skin as a family. Not at home as hoped but in the hospital. I was doulatog.
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The Lovers After
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Her hour has come
Within the hour of ruptured waters, she roared her 10lbs 7oz baby into this world cheered on by everyone in the room!
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Worlds Collide
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The Comfort of Birth
This was a homebirth that I attended a few months ago. It was BEAUTIFUL. This mother amazed me with how serene she was. It was her 4th birth and she knew exactly what she was doing and exactly what she wanted.
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A Mother’s Astonishment
After 55 hours of labor, this first time mama was finally holding her little girl, in absolute shock and awe that she had accomplished her goals! She couldn’t believe that she did it.
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So Much More
This image was taken of my beautiful family during their recent VBAC birth. The love, power and beautiful balance of both her husbands unwavering anchored trust & belief in her mixed with her softness in the surrender and deep dive into what birth can be speaks for itself. A truly unforgettable moment that meant so much more that just the way she chose to birth.
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Love after loss
After 4 back to back miscarriages, including twins, they welcomed their daughter, Daisy in the comfort of their own home. Surrounded by the afternoon light, tucked away in the Rocky Mountains.
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Held
I was hired for this birth after the client started labor. Her scheduled photographer that volunteered to to the birth for free couldn’t make it that day. I dropped everything and got there as fast as I could! I have since come to love this family and learned that she had a really tough go during pregnancy when she fell down the stairs and lost her finger and damaged another in a crazy accident. She had multiple surgeries in her third trimester and overcame so much struggle before her birth. You can see the bandages on her hands in this photo. This euphoric moment was the end of a more difficult labor and is everything she deserved!
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Worth It!
Sacred Birth
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All the Hands
After a traumatic first birth, this mama waited six years before being ready to birth another baby again. After extensive mental and physical preparation, 27 hours of labor support, a very wanted epidural in place, and finally an 8 and a half pound baby on her chest, this moment is about rewriting her story. Her partner’s hand over hers, nurse hands on her baby’s, and midwife hands preparing for the delivery of her placenta, all of these supportive hands tell her new birth story.
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Surrender
Mama Kaitlyn, receiving focused, loving support -minutes after birthing her son in the living room of her Davis, California apartment.
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Born with us, but not out of the woods
A beautiful family was preparing for the birth of their son who had been diagnosed with Trisomy 18. Not knowing if he would be born sleeping or have minutes, hours, days, months, or years earthside, they requested photography to capture every precious moment. Dad and Grandma looked on with cautious optimism and emotional grit as Mom cherished a few brief moments of skin-to-skin with her new miracle baby.
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The Ceremonial Separation
This image tells the story of a family-centered cord burning ceremony after a precipitous, surprise-gender water birth at home. The baby is separated from her placenta using fire and flame in an intimate and slow-paced manner. The mother-baby diad are surrounded by their family, midwife team, birth supplies, and a sacred energy unique to birth.
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Support
It’s the time between the birth of the baby and the birth of the placenta, for which the woman is stepping out of the pool, with the help and support from her two midwives and partner, while securely holding her baby against her.
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Pandiculation
Infant’s first big stretch after being curled up nice and cozy in the womb.
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Together At Last
This was a very long and intense labor for this second time mama. As soon as baby was on her chest you could feel her relief, strength, emotion, and love. They were together at last <3
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Held
A moment of reprieve. Mum with babe in arms, moments after a birth that was nearly assisted by an episiotomy. As the doctor readied her tools, this incredible mother just pushed on through.
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Loss
Baby Leo was born at 15 weeks. 25 weeks too early. There is usually a word for everything in this world. But do you know a word that describes the overwhelming darkness, the complete destruction, and the utter defeat that captivates your entire world when the one thing you are currently living for slips right through your grasp? In capturing this picture, I think I captured an emotion that describes a word that doesn’t exist. That shouldn’t exist. It’s a drowning and deafening version of loss. Loss is the only way to describe how it feels, but loss can’t even touch the emotions written on the faces in my lens.
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Painting of a Precipitous Postpartum
This image was taken minutes after a precipitous home birth. Her water had broken only about two hours before this. The midwives and I arrived with very little time to spare. I love that this image captures my client’s feelings of “what just happened to me?” contrasted by her husband’s loving gaze at their baby. I also enjoy that baby’s hand is mirroring her hand as if he, too, is saying, “Wow, that was fast!” The placenta still attached to baby in the corner adds a nice detail to the scene, as well. This picture was taken with the ambient lighting, as it just happened to also be golden hour for the sunsetting just outside their living room window.
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World Changer
After over 24 hours of labor, 1 failed epidural and 3 intense hours of pushing, this little one made his appearance into the world. This was my introduction into birth photography.
