Poppy’s Homebirth

February 20, 20172 Comments

2/15/17 the date little Miss Poppy decided it was time to come Earth side!

This surprise girl kept mom and dad on their toes the whole pregnancy making them think perhaps they could be in store for a little boy. Her two big sisters however, were convinced from day 1 that she was indeed a she. “I knew it I told you so,” we could hear from down the hall as Dad went to share the news of Poppy’s arrival.

The timing of this home birth couldn’t have been more perfect, the girls had been tucked into bed the night before, mom and dad labored beautifully through the night, and right before the birth big sisters woke up and were able to meet the newest addition minutes later.

I was so blessed to be able to serve this family as their doula and photographer!

Sean’s Surprise Birthday

June 9, 2013Leave a comment

I never know how parents, especially first time parents, keep from finding out the gender of their baby. Tears and anticipation filled the room as Sean made his entrance into this world. His parents were beyond joyful to meet him (and find out he is a him) after a short and intense labor. Not a dry eye in the room as his mom proclaimed, “I have waited my whole life for you”. This couples love for each other and their newborn son does not come through in these photos. I know parents love their children, but Sean will be cherished each moment of each day.

To be a part of this birth as a doula and photographer was very bitter sweet as I will be taking a break from both soon (more details will be posted later). I thank them from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to serve them.

Newborn Sneak Peek: Caden

May 14, 2013May 14, 20131 Comment

What better way to spend a mother’s day than with a new mother helping her capture her son in photos that will last a life time. I was excited to see Mr. Caden again and see how big he’d gotten in just a week and a half. Here is just a little sneak peek of his photo shoot.

Caden James

May 1, 2013May 1, 20131 Comment

A write up for this sweet birth is coming soon but I couldn’t wait to get the picture sneak peek up for the family! Enojy 🙂

Caden James

4/30/2013 3:56am 7lbs 2oz

Birth Photography Special – Summer 2013 –

March 13, 2013April 9, 2013Leave a comment

I am so excited to announce I have a new photography partner in crime and we have a special deal just for mammas due this Spring and Summer!

2 birth photographers for less than the price of one!

What is “the price”?

The price for BOTH photographers to attend your birth will be $225.

Birth photographers in the DFW area charge on average $600 per client and some are upwards of $1000

Why so cheap?

We prefer the term affordable rather than cheap. This is a new partnership so we have a system to work out and portfolios to build so we truly appreciate clients who are willing to work with us as we get off the ground. We promise just because our price is reduced we put in the same amount of work and effort all of our full price clients receive. We hope to reach clients that would not be able to afford a full priced birth photographer.

Why 2 photographers?

We formed this “alliance” because we both bring something valuable to the table.

I (Kelsey) have experience in the birth field as a doula and birth instructor. I am proud of my artistic ability and was a photographer for several years, but am a bit rusty on all the latest technology.

Bailey is a more experienced photographer with a great eye and west coast style. She is more technically inclined and has the equipment to back it up. She is also a lighting guru, which tends to be the hardest aspect when it comes to labor and birth photography.

Together we are everything you need to capture the irreplaceable moments of birth.

Having 2 birth photographers on call also reduces the likely hood of the photographer missing your birth

What kind of images will you capture?

Anything you want! Some clients want us there from the moment labor starts and other prefer us to wait outside until right before baby arrives.

You can see my photography archives here.

Bailey’s portfolio includes maternity and newborn photography as well.

What if I don’t want 2 extra people in the room while I birth?

We completely understand and respect your privacy. Birth is a very intimate time and we do not want to disturb your environment. If you prefer one photographer we would discount the price even further to $175. Which ever of us was on call first when your labor begins would be the one to attend.

What happens after the birth?

We typically stay about 1 hour after the birth to capture the first family moments. We would then put together a sneak peek for you available to view within 1 week of your birth. We would then put all of your proofs online in a protected gallery. You can choose from there to order prints or digital copies.

Please contact us with any additional questions you have. We look forward to working with your family during this life changing journey!

Kelsey Schwartz and Bailey Hall

(K) 214-477-2898 (B) 325-669-9336

email: bumpbirthbaby.northtx@yahoo.com

Beckham’s BIRTHday

March 2, 2013February 25, 2017Leave a comment

Some families bring a smile to your face, others tears to your eyes, and a few make you laugh hysterically while smiling and crying! Lindsay and Adam are THAT couple. From Adam’s exclamations such as, “OH HE’S SO COOL!” and “DOESN”T HIS SWEETNESS MAKE YOU WANT TO HAVE ANOTHER BABY RIGHT NOW!” to Lindsay’s request for a Jimmy John’s Sandwich immediately after birth, they made a 3 day start and stop labor so much fun for those around without even realizing it.

I was so excited when these former students from my birth class asked me to assist them through their labor as a doula and photographer. Their sweet 8 pound (on the dot) baby boy Beckham made his arrival on February 23rd which just happened to be his actual due date (less than 3% of babies arrive on their EDD). Most of the labor and birth images I captured cannot be shared on the web, but I did want to share some of the sweet family moments from Beckham’s first hours of life. The joy in the room was contagious and everyone was smiling ear to ear. It was a perfect ending to such a long labor and a beautiful beginning in this family’s new chapter of life.

Newborn Sneek Peak: Caroline

February 6, 2013Leave a comment

I love “fresh” babies. Newborn photos are fun at any age, but nothing is quite the same as photographing a baby not even in the double digits days of life.

Here is a glimpse of little 8 day old Caroline’s newborn photos.

Cloth Confession #4

January 29, 2013Leave a comment

“Get me a REAL diaper”

When we began this journey to cloth diapering my biggest skeptic was my husband. He could wrap his brain around the fact that it would save us money but that was about it. We started off with just 4 diapers so we could get through the majority of the day and then use a disposable at night or on days when I didn’t do laundry in time. I thought after months of discussion and convincing that Thomas was finally on board with using cloth as our main type of diaper, but apparently I was wrong.

I work 3 half days a week and was getting quite frustrated when I’d come home to find that Thomas hadn’t put Olivia in a cloth diaper while I was gone. It was alway an excuse like “they weren’t stuffed” (we use pocket diapers) or “the pants I wanted her to wear didn’t fit over the cloth”. I never knew diapers could cause such an irritation between parents. What was funny to me was the fact that he never once complained if I was home and changing the diapers. So finally after a long stressful day I snapped (looking back it may have been a tad of an over reaction but it worked so….)

I’m pretty sure I yelled something along these lines, “IF YOU DON’T START USING THE CLOTH DIAPERS I’M JUST GOING TO GO SELL THEM BACK….NO WAIT I’LL JUST GIVE THEM AWAY SO IT’S A REAL WASTE OF MONEY”

Well that got my point across and Thomas suddenly stopped complaining about the cloth diapers. We ordered a few more to add to our supply and can now do laundry every other day. Things seemed to be going much better but I was still skeptical that Thomas was completely on board. I didn’t want to be forcing him to do something he really didn’t want to. Then this morning a wonderful sentence came out of his mouth.

Thomas started a diaper change for Olivia without realizing I hadn’t stuffed the diapers yet after last nights laundry. I figured I he’d just grab a disposable and we’d put her in cloth later, but mid-change he hollered, “Honey can you get me a REAL diaper I only have the cover”. Success! He then told me how he is glad they’re all clean today because the skirt he wanted to put Livy in would be too big if she were to wear a disposable.

I think today has proven that my husband is the true cloth convert of the this family not me. 🙂

Welcome Grayson!

January 17, 2013January 17, 20133 Comments

My first birth of 2013 is in the books! Baby Grayson was brought into this world by loving parents Adrienne and Ryan on January 16th. This 7 pound 3 ounce bundle of joy sure did take us all on a crazy (and fast) journey. Here are just a few of the images I was able to capture as this family’s doula and photographer.

I’ll be honest, when I got the text at 6:30am requesting I head to the hospital I was a bit hesitant. Adrienne was only at a 2 and was not have very strong contractions. At this rate it was looking like a long day ahead. Then I realized if I waited any longer traffic would be horrible. So I jumped in the car and headed off…just in the nick of time.

I arrived around 7:30 to find Adrienne and Ryan laboring beautifully on the birth ball. The nurse was telling them they were cleared to walk for a while and in about 30 minutes she’d be back to start the pitocin since Adrienne had not made any progress since the night before when she was admitted for minor complications.

We headed out the door and before we could make it 5 feet *splash* amniotic fluid everywhere! The simple motion of walking ruptured her water and set things in motion.

Back in the room things progressed quickly. I hardly had time to take any photos since her contractions picked up in intensity. Another exam revealed in less than 2 hours dilation had progressed from a 2 to a 9. With more control than most first time moms (or any laboring woman for that matter) have, Adrienne fought through 30 minutes of rough labor.

Before long she was ready to push and Grayson made his arrival at 8:57.

I can only hope the rest of my births for 2013 go as smoothly and beautifully as baby Graysons’.

Congratulations to the wonderful family! Thank you for letting me be a part of this special journey 🙂

Labor is a beautiful thing

January 15, 2013January 15, 20131 Comment

Labor is defined in many ways

la·bor
(lbr)

1. a. Physical or mental exertion, especially when difficult or exhausting; work. See Synonyms at work.

b. Something produced by work.

2. A specific task.

3. A particular form of work or method of working: manual labor.

4. Work for wages.

5. a. Workers considered as a group.

b. The trade union movement, especially its officials.

6. A political party representing workers’ interests, especially in Great Britain.

7. The process by which childbirth occurs, beginning with contractions of the uterus and ending with the expulsion of the infant and the placenta.

As a birth photographer and doula my job (labor) is to help a family through birth (labor). The two meanings go hand in hand for me. Unlike most people (especially women) I look forward to labor. I use words like exciting, perfect, and BEAUTIFUL to describe the hard work I see put forth by mothers. When you’re going through it, the task of bringing a baby into this world can seem daunting and impossible, but more and more moms are starting to see the beauty and once in a life time moments that occur through their labor. I love when clients allow me to photograph and preserve these memories.

No matter how a labor ends (natural, medicated, or cesarean) experiencing the power of your body and feeling you and your unborn child working together is an emotion that can never be duplicated. Whether for one contraction or one hundred, I would encourage every woman, who is able, to experience some degree of labor.

For couples who tackle labor together, the process takes on a whole new dimension. Seeing not only a child but a family be born is a very intimate time a lot of people are not comfortable sharing with outsiders. However, couples now are starting to realize having photos taken of BOTH of them through the labor can be a testament to their grown child about how much love there was as he or she was welcomed into the world.

Here are just a few more of my favorite moments I captured through 2012. Thank you to all the families who allowed me to be a part of your births and for those planning on having me attend their’s this year! I cannot wait to experience the miracle of life again and again for many years to come.