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!

Kelsey’s Top 5: Reasons to become a midwife

November 13, 2013November 13, 20131 Comment

5. This country NEEDS more CNMs. The biggest difference between most midwives and most OBs is their philosophy on patient care. Where OBs are looking for a problem or focused on their own schedule midwives are focused on their client; what does this mom need, what are HER preferences, how can I make her more comfortable. “For normal births, midwives offer care at a lower cost, use lower intervention rates, have lower mortality and morbidity as a result of fewer interventions, and fewer recovery complications.” So why are less than 10% of babies in this country born with midwives? I plan to be an evidence based care provider, like all should be, and to give my clients every opportunity to have the birth of their dreams.

4. My motivation is to help others not myself. The transition from doula to midwife seemed like a no brainer to me. I’m actually surprised more doulas do not go to midwifery school. It filled my heart to help moms through tough labors, to support people as they became parents, and to encourage friends to keep going when they wanted to give up. To know I will soon (yes I’m calling 8 years soon!) be back to serving families is what gets me excited for and will get me through school.

3. Now that I’ve witnessed the miracle of life again and again I can’t stop. Attending births as a photographer and doula has been the greatest experience of my life so far (aside from my own birth 😉 ). It is truly indescribable. The day I am able to be the care provider and have midwifery be my full time job can not come soon enough. When I thought about giving up attending births all together to simplify my schedule, I was on the verge of tears. Deciding to become a midwife means I will get to have this amazing opportunity on a weekly basis.

The 2nd birth I attended 9/29/12

2. I don’t want to “work”. You know that old phrase “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”? That is what I want! That is what I will have! I know the 2 am calls and 24+hr labors are tough, but I don’t care. Working in a birth center has given me a first hand look at all the hard work that goes into being a successful midwife that clients never see. I am ready for the challenge!

1. This is my calling. Plain and simple, I prayed and prayed about this and one day it just clicked that I HAD to return to school. I was good at birth photography but not amazing, and I was a good doula but could not commit full time. Between my family and co-workers constantly telling me “sooner or later you’ll be a midwife”, I should have known it would only be a matter of time before I’d have to say, “you were right”. Everything in my life has led me to this decision. If I had gone to college right out of high school it would never have been for midwifery or even nursing for that matter. I had to go on this journey to find the right career for me. There are still moments when I think this will be impossible, but I know God has a plan and I wouldn’t have this drive if I wasn’t meant to complete this mission.

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.

Joyful Baby Momma

April 21, 2013April 21, 2013Leave a comment

You might be thinking the name of this post is a little out of the ordinary compared to my usual birth sneak peek posts, and it is! For several reasons:

I couldn’t use baby’s name in the title because this sweet girl is still being referred to as “new baby”.
Her parent like unordinary names…hence why they’re being a little indecisive about her name 😉
This was the birth of my friend and co-birth field worker/associate/referral/personal diaper supplier, Kristina who operates “JOYFUL BABY PLANNING“

Title make more sense now? 🙂

I was so excited when she asked me to capture the moments right after the birth of her next “surprise baby”. The only scary part was her last labor for her 2nd child was very fast and we were all prepared for this one be even quicker. “I know I’m going to have this baby in the car,” she told me several times, and that prediction wasn’t far from true.

We arrived at the birth center at the same time (just 2 hours after she text me “I think I might be in labor”) and she hurried inside to be checked. 10cm! She had showed up complete and ready to push. It wasn’t too long of a wait before a screaming, pink baby made her debut. Her parents were so relieved to have her in their arms they didn’t even check for gender until about 3 minutes after birth!

It’s a Girl

The great moments didn’t stop there! Since she arrived so quickly they had time to call their other two kiddos and tell them the good news….or bad news to big brother who was certain the new baby was going to be a boy.

Listening for a reaction from big brother…something…anything

He was not happy with the result, but his reaction sure was amusing for all in birth room! After crying, "nooo" he hung up on his parents. I'm sure he'll come around.

He was not happy, but his reaction sure was amusing for all of us in birth room! After crying, “nooo” he hung up on his parents. I’m sure he’ll come around.

I am so blessed to have been able to witness the birth of this family’s newest addition, and look forward to learning what name this precious girl has been given.

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.

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.