The day my daughter was born my life changed. It changed completely and for the best. The first moment I saw her precious little face I knew everything I do matters and will shape and affect her everyday. It wasn’t very long after that moment that I realized how much I love, not just photography, but birth. And so I decided I wanted to photograph births. I wanted to be there the moment a new little person enters the world and capture the looks on their parents face. The first cry. The first gaze. Those tiny toes. A mother’s embrace. I wanted each family and baby to know and remember just how beautiful and wonderful their story is.
Enter my friend Shannon www.HappyBirthHappyBaby.com the doula. I started talking to Shannon about my new found love of birth and how I wanted to be able to support a momma during her birth but the only way I know how to do that is through photography. I asked her if any of her clients might be interested in having their birth photographed to help me build my portfolio. Shannon reached out to the local doula network for me and I swear within in minutes of her doing so my inbox was flooded with emails. Birth centers, mothers, doulas, friends, tons and tons of people encouraging me and wanting to help me find my first birth.
That’s how I met Kimberly. Kimberly is also a doula and she was expecting her second child. We emailed back and forth a bit before I drove out to her home to meet her, her husband and their little boy. Juliette came along and we chatted about babies and birth, labor, breastfeeding, cloth diapers and home birth. She told me what her birth plan was and her EDD. We talked about when she should contact me and how far away I live. Everything was settled. I left eagerly and anxiously awaiting “the call.”
2/29/2012 5:41 am my phone rings. I didn’t wake up fast enough to answer but the second I saw the number I knew Kimberly must be in labor. I started to get dressed and called back. Kimberly was in full blown labor. I was going to have to hurry.
It took me 27 minutes to get there. Just as I was taking the exit my phone rang. Baby was born.
I felt sick. My first birth and I missed it. I almost turned around, but then I thought how amazing is it to get to meet a new baby on the day they are born.
Kimberly labored in total for 1.5 hours. The midwife had only been there for 14 minutes before baby Rae was born. Incredible.
And while I may have missed the birth I certainly didn’t miss the type of moments I was hoping to photograph. Here is Kimberly with her sweet baby girl and precious little family just soaking it all in.
