birth photography :: olivia grace

steph and jarrod have this amazing way of communicating with one another without using words. he can read her face and know what she needs. watching this in action throughout their long labor was pretty touching. 

inductions are often long processes, but theirs was even longer than average. when i arrived early saturday morning, 12 hours into their induction, steph was walking and working through her pitocin-induced contractions with a quiet serenity that left me in a state of disbelief that she was even in labor. between contractions, we'd chat, and they'd laugh together.

several hours into it, now extremely tired and feeling each contraction with more intensity, steph opted for an epidural (it was my first time watching one be administered -- fascinating!), which brought her back to her talkative state and then into a much-needed nap while i wandered downtown kalamazoo in search of cupcakes and used books. 

it was late at night, and near the 40 hour mark, when jarrod texted me in the waiting room where i was taking a breather: "she's fully dilated. i think you should come back now". i happily rushed back in, enjoying the energy of imminent birth that hangs in the air at such a time. with nervousness and determination, steph pushed for about an hour before we got to see this beautiful little face appear, their sweet, as-yet-to-be-named girl. 

and i have to tell you, the look of pure maternal bliss and love on steph's face as she snuggled her baby against her for those first 30 minutes was one of the holiest things i've seen. that love filled the room with a tangible grace. mother-infant bonding is one of the most incredible things!

PS: I have a winter birth photography special on right now, so if you're expecting in january, february, or early march, check that out. 

birth photography :: baby g

Ok, so I can't really blog this whole birth the way I often blog births, but I want to tell you that it happened, and that it was so great. 

And I'm mentioning it here without showing you any photos of this baby or family because I want you -- potential future birth photography client -- to know that if privacy is a concern for you, I absolutely WILL refrain (though it may pain me to do so!) from gleefully sharing images from your birth on this blog, my website, FB, or wherever else you don't feel comfortable having them shared. The images - the story -- are yours, and birth is very personal, as is your sense of privacy about birth. 

Still, I have to just mark the occasion: a sweet baby girl was born in the middle of September. I was there, and the images are beautiful. You'll just have to trust me on this one. :)

birth photography :: spencer james

while sipping beverages at a favorite coffee shop downtown, kati and i talk and talked about photography, about home birth, chiropractic, and new motherhood. her depth and spirit struck me as we spoke. this woman approaches life with a softness that's rare, combined with a rootedness that makes her unshakable. 

in the days leading up to the birth of her son, kati was soaking up all the empowering, natural, home birth stories she could, and patiently remaining present as one day, then another, then another passed after her EDD. 

finally, 8 days after his EDD, labor began. it intensified in the dark hours of night, and i joined them a little after 2 a.m., shortly before she hit transition. clearly feeling the pain, she never wavered, and never tried to give up. jed was right there with her, so "in the game" with her. we teased her afterward because the "worst" thing she said during transition -- a time when so many women swear or try to run away -- was, "i don't know about this!" 

when her baby's heart rate was showing slightly worrisome decelerations, her midwife looked her in the eye and told her it was time to get down to business and get that baby out. and in an instant, kati centered herself, gathered her courage, and proceeded to make the most productive pushes you can imagine. in just 30 minutes of pushing, and in spite of a few tense moments in which he was a bit stuck, kati moved her sweet baby out of her body and onto the bed, where he was tenderly caught by their midwife and coaxed out of his "wind-knocked-out-him" state and into a healthy, full-throttle cry. 

within 30 minutes of his birth, their new baby BOY (it was a surprise) received his first chiropractic adjustment from his daddy, complete with kisses on the forehead. it was incredible to see the calming effect of his daddy's touches, and how his crying slowed and ceased as his tiny spine was brought into alignment after a difficult birth passage. 

afterwards, jed and kati kept looking at one another and saying, "we did it! we have a child!"

i was a bit sad to take my leave, but happy to know that the scene i was looking at was exactly the one they had dreamt of and prepared for: a new family, in love, snuggled in bed at home. 

kati and jed, i'm so honored that you invited me into this space. and so impressed by you. 

birth photography :: bronx romeo

the first thing i noticed when i entered the spacious hospital room where whitney was laboring was the smell: it was lavender, vanilla, and chamomile. the second thing i noticed was the silence. the constant quiet whir of machines and the beeping of the heart rate monitor were conspicuously absent, like those noises you didn't notice until they are removed. this, i knew, was not to be a typical hospital birth. 

whitney and brandon had planned for a home birth. the decision to go to the hospital instead was devastating for their dream of how their birth would go. so much so, that whitney actually uninvited me as the photographer for a minute (until their midwife talked her back into it)! :) but if critically low fluid levels at 41.5 weeks gestation was going to push them into a hospital, they were intent on having it be as un-hospital-y as possible. and it really was. all their wishes -- so careful prescribed on the back of an envelop -- were followed respectfully, and whitney labored peacefully, without intervention, and without ever once getting into the hospital bed (haha. she was VERY insistent that she would labor anywhere but there). their midwife attended them in the hospital in the role of doula. their moms were also present.

in the end, it was the toilet that provided the most productive position for working through contractions, and for pushing. after a mild attempt to persuade whitney away from the toilet, the OB on call gave in, put scrubs on over his street clothes, and got down on his knees on the bathroom floor. right next to the midwife. which was the most beautiful picture of mutual respect between and OB and home birth midwife i've seen, and such a shining example of woman-centered child birth in a hospital. 

after long moments of held tension, breathing through the urge to push through the discomfort, bronx was eased out onto the little pillow cushion in front of the toilet, pinked and ready to yell. he went straight to his mama's chest and stayed there for over an hour. he was perfect. and BIG! i'm not sure there was a dry eye in the house.

here you'll see... the birth of baby bronx....

whitney and brandon, i'm ever so glad you decided to let me come after all. as you said, this really turned out to be the best scenario imaginable for bronx's debut. i'm so very happy for you all. 

birth photography :: isabella fox

it's always simultaneously flattering AND a little nerve-wracking to be asked by another photographer have his/her family/birth photographed. that's not jamie's fault. she actually never once made me feel anything but confident and competent. thanks for that, jamie. :)

jamie is actually such a gifted photographer that she managed to do her OWN maternity photos. i just love this set of images she made of her with her husband, near to their EDD. take a look, because i think it's really fun to see the "before" photos of baby isabella, en utero. 

jamie is one of the rare women whose water actually broke long before she went into labor. that happens all the time on TV and movies, but is statistically very unusual in real women. this odd event was only the beginning of the oddities isabella exhibited during her labor and delivery. she was sunny-side up, and she was laying on her cord, which caused her heart rate to decelerate dangerously whenever jamie was in certain positions. all this created some intense moments, and also very nearly an emergency c-section. 

before i met them the hospital, jamie was hours into laboring drug-free with the support of ryan and her mama. but just before i arrived, and following the c-section scare (as in, the OB had her down on the operating table, ready to go), she opted for an epidural, in order to allow herself to relax in a way she hadn't been able to do in the face of the pain of back labor. 

she and ryan got in a good nap before sunrise, when it came time to push. the epidural began to wear off a bit, and jamie was feeling and working through her contractions with incredible focus and endurance. her mom and SIL became a powerful birth team, coaching and encouraging her through every hard contraction, while her dad and brother and husband sat very near, feeling the weight of her struggle and offering their quiet, supportive presence. i'm telling you, it was a FULL room. a family affair! 

at last, not long after "golden hour," miss Isabella completed her descent and emerged into the bright room, blinking and wailing. i'll never forget jamie's face, her tears, and her arms reaching down to her baby with that intense and instantaneous love. and the faces of all of her family, who had really been IN it with her for so many hours. wowsers. 

here is a selection of images from isabella's birth:

every birth, such a gift. thank you, jamie and ryan, for choosing ME to witness and document yours. 

birth photography :: surrounded

when animals give birth, most of them will find a quiet, dark place to be absolutely alone as they labor and deliver their young. 

but human women are different. from ages past, women in labor have always been surrounded. usually by other women, often women who are family, or who are a part of the mother's larger community. this "birth team" comes around her, offering their hands to soothe, support, and serve. the community of women (and some men) give themselves to the practical work of preparing space for the birth and for the baby. they prepare foods and drinks to replenish the laboring mama or to celebrate the birth of the new baby. they offer their strength for the mama to lean on, their strong arms to apply counter-pressure, their hands to massage strained muscles and soothe sweaty foreheads. and, perhaps most of all, they will simply be with the mama, sitting quietly, trusting of the process, offering their silent vote of confidence.

throughout time WHO we have with us when we labor and give birth has changed and expanded, and now includes a wide variety of helpers of the mother's choosing: husbands or partners, male or female OBs, medical students, doulas, midwives, friends, or their own mothers... but you will rarely meet a woman who has labored alone.  

recently, i volunteered to photograph the first ever birth that was taking place at Cedar Tree Birth and Wellness, with Simply Born's amazing team of midwives and midwifery students. though i had to leave before the baby was actually born (hardest thing to do EVER), i'm finding that the story of the images i captured that night is about loving support, the surrounding of a laboring mother by wise women and one good man (her husband). 

i'm not at liberty to release all the images, and i'll keep her face covered for now, but i want to share a few frames that embody the theme of "surrounded"....

to all you mamas-to-be: may you also be surrounded with such patient, attentive presence... on your labor/birthing day and beyond!