I love repeat clients, because of the history we build together. In 2014 I was honored to support Kelsey through Solomon's home birth, and then last year I got to capture memories of their oldest boys' adoption. So they asked me to join them on the journey to expanding their family once again, I was thrilled! Then we found out it was a girl. A girl after three boys!!! So exciting.
​After a long labor the first time around, Kelsey's early labor stretched out similarly this time, but then she was surprised when it kicked into high gear. Active labor went very quickly and her birth team all arrived only a half hour before Sarah was born.

Kelsey got to experience the thrill of catching her own baby (with the midwives right there just in case)!

Midwife Beka Blythe doing a routine check of baby's vital signs.

Look at that vernix! And the cord still connected to the placenta, pulsing the final third of baby's blood volume to her.

I love watching midwives at work when they are pregnant themselves. 

Did you know that both mom and dad doing skin-to-skin with baby not only promotes bonding but also jump starts baby's Microbiome? Baby needs bacteria from her own family as well as antibodies from colostrum to form the beginnings of an immune system.

The three of us, together. Thanks, Beka, for capturing this image.

Witnessing my client's confidence in her body during this birth was such an honor. She was the one in charge, and her birth team was there to offer guidance only if she asked. We held space for her to labor peacefully and to trust the normal process of labor even though it was somewhat different than her previous two labors. It was also very important to her to have her children be able to witness the miracle of birth. Fortunately the timing worked out perfectly for them to not bother her too much in labor but to be present the moment their baby sister came swimming into the world. I was able to jump around in my roles from shoulder massages and comfort techniques to childcare to photography. A lot to juggle, but it worked out! If you want to view the marvels of vernix, a pulsing blue umbilical cord, and a tree of life placenta, scroll on! 

By the way, most people don't realize what Certified Professional Midwives bring to home births. Just out of sight from the laboring mom are oxygen, IVs, shots, AMBU bags, etc. in case they are necessary. Increasing numbers of low-risk moms who choose home birth are deciding that the benefits of being able to labor in one's own environment (with the oxytocin benefit which promotes the progress of natural labor) with a skilled midwife present can possibly outweigh the risks of not having interventions immediately available in a hospital setting. (Here is a study on home birth safety that covered 17,000 home births.)
Pictured here is a typical set up with an oxygen tank, baby blankets at the ready, a bowl for the placenta, and a variety of ice cold drinks.

Essential oils wafted through the room, providing comforting aromatherapy. In transition, my client asked to breathe the blends Transformation and Release.

I love the trickle of water captured in this image. Pouring water over a laboring woman can be a soothing comfort technique.

Me preparing the three-year-old, soon-to-be big sister for what she was about to see. Reminding her the noises mom was making on the other side of the room were good, baby-birthing noises! In a soft voice, I read to her the book On the Night You Were Born while her mom labored away. (Thanks, Joy, for picking up my camera, unasked, and capturing this moment.)

Waterbirth, nature's "aquadural!" The warm water decreases painful contractions, thus the term aquadural. Babies don't take their first breath anyway until air touches the cord (they've been in water in the womb for nine months).

Seconds old:

I absolutely love the image below. Mollie was born with so much vernix (the amazing lotion that keeps babies from turning prune-skined in the water of the womb). It got all over her mom's hands, and I love how this image almost looks sculpted. 

The placenta is an amazing organ. You can see the "tree of life" clearly in this one. Grantly Dick-Read, author of the 1944 book, Childbirth Without Fear, once told one of his patients after handling her placenta: “Madam, when man can make one of these, he will have reached the footstool of the Creator. As I hold this discarded mass in my hands, I am humbled by the limitations of science.”

Joy of Life midwives performing the newborn exam. "Patent nostrils, no hip clicks, normal palmar creases..." I love the gentleness with which they work. When measuring baby, they tell her, "Little one, we have to measure you, but it doesn't matter how long you are. You are loved regardless." A baby's spirit is very receptive to how they are treated in the golden hours following birth. If we want a less violent society, why not start with gentle birth?

Thanks to all my clients who have let me have a window into all different types of beautiful birth experiences. And thanks to those who are willing to share those images.