So it has been awhile and I have always loved blogging so much! Photos and art tell part of a story that no words ever could, but I think reflecting and summarizing the day also helps light parts of the day that are fogged over for the birthing Mother. Birth has a way of doing that.
I met DeAnna through my midwife (Hello Natasha!) after my second daughter was born. I had done a breastfeeding awareness shoot that my midwife shared, and that’s how DeAnna first found me. I still remember meeting her back then, photographing her with baby number two. Neither of us probably knew at the time how many chapters we’d walk through together.
Over the years I photographed her family sessions, first birthdays, Fresh 48 with her 3rd baby. So when she found out she was pregnant again, she reached out early! Like 7weeks along early. She already knew she wanted me there for everything. Maternity, birth, announcements, doula support. All of it.
I also knew her history. Her first birth was a C-section. Her second was a VBAC with a doula friend and it was well over 48 hours. Her third was another marathon. Her fourth, her “short” one, was still around 43 hours. So going into this birth, we knew she labors long and steady. She is strong in a quiet, enduring way.
She had really hoped for a home birth this time. She met with a few midwives, a birth center, and looked at every angle, but it just wasn’t going to work financially for their family. So instead, we made her home the space for as long as we possibly could. And the whole day was super cozy, chill, and everything you vision in a home birth.
She labored at home for about 40 hours. Walking the neighborhood. Swaying in the kitchen. Resting when she could. Snacking. Napping. Her husband and I took turns supporting her, sometimes switching roles without even speaking. Reading the room. Giving space. Stepping in when needed. At one point she went to the bathroom and her husband looked at me and said, when do we throw in the towel and get the epidural? He was exhausted too. And honestly, that’s birth.
The last one to two hours were at the Salina Regional Health Center. And the wild part is her body only pushes in one contraction. Every single time. So no one really knows it’s happening until it is. Baby was born before the doctor even made it into the room. Just like that. One powerful wave and he was here.
In a way, she got her home birth. The labor, the rhythm, the safety of her own space for almost all of it. And then the reassurance of the hospital right at the end. The best of both worlds.
I cannot believe this was almost two years ago. Supporting DeAnna and her family through this chapter felt like such an honor. When you’ve photographed birthdays and newborns and quiet in between moments, and then you get to stand in the room when a mother meets her baby, it just hits different.
