This is the first time I’ve photographed a client’s engagement, wedding, and now birth of their first child. This couple is near and dear to me, and being able to be there to watch them become parents was inspiring.
Here are a couple of photos from their engagement and wedding:
I remember on their engagement shoot thinking, man, I’ve never seen two people look at each other like they do (ok, well outside of Wes and I of course). But seriously, the look in their eyes when they interact, quite literally oozes love. And then again on their wedding day… obvious, passionate love for one another. Then, with the birth of their daughter, true to form I watch them fall even more in love with each other. Those gazes of love, shown through with so much adoration for the other. They were made for each other, and they were born to be parents.
Ashtyn didn’t exactly get the birth she had spent the last few months daydreaming about. She had been walking around 5cm dilated for a few days, and we all knew labor was coming soon. I had just gotten home from another client’s birth who had delivered earlier in the day, when I got the call from Ashtyn that her water had broken. Given the fact that I knew she was already so far dilated, I made a point of quickly heading to the hospital. I believe I got the call around 10:36 and I was at the hospital by 10:45. I was corresponding with Matt, her husband, while I waited in the waiting room for them to be moved from triage to L&D. 10 minutes passed, which seemed like an eternity so I texted Matt again, he said they were “taking her back, baby is breech”. Immediately I was ready to bust the doors down to get to Ashtyn, one to help calm her as I knew her head must’ve been spinning, and two because I knew how quickly the next few moments were going to go.
I was let back, immediately got into my scrubs, and by the time I had my camera on, Matt was getting in his scrubs and Ashtyn was being wheeled to the OR. She was in pain, in full blown labor, contractions every two minutes and a whirlwind of action going on around her. 11:04 Matt and I are let into the operating room, 11:08 Reese makes her grand entrance into this world… feet first, well butt first, but we don’t want to embarrass her.
And in that instant, I watched them fall even more in love with each other… and with their daughter, which by the way they only found out the sex of their baby at delivery!
So far, all of my unpredicted c-section mommas have all had to take some time to process the “loss of the delivery they imagined”, and Ashtyn was no exception. She had maybe 15-20 minutes to process what was happening, before she had a baby in her arms. That immediate happiness and the overflow of emotions right at delivery carry you through, but sometimes when the dust of the chaos settles, is when you finally have time to ‘miss what wasn’t’. So if you can relate, and have some encouraging words you would like to leave in the comments section below please do. This amazing woman is thriving in her new title as mommy, but maybe for the rainy days of doubt and the “what if’s” that creep in when you’re least expecting it…. I pray your comments will fall softly on her heart.
God is so good, and He always provides. I have no doubt that the Lord has carefully knitted this family together… their love and marriage is an inspiration to me, I pray Wes and I will always look at each other the way these two do!
Music by:
Kings Kaleidoscope – Come Thou Fount
Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors – You’ll Always Be My Girl (music license purchased through musicbed.com)
birth photography | columbus, ga | ker-fox photography | reese from KerFoxBirth on Vimeo.
