It is with great anticipation that I FINALLY get to share this birth. And the reason I finally have permission could not be any sweeter! The Hollifields have been waiting to finalize the adoption of their second youngest, a mere 4 months older than her younger brother. Baby H, or should I finally say, precious Haley… officially OFFICIAL TODAY. I spent the morning at the courthouse to documenting the occasion, and it couldn’t have been any sweeter! But consider this her official “Birth” announcement as well! Welcome to your forever family sweet Haley! The Lord could not have found a more perfect home for you, you are loved and blessed beyond measure!
So where do I even start with this birth?! Stephanie had hoped for her VBAC victory with this birth, her 3rd delivery. Unfortunately it wasn’t in the cards for her, and in hindsight sweet Silas came earth-side the safest way possible given the thinness of her uterus. And boy, did he come into this world surrounded by love, and a head full of luscious hair!
Stephanie did however get the next best option which was a family centered c-section. I applaud St. Francis and their practitioners, specially Dr. Strozier, for giving these families such wonderful, and healing options. The drape was lowered, dad was able to cut the cord, and baby went straight to mom’s chest for some legit skin to skin time. Mom and baby stayed together nearly the entire time she was in the OR. It’s amazing the difference these small gestures make for these families. The inclusion, the bonding, the instantaneous relationships that are built! These little things, make all the difference in the world.
Join me in congratulating this amazing family on their TWO newest additions!
This time 3 years ago I was editing this little girl’s big brother’s birth. And now I’m sharing hers. The longer I do this, and the more repeat clients I get, it just adds extra sweetness to see my first timers coming back to become big siblings. James loves his June, and steals the show with his sweet hands loving on his baby sister.
And Courtney, well, she rocked this quick birth…. Just like no two kids are the same, no two births are the same. Things got real quickly after her water broke. Miss June was in a hurry to welcome the world with her smiles. Yes, she came out smiling, and making the most expressions I’ve ever seen a baby make in their first minutes of life. She is such a joy, and came into the world shining her happiness.
Jonathan, you were such a wonderful supportive husband! Taking care of your wife’s every needs while still intermittently documenting it, in the perfect way that only you can. Thank you for sharing that space with me!
Thank you guys for asking me back into your lives again on such a special day. Thank you for trusting me with your memories!
These images were editing with my custom color presets that can be purchased HERE.
This girl right here. Well, she and her family hold a very special place in my heart. I was there to photograph Jim asking her to marry him, I also shot their engagement photos, their wedding, their maternity session, and now the birth of their precious Cora. Alex’s dad is also our pediatrician, and in my early days of motherhood helped me navigate some scary time with my Finley. He’s also been with us through countless cold and sick seasons with our other child that has zero immunity to anything.
Alex also helped babysit my kiddos a couple of years ago, she was one of the handful of people who would come to my rescue to watch my babies, when I would get calls from mom’s in labor. Watching her, and getting to know her, I knew motherhood would find her well when the time came. And I was right. She was made for this. She owned her labor, she’s thriving in motherhood, and I couldn’t be more proud of her.
And Jim, well, Jim steals the show guys. Alex did all the hard work but he supported her so beautifully, and so selflessly. Oh and his reaction to momma pushing and baby being born…. I’m warning you now, go grab some tissues. It’s the sweetest dad reaction to date!
As mothers, we all allow ourselves to daydream about the day we give birth. Our minds and hearts fill with images of the ideal, our souls overflow imagining “that moment” when you hear that first cry, and all is right with the world. Sometimes our first lesson as mothers and parents, is that life isn’t always ideal, life doesn’t always play out the way our hearts imagined. We have this moment where we put ourselves and our hearts desires to the side, and put our children first. I know that seems like an obvious statement, but watching it happen over and over again with being a birth photographer is profound stuff. Watching a mother’s birth plan dissolve into nothingness, melt into something that looked NOTHING like her ideal. But you know what? There is immense beauty in the strength and vulnerability to let it all go, to trust in the Lord that He’s got this, to let it all go and know you’re doing the best for your baby. There is beauty in the letting go. There is beauty in the surrender.
Kelsey’s first blow to her ideal birth plan was being diagnosed with gestational diabetes, which resulted in a necessary induction at 38 weeks. 3 days later, she would finally meet her baby girl. Three. Days. Later. Her induction was started on a Tuesday at 5:00 pm with cervidil. Remember that time, 5:00pm. She would get doses every few hours, this continued until 3pm Wednesday. She wasn’t showing much progress so her amazing midwife let her stop the medication, take a shower, eat some dinner, and rest for the evening. Wednesday night they resumed the cervidil and carried on through Thursday morning. By Thursday morning around 6am they stopped the cervidil and started pitocin, then around 6:30am they broke her water. She labored long, and hard for 2 days before she asked for the epidural. It brought her much needed relief from the contractions, but sweet River just couldn’t tolerate the labor much longer. Around 4:30pm the decision was made that a csection would be the safest option for River. There were tears, admittedly, but there was peace. I’ve never seen a couple embrace so much change, and so many alterations to their “ideal birth”, with such grace. I could feel the anxiety engulf the room though, and I asked if it was ok to pray over them and the medical staff. There is no greater honor than laying my hands on a family and praying the Lord’s strength and peace over them. Shortly there after at 5:00pm on the dot, Thursday, a full 3 days later, River came safely earth-side… and she was perfect!
Kelsey and Ben, you taught me so much in those 3 days. Watching the love and respect you had for each other as husband and wife, and the confidence you had as new parents with the changing tide of this birth, it was inspiring to say the least. Thank you so much for inviting me into your lives. Thank you for reminding me why I love what I do.
Also I would be remiss if I didn’t take this moment to thank Julie Ward, the wonderful midwife in this story. This was my last birth with her since she decided to spend more time with her family, and say goodbye to the on-call life. She fought so hard to give this momma every opportunity to have the birth she wanted. That should be every provider’s ultimate goal, because at the end of this birth, there wasn’t any doubt in Kelsey and Ben’s mind that they were heard and supported. There were no what if’s, there was no room for guilt, or second guessing. They knew they were given everything. Julie, the birth community will miss you more than you know. You loved your patients fiercely and fought for them just as hard. You became a dear friend. and a treasured jewel of camaraderie in the struggle of being a mom and on-call. Thank YOU for the gift of your friendship, thank you for the late night cups of coffee, thank you for being an ear to my endless struggles of seeking balance. Thank you for making my job such a joy! I love you friend!
And of course a shout out to the amazing Dr. Neely Dean for supporting this momma through her unexepected c-section, and for allowing me to capture the most epic series of c-section photos I’ve ever gotten! Love to you too Dr. Dean!
