April was a great month for births! Heather, a fellow photographer, gave birth to her second child, Wyatt, at 4:01am on April 18th. I wrote a bit about her birth here, so I’ll just say a few more things about what I loved at this birth.
- Changing positions. First walking, then sitting on the birth ball, and finally soaking in the bath, Heather did what she needed to do to manage her pain and to help Wyatt on his way out.
- Support. Heather had Brandon, her husband, and Laurie, her mother there to give her support, encouragement, and back rubs. As I was editing images I kept seeing close up shots of hands on Heather, sometimes Laurie’s and sometimes Brandon’s. They were there for her and gave her what she needed.
- She hired me. Yes, I know that sounds conceited, but hear me out. As a mother, Heather knew that Wyatt’s birth day would be one of the most important, transformative days of her life. And as a photographer, Heather knows that beautiful images will preserve the memories of that day for her children and grandchildren and tell the story that might have faded without these images.
- Midwife. I get nervous for people who want a natural birth in a hospital setting, but Heather knew just how to get the birth experience she wanted. She started by choosing a midwife. You already know that I’m a huge fan of the midwifery model of care, and I think it’s wonderful that some hospitals provide this for their patients. Sadly, I overhear a conversation between Heather’s midwife and nurse about how this hospital may eliminate their midwife practice. Something about how they weren’t bringing in enough money. I could go on and on about this, but I’ll just say I think that is so sad.
- Open eyes. Wyatt was the most alert little guy I had ever seen. Not only were his eyes open right away, but he made incredible eye contact and took everything in. You’ll see what I mean in the slideshow.
- Doting dad. Brandon was so CUTE with Wyatt. I’ve got bunches of images with Brandon giving Wyatt kisses. Love that!
Now on to some photos!
And here’s the whole story. Enjoy!
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