I’m sure I’ve said this before, but one of the things I love most about photographing births is how each birth is so very different. Each family has different dynamics and each labor takes its own pattern and each baby makes his or her entrance in a their own special way. I’m so honored to be the person in the birth room to photograph and document all of this so that baby will get to see with his or her own eyes the incredible events of that birth day. What an amazing gift to be able to show your child the joy and challenge and love that welcomed him or her to this world.
On June 27th, at 10:36pm, Katie gave birth to her first child. Her water broke in the late afternoon the day before, but contractions didn’t start in earnest until around 11am on the 27th. And when they started, they started with a vengeance. I can’t imagine being a first time mom and having contractions so strong so quickly. Around 1pm, Geraldine, Katie and Ryan’s midwife, came over to check Katie’s progress, but the couple had already decided that they would transfer to the hospital for some pain relief. Katie was four centimeters at that check.
Fast forward a couple of hours later, and Katie was resting comfortably at Swedish Ballard, which (much to Katie’s relief, I’m sure) was just across the street from their home. I walked in to their room around 3:30pm and learned that Katie had progressed to eight centimeters in that short amount of time. Those intense contractions were definitely doing their job, and everyone was pleased to hear that Falcon’s (Katie and Ryan’s fun name for their babe in utero) arrival was so close.
After some rest and time for baby to labor down, Katie was ready to push at 7pm. So she pushed, and pushed, and pushed. I was impressed with the different positions the midwife recommended that Katie try, but even with that variety, Falcon was taking his own sweet time. Finally, after three and a half hours of pushing and a teeny bit of assistance from the vacuum, Katie gave birth to her son, and we all marveled at the new life in the room.
Kellan Michael weighed in at eight pounds and 12 ounces and was twenty inches long. He had a distinctive cry that he used liberally to let people know that he just wanted to hang out with his mama and nurse, nurse, nurse. Congratulations Katie and Ryan!
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