When a great friend and fellow Birth Photographer, Jennifer Mason, was contacted by one of her previous clients letting her know that she was pregnant with her third child. Unfortunately, for all of us that miss her so much, because she had just recently moved out of state, she referred the client to me. We talked on the phone and she booked me the next day. It is fairly customary for me to offer a complimentary home visit to any of my birth clients that are planning a home birth. That way, when the call comes in the day mama is in labor, I have already driven the route once, without the adrenaline rush, and am familiar with where in the home they plan to be.
Her two boys were incredibly sweet and welcomed me into their home with open arms, excited to share all of their toys with me. Of course, I had camera in hand and they all welcomed a couple of photographs.
Five weeks later, it was a gorgeous summer morning, a storm was rolling in and mama was three days past her guess date. The text came to me at 8:53am that she was starting to have contractions but she wanted to keep moving through her day. Brunch was on the schedule….and who wants to miss brunch?!
Honest disclaimer here – it is pretty challenging to be patient when you know a woman is in labor with her third child. But, it is so vitally important to be respectful of that laboring mama’s space. So the balance is a delicate one. My bags had been packed for weeks, batteries charged, I was showered and ready to rock. By 11am I was too anxious to wait any longer and sent a quick text over checking in. Fifteen minutes later my phone rang and it was papa letting me know it was time to come. It was an hour drive for me, so I pulled in the driveway at 12:25pm. Consciously calming my nerves and breathing out the anxiety, I cleared my energy and walked into their gorgeous home. She was laying in the middle of her master bedroom, drenched in natural light, laboring calmly and quietly. Her midwives had created a comfortable nest for her and she was encouraged to listen to her body, what position it was telling her to birth in and to trust. Her third son was born peacefully fifteen minutes later.
When she was ready, she moved to the bed, baby in arms and settled in before her older two boys were invited in to meet their new brother. Her parents were there helping with the kids and although the room was full, the energy was calm and peaceful – full of so much love. The fresh smell of summer rain drifted through the open windows and the family settled in to start their next chapter.
