Kate’s birth was kind of a special one for me! Toby and I made the decision a while ago that if/when we have more kids, we’ll definitely be waiting to find out the sex of the baby until he/she is born. Drew and Mandy did the same thing and after being in the room for a birth of a baby whose sex was unknown, I’m 100% sold. The look on Drew’s face when he got to turn around and tell everyone in the room that he had a daughter… well, it was priceless. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room – myself included!

Mandy was one of the most smiley mamas in labor I’ve had! She handled everything beautifully – even the constant nausea and the hour and a half of pushing!! And I enjoyed my time chatting with Mandy and Drew as much as photographing baby Kate’s arrival. Thanks for allowing me to be a part of such an amazing night/morning!!

Warmly,
Annie

For the full birth story, you can watch the video below. (Make sure you can hear the music!) Or, scroll down to see some of my favorite images.

See what I mean about Mandy being smiley?

I love this image. Drew was an outstanding husband and coach!!

Such strength.

It was so heart-warming to see how proud Drew was of Mandy!

Mandy’s parents were in the room with us. I love, love, love this picture.

IT’S A GIRL!!!!

Kate’s cord was wrapped around her neck, so her first few minutes were a bit tense…

She bounced back pretty quickly from that scary purple color!

One of my favorites.

I didn’t share any photos of Mandy breastfeeding (She did an amazing job!), but I’m so glad these guys were comfortable letting me share this one. It’s a HUGE part of why I love what I do. If Drew would have been the one taking pictures, how could he have captured this amazing look? So much said with his expression… Head-over-heels for this image.

Oh and this one, too.

Another favorite!

After spending about 2 minutes with Zoe and David at our consultation, I couldn’t stop smiling. That’s just the kind of people that they are – kind, warm, funny… the list could go on and on. I cannot tell you how super bummed I was when I got a text in the middle of a wedding that Zoe was at the hospital and in labor. My heart just sank when I knew I wouldn’t be able to be there for Adele’s birth like we’d hoped.

But this experience, like so many others, was a nice reminder of how God has a plan for things. When I got to the hospital the next day, I was able to sit down and chat with Zoe and David like good friends. They filled me in to the goings-on of the previous day and I could 100% understand why this was the only one out of the twelve births I’ve photographed this year that God planned for me to miss. Apparently Zoe is one of those people that is immune to epidurals. Yep. I’ve heard about it, but never actually met someone that has had that problem! Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE photographing natural births!!! But since Zoe was given multiple epidurals and they were checked significantly more often than normal, there would have been A LOT more chaos than a regular birth! And it’s been my experience so far that when things are being done with an epidural (placing and checking), they ask everyone to leave so that the room is as sterile as possible.

That being said, I’m still sad that I missed the birth itself and I wouldn’t have minded the chaos in the least. I just have to believe that there was some reason that God kept me busy that day! And really, I couldn’t have enjoyed the time I spent with them more. They have such a peacefulness about them and since I photographed their new family of three after the chaos had passed, I was truly able to capture it.

Zoe and David :: Adele is absolutely beautiful… And you know I enjoyed our conversation (especially the one about cute babies – haha)! And although I’m biased, I love your choice of Grace for Adele’s middle name. It suits her perfectly. Thanks for a lovely visit.

Warmly,
Annie

For the full birth story, you can watch the video below. (Make sure you can hear the music! This soundtrack is one of my favorites!!) Or, scroll down to see some of my favorite images.

Meeting and working with Bonnie and Jason has been such a blessing. With their baby boy due soon, Jason did some research to find a newborn photographer and our paths crossed. I had a wonderful visit with the two of them while we chatted about newborn and birth photography and their excitement to meet Zachary!

Much like our meeting, being with Bonnie and Jason during Zachary’s birth was great. Bonnie had an uncomplicated labor and her epidural allowed her to chat, laugh and eventually rest… It took her about 10 and a half hours to get from 5cm to delivered and I was there for about 9 of them. I was so impressed by Bonnie and Jason’s relationship. Jason is hilarious and he constantly used his humor to keep Bonnie smiling. When Bonnie reached the point where laboring was getting difficult again despite her epidural, Jason switched gears and let his compassionate side shine. He was constantly at Bonnie’s side encouraging her… Through it all, I could see how much joy Jason’s presence brought Bonnie. She laughed at his jokes, “put up” with his antics , and quietly smiled as he stood by her side. It was beautiful to watch.

The doctor had a few minor concerns with Zachary when he was born, so he spent his first moments in the company of Good Sam’s amazing NICU team. Other than that, his birth went perfectly.

Bonnie and Jason :: Thanks so much for having me with you!! Jason, you cracked me up just like I thought you would! And Bonnie – you were absolutely amazing!! I know the whole idea of labor made you nervous, but you handled it like a pro. Congratulations, guys!!!

Warmly,
Annie

For the full birth story, you can watch the video below. (Make sure you can hear the music!) Or, scroll down to see some of my favorite images.