Thursday, June 2, 2011

birth [photography] and story: henry.

i do believe i'm going to go mostly with black and white.

but some of the daytime photos need to be posted in color. :)
so.
onto the story.
we got a call at around 4:30pm.
we were on the road by 5.
got there around 6:10pm.
the sweet girl with the camera is julie's eldest, hannah. :)
and there's mom, giving julie some essential oils {therapeutic grade: young living dist. #1237953} to rub on her belly.
41.5 weeks? mhmmm.

michelle, julie's friend and doula, tickling little gus.
gus was such a cute mama's boy.
the pool.
:) isn't it awesome?
[yeah, it's just a pool from toys r us. it worked beautifully.]
gotta love a boy who shares his books! ;)
daddy [mike] and the twin girls: lila and gracie. and gus again. cutie. :)
watching finding nemo. yeppers. love that movie.
this is what happens when you're pregnant and in labor: you get massages.
all day.
looking back on these photos, i'm almost jealous:)
but maybe someday that kind of day will come for me. :)
the amazing woman part of the birth crew. :) michelle: doula. rosie: midwife.
it was so cool to see them do their stuff; beautiful things i've only read about and seen videos on for the past 10 years.
okay, not all of 10 years. i mean, it's been 10 years since i've seen a birth in person. that was lyddie, my youngest sibling. just in the past few years have i seen some inspiring/informative birth films.
this last one: orange juice and castor oil, anyone? :)
she drank it like a trooper. golly.
what time is it?
ohhh....time for pizza. :)

i love the sunlight here.

sweetness.
a massage of clary sage . . .
meanwhile, the sun was working on setting . . .
michelle was such a cute lady. and so nice, too. this is another yummy castor oil/orange juice potion in the making.
me and i-honestly-can't-remember-which-twin. :) please forgive me.

8:30pm.
decaf vanilla-almond coffee. *grin*
around 9, the childrens were put to bed . . . julie tried to rest . . .
{and found out she was around 2-3 centimeters. pretty discouraging, considering there were 3 days in a row before this that she experienced on-and-off labor, including all day this day: thursday may 26.}
and me, emma, and hannah took a few shots in the mirror.
mmmmm.
10:30pm.
caramel brownie ice cream time.
oil of frankincense massage for julie . . . starting to do stair laps.
more intense contractions. starting to vocalize now.
gosh, this was amazing to see.
bottom picture: rosie, getting tired of my camera always on and clicking. el oh el. ;)
this was my first super-big moment of revelation of how amazing doula's are.
my heart may have swelled with pride a little at the thought of my sister, anna, being there like this for women.

reflection.
mmmmm. that's some great tea!
somewhere between 12am-1am we filled up the pool and she got in.
i guess the hot water around and supporting her made a lot of the contractions just sweep away.
pretty awesome.
transition.
yeah, it tends to be a pretty intense time.
as i shot one after the other, i was praying for her under my breath, totally amazed (in every definition of the word) at what exactly was happening.
a new little human . . . being brought into this world.
stunning!
and at 3:07am, friday, may 27 2011, henry came.

the beautiful family, sans sleeping gus. :)
while mama julie got out of the pool after delivering the placenta in quick timing, michelle held baby henry.
mhmmm. total love.
skin-to-skin bonding is the most beautiful thing.
by this time, it was 4:14am.
and the sun was rising.
ohmyword. beautiful.
around 10am, after a few hours of sleep.
gosh, that floor was comfy. at that hour, a pillow and blanket is all you need.
and for the shot i really cherish:
;)

*breathe deep*
i tell you: sweetness!!
and being a bit overdue-ish according to dates calculated, he was born with some ultra-cute chub.
and we celebrated with some delicious homemade cinnamon coffee cake [made by hannah] for breakfast with cinnamon coffee... oh so good.
to henry's family: thank you so much again for letting me be a part of that beautiful day!
julie, you're so amazing. and so blessed. but i know you know that. ;)

the end.

ending:
this is what crazy baby people do.
stay up till nearly 1 . . . and wake up at 7. aaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!
*chants* : i will not be a zombie when i watch the kiddos [sam and reese] tomorrow. i will drink coffee. and pray i stay alert. amen. :)

10 comments:

Hanna said...

I just sat in on a medic lecture on how to do a home births the other day and it was really interesting. I think I will have a Doula when I have children. It is really beautiful to see the heart these women have, and how they are so reassuring to the mothers.
Will I ever jump at the opportunity to help with a delivery?? Not unless I am the only medic around.

erika said...

Just breathtaking!

Cristina said...

this post is AWESOME!!! the birth of children is hands down, the most amazing thing in the whole world!

Chana@ Mamma Town said...

And I'm bawling!! So many questions! Does your mama do this for a living? Help preggie ladies with home births? Why does that lady look so beautiful and peaceful? I don't remember feeling so relaxed lol! Your hair color is beautiful by the way! LOVE THIS POST, but not one a hormonal preggie lady should read in the morning! haha! xoxoxo

Unknown said...

BEAUTIFUL!!!

Anonymous said...

Oh wow that is amazing!! I'm speechless!

The Freckled Fawn said...

oh what a beautiful baby boy:P makes me want to do it again......:P

LeAnna said...

Sooo precious! Birth is just absolutely amazing. Your photos were great! Henry is adorable. (Love Young Living herbs! Love doulas! And dude, I have that quilt in the last few pics...) I think it's amazing Anna is going to do this, after my kids are grown I think I'd love to take the training to be one...

Cassandra said...

So amazing.

charla beth said...

this was incredible. those pictures are amazing, beka. just amazing. what a life-changing moment you got to be a part of!

and henry...oh my goodnes. what a sweet thing. he's darling. that first picture with him and his mama and his little beanie...took my breath away! gosh, how incredible life is.

thanks so much for sharing and letting us be a small part of this experience, also. :)