Last Saturday, I had the absolute pleasure of photographing the birth of sweet Priscially Madilyn…her mom Amanda was due just 15 days after me, so while I was optimistic I would make it for her birth, a small part of me was worried that something would happen I would be unable to attend. Thankfully, this birth could not have gone any better! I got the call from her husband on Saturday morning that they were at the hospital and she was a 3-4, I knew things could still happen quickly so I got ready and anxiously waited for an update. It was right around noon and my phone rang again, it was time to come in and off I went! It was also the same day as a fairly large parade in my hometown, so thankfully I was able to scoot out before the roads started getting shut down. About 10 minutes into my drive to the hospital, my phone rang again, when I saw it was her husband Jessie again, I got nervous. Things were happening quicker than we all had expected and he was just checking in to see how close I was. I kicked it into high gear and drove flew in downtown Tacoma in record time. As I ran down the hall of the hospital, all I could think was that I was going to hear a crying baby which meant I missed the birth by minutes, if not seconds. As I got to her room I could still hear the monitors which was a good sign. I was welcomed by a wonderful staff who was extremely accommodating. They kept making sure I was able to get the perfect shots and that I was front and center! It was less than an hour after I got there that Priscilla was born, she was so beautiful! It reminded me of what I had experienced just 10 days earlier as I welcomed my daughter into the world. Births never get old, weather they’re your own or someone else, watching a newborn take their first breaths of life is incredible. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love what I get to do for a living and hardly consider it work at all! I am thankful for this amazing opportunity I have been given! Thank you so much Jessie and Amanda for letting me capture this special day!
   
Anytime someone asks me to be in the delivery room with them, I’m honored… excited… flattered… and thankful for the amazing opportunity coming my way. Buuuut, anytime a repeat client asks you to photograph their birth AGAIN, it takes it to a whole new level, I can only describe it as a reunion among friends! This was definitely the case with Kellie and Sean!
I met Kellie back in August of 2010 back when I got to help welcome her sweet daughter Violet into the world, it was a beautiful birth and I had secretly hoped they were planning on having more kids just so I’d get to see them again! This couple has got to be two of the nicest, caring, individuals I have ever met. I wish we lived closer to each other because I have a blast with her every time we’re together. When she called me last spring to let me know they were expecting another baby, I couldn’t not have been happier or more excited! Fast forward to late January and it was time to meet Issac! When I arrived, things were starting to pick up but it looked as if we still had some time to kill, so the plan was to let Kellie rest and I was going to grab a snack before it got too late. Instead of going across the street, I decided to head down to the cafe and hang out there until she woke up. Just as I finished eating, I got a text from her husband Sean, letting me know she was at a 10 and it was time to push! Not only was I glad I didn’t go too far, but I couldn’t believe how fast she transitioned! Needless to say, I don’t think she got much rest, once I got back into the room, everything was prepped and ready to go, but we still had to wait for her Dr to arrive. It didn’t take too long, but for Kellie, I’m sure it seemed like forever! You wait 9 months to meet your new baby and when the time finally comes and you are told to wait, every second feels like an eternity! It was just a matter of a couple pushes and out he came, happy and healthy as could be! It was so wonderful to see the look of joy on Kellie and Sean’s faces as they greeted their new son! Once again, I am so happy I was able to join them again on this special day and now I anxiously look forward to family pictures throughout the years!
Congratulations Kellie and Sean!
At 4:45 yesterday morning, I received the call that Heather was in active labor, admitted to the hospital, water had broken, and was currently at 7 centimeters dilated. Usually this is great news, but when the GPS is saying you have an hour drive ahead of you, panic starts to creep in! I tried to stay calm, getting ready as fast as I could in order to make the drive to Olympia! Thankfully, it was so early that I didn’t have to fight any traffic and when I got there (in record time) I was pleased to hear I hadn’t missed the birth! Once Heather’s epidural was in, her husband Christian came out and got me and into the room we went…unfortunately Heather’s epidural only took to one side of her body making each back to back contraction quite painful. I felt so bad for her, but I knew by the sounds she was making, she was almost done and her sweet boy would be in her arms very soon. That last stage of labor is the hardest part!
..fast forward just a couple contractions and the nurse noticed a big dip in the heart rate, at one point, as low as 50 bpm. It was time to get the baby out immediately. They began to call the doctor and extra nurses into the room. Literally it was just minutes and 2 contractions later, and out came Jackson Wayne! Once he was out, you could hear a huge sigh of relief from everyone in the room. Heather was simply amazing and did what she needed to do in order to get her baby out quickly! I was so proud of her!! Once Jackson was all checked out and passed his tests, off to Daddy’s arms he went!
I am so thankful Mama and Jackson are healthy and recovering wonderfully. I can’t thank heather and Christian enough for inviting me into the room with them as this sweet miracle was born! Congratulations to you all and I am looking forward to more snuggles in just a few days as I get to do his newborn pictures!
xoxo
Keren
I said it before and I’ll say it again, one of the best perks of what I get to do, is finding out about pregnancies really early on! It’s such a treat and I have become really good at keep secrets now! Back in May, I got an email from Mandy asking me to photograph her January birth and I was thrilled that she thought of me so quickly… of course I said “Yes!” The hardest part is waiting for the next 7-8 months to pass, I’m so anxious and excited to meet up with the moms to be and when I finally got to meet Mandy after what seemed like forever, I was so excited to be just weeks away from meeting her sweet baby girl!
When we got together, Mandy let me know that her baby was head up (breech) and that if she didn’t turn, she would need a c-section. I was hoping she would flip, but this little miss had plans of her own and was quite content where she wanted to be, so a c-section it was! I met up with Ryan and Mandy early on the morning of January 9th and we all anxiously awaited the news that the OR was ready for her! I am so thankful that at the hospital she was delivering at didn’t mind a 2nd person in the delivery room, so I was able to join them and get those first photos they were both hoping for. Mandy did wonderful and baby Reagan Shea was born at 9:19am weighing 6lbs 6oz! It was a lot of fun watching the faces of all family members as they came in to greet this new baby! Their excitement over this little girl was overflowing! Most importantly, mom and baby were healthy and recovering very well!
Thank you Ryan and Mandy for letting me capture these first moments of your new life as a family of 3… congratulations again!
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by Keren