“I wanted the [Birth Story and First 48 photos] because after the additional anesthesia the first time, the photos taken randomly had become my memories [of my son’s birth]. Having had the first 48 you did, I know these real memories are more detailed and that I can come back to them year after year as “Skye” grows and I grow older.” – Testimonial from Mom =)
On a beautiful spring morning, two incredible women waited patiently for their child to be born. Our expectant mom was both nervous for her scheduled cesarean that morning and excited to meet their new child. Her previous birth experience was somewhat traumatic and the measures taken to assist her near the end of it had left her with a hazy recollection of their son’s birth outside of pictures taken by family. In some ways the birth of their second child would be like experiencing it for the first time again…only with first hand knowledge of what happens when anesthetics don’t work. (Yeah. I recoiled big time when I heard about it.) You can imagine the added emotional tug-of-war when another woman came into the ER with no time to spare and the scheduled surgeries got pushed in the birth queue – right before their scheduled time. Though the moms seemed to have made their peace with the past, the rest of us were uneasy and wanted a much better experience for them this time. Pictures of the clock are often meaningful in birth photography and this time they definitely symbolize waiting. There were no contractions or monitors. Just the calm before the storm. The energy of everyone’s collective arrivals at the hospital soon wore off and our little posse settled into a silent holding pattern. The mamas relished a few unexpected moments of rest while friends and family milled about in anticipation. The gender of the baby was a secret to all but the medical staff and everyone else was making bets in their heads. My contemporary and I were getting everything ready for what was to come.
Finally, breaking the silence of the hall was the unmistakable sound of a newborn’s cry. That was the first time I’ve even heard a child’s first precious calls without it being mine. (And I have to say I was far more lucid then than during my own births.) My heart seriously skipped a beat as I soaked up the meaning of it all. Not only did I get the high of knowing we heard that precious first , we knew it would soon be game time for us as well! And just like that the energy flooded back.
Given mom’s previous complications with surgery, it was a private matter. I was excited to get a few great shots of the obstetrician suiting up for the task ahead and then the wait set in again. But it wasn’t long at all before another proud mama rounded the corner to let us all know that their baby GIRL had arrived and everything went smoothly for mom and baby! The tears were flowing as we were allowed, one at a time, to meet baby “Skye” in the recovery room. I got the primo position in line to capture the measurements and incubator time. She was positively perfect! A beautiful, pink little sweetheart who started nursing in the OR and pretty much never stopped for the next two days when she was awake. By the end of a long day, the whole family had met the new addition – including her big brother. (I love the look he gives his mom as if to say he can’t believe what she got them into.) I popped by the following morning for baby girl’s first bath and some “Fresh 48” lifestyle images. The family was beginning to settle into their new normal – forever changed and even more complete. And at that moment, I knew that my life had changed too.
When I was in the hospital with my own kids I marveled that we were having this life-altering day while the rest of the world was experiencing business as usual. Having passed the cemetery on our way both times, I thought of those having a different kind of intensely personal day – saying goodbye while life carried on normally around them. For both parties, our universe for that time was enclosed in one tiny space and only one thing mattered – the very moments that define what it means to be alive and for that life to impact others. The day to day disappeared in a haze of emotions and a feeling that the world was more than just the minutia pervaded. Getting to take part in that feeling again vicariously through photography was one of the most gratifying things I’ve ever done in my life. Hands down. If I could do that every day I would be more than happy to do so! Not having contractions of my own, I was able to able to better appreciate this fleeting moment of raw humanity. The love that Skye’s moms have for each other is so clear in these images. The concern, attentiveness, and joy filled my heart. I got to be there in the first moments that they were a family of four. And all I can say is, “Wow!” I’m hooked! I desperately want to be a Denver birth photographer!
Day 1
Day 2
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