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The Birth Story of Shannon Rose – Atlanta Birth Photographer

I arrived at the hospital at 5:45am before they started Stacey on pitocin at 6am (which ended up being around 6:30am). Dad was catching some last minute sleep before the big day begun and Stacey was just so excited to get things going. With how mom’s first birth progressed with big sister LA I didn’t want to miss the birth of baby Shannon.

The rooms at this hospital are so big but I found it really funny that their room had fake windows in it. Contractions from the pitocin started rolling in about 20 minutes later becoming more and more intense. Stacey really handled them well. Grandma was so great coming in and playing doula, she made great eye contact as well as helping Stacey by counting through the contractions. Around 11:30 Stacy had progressed to 7cm so we all got kicked out while they started the epidural.

We got back into the room about an hour later and had a new visitor come who was very helpful near the end of labor. We fought SO HARD to get Mom some pictures with LA before go time. LA was not liking the camera at that point so I had to add a few of the hugs we finally got because we were all so happy she finally gave her Momma some love.

Shannon got a little fussy in there so we were rocking moms bed to keep her happy. We developed a great rhythm to keep those contractions regular and very quickly Mom was fully dilated. The doctor was finishing up another delivery so we had to wait a while but that was a good thing too because that extra time helped baby come down more so Mom didn’t have to push so much.

The doctor came in about 30 minutes after and it was go time. Everyone got in their places and big sister LA got to watch from a distance as her little sister became earthside. Shannon made her appearance at 3:56pm with only 3 contractions of pushing. After her head and shoulders were delivered Mom got to grab her and pull her up to her chest. It was really cool getting to witness that. I loved grandmas reaction to the whole thing as she stood next to Stacey during the delivery. It was so sweet. After some quick check ups Dad got to bring Shannon back over to mom and he had a smile ear to ear. It was probably one of the biggest smiles I have ever seen.

A few days afterwards I got to join the new family of four back at their beautiful home. I loved all the photos Stacey has around her house, you can tell pictures mean a lot to her. I asked LA if she enjoyed having her little sister home and she playfully told me “uh-uh”. She never strayed more then 5 feet from her little sister and watched me like a hawk. Those big sister protective instincts are already taking over. I was about her age when my littlest sister was born so it was neat getting to relive that experience with her.

Thank you Stacey, Mike, and LA for letting me in on this special time welcoming Shannon. She is so loved by you all and I can’t wait to see her grow. Here are some of my favorite photos!

This nurse was so awesome. She helped with eye contact and getting Stacey to that 7cm!

Awesome shot of mom reaching for her baby. The doctor said to me “now that will be a good shot” right at this very second.

Love this moment. Just right after her birth and her first time on Mommy’s chest.

Birth

The Birth Story of Oliver – Atlanta Birth Photographer

So this incredibly strong Momma was in active labor for over three days and her beautiful baby boy was delivered by cesarean section early on a Sunday morning. Sometimes our birth plans don’t turn out exactly how we hoped but I believe that putting her baby’s needs before her desires are what gives her an amazing start to motherhood.

It started on October 17th when contractions were happening and I got a text to head on over. So around 1pm I grabbed all my gear and headed out. Unfortunately labor stalled out so we all headed back home to wait again.

One week later I got a text around 6:30am that contractions were 5 minutes apart and have been that way for an hour so I threw on some clothes, took care of some hygiene necessities of course ;] and headed out the door. It was a dark and cool morning with light traffic so that was nice being in the city, but then I got stuck two minutes out by a train moving 2mph. It was a nice (ha) throw back to living in the suburbs.

When I arrived Mom was handling contractions beautifully (she really did the whole time). Those lovely low hums and hip swaying positions is an important part of the birth experience. So day one came to a close but contractions were still coming strong and mom wanted to try and sleep so we all did. They were very kind to have a futon and bed waiting for all of us to use just in case and boy it was nice to get a little sleep. So after six hours sleep (for me poor momma didn’t get much) everyone was up and in high gear to get that baby out.

The wonderful doula (Dzifa from A Womban’s Place) took her on walks, had her climbing some stairs, and of course a little dancing to lift the spirits and get those hips moving. Contractions really started picking up so since I am trained as a doula, we switched out assisting mom (see if you can spot the photo of me and mom!). We had thought it was the end a few times that day just based on mom’s sounds and how far apart the contractions were but we were to see another day. That night everything got quite around 1am and finally went to bed at 2am. We were awaken around 4:15 am saying that mom was exhausted and wanted to head to the hospital.

We all packed up and made our way down and arrived at 5am. Momma got some well needed rest with some help of good medicine and then awoke again that evening with very regular contractions and sounding like stages of transition. We were only to find she was still only 5cm dilated but baby was at a +1 station. So after a about 2 hours, mom decided to get an epidural and get some more rest and start pitocin in the morning. Well baby didn’t like those plans, and with his little heart rate dropping off then coming back up through most of the night, around 5:30am it was decided to do a cesarean.

As the doula and I staid behind, I turned my camera on auto and handed it to dad to get shots of the c-section because I was not allowed in the OR. Little Oliver made his appearance around 6:00am and boy was he ready to meet his parents! Dad did get some great shots and glad my camera made it in there to capture those important first moments of life. They had found that the cord was very tightly wrapped around his neck and it was said this was stalling the progress of labor and causing the baby’s heart rate to drop.

We met mom in recovery and got to spend some time with them. It was time to head home shortly after because I was running on about 8 hours of sleep for the past 72+ hours and left the hospital around 8:45am.

I got to meet back up with them 5 days after the birth and do a little newborn lifestyle session. All the images were so sweet and not posed at all. I love lifestyle sessions because you get to really see what life is like after the new baby is home. Mom and Dad are very much in love and I think everyone can say they have never seen Dad smile so much. Excited for all the things to come for this new family and I hope their wonderful story can provide healing and memories to last lifetimes!

There is never a wrong place to get comfort in a contraction. Smart mom had knee pads.

I love his little hand reaching out like he is trying to touch his Dad.

This little guy has some strong eye contact!

Love breast feeding shots. Intimate and beautiful.

Sweet little guy embracing being earthside.

I love this shot. Dad’s expression, and the motion of them going to get that baby.

Gorgeous sleeping beauty. Jealous of that glowy skin!

I love that it looks like he is trying to give her his strength.

Birth Newborns

The Birth Story of Savannah – Atlanta Birth Photographer

Before I go to far into this birth story I have to say a few short things. Lauren did such a wonderful job during labor and I am so honored to be able to document such a magnificent day. The love this couple has for each other is absolutely beautiful and its because of this I know they will make fabulous parents. Savannah is one lucky little girl.

Savannah’s due date was September 14th, and yes, you did your calculations correctly. Savannah made her appearance two weeks and four days after her due date. She was just giving mom and Dad a little extra time together alone even though they were so excited to meet her. Patience is, for sure, one of Lauren’s blessings.

I got a text from Mom around 10:45am on 10/2 saying today was the big day and that contractions were 10-12 minutes apart. I gathered a few items or two, skipped the make-up (ain’t nobody got time for that), threw on some nicer clothes, and grabbed my on-call bag and was out the door! This was a planned home birth and I lived about 45 minutes away so I was anxious to get there. I arrived around 11:45ish and mom was laboring beautifully and had created a little walking pattern. A neat joke was made that her middle name, if hadn’t already been picked out, could have been Jericho because of the amount of circling around the birth tub that was made.

Mom had such great energy and phrases during her labor. She would say things like “That was a good one” after her rushes and gave lots of smiles. The birth team, Traditional Birth Services, was phenomenal and knew just when to leave mom to her own and when she needed an extra hand. These ladies really knew their stuff. Her labor was like a great dance and everyone knew their steps. About nine hours after I arrived mom started pushing. Savannah really wanted to stay warm and cozy in mom so everyone gathered up their things and we left the house around 10pm to meet Dr. Bootstaylor to help get her here! It was a quite adventurous trip because the GPS gave the leader the directions to Emory instead of Atlanta Medical so we had to do a quick turn around and head towards the right hospital. I am just thankful it was late enough that there was no traffic clogging up the streets. Savannah arrived at 11:49pm a 8lb 6oz and 21 inch healthy baby girl. Mom worked and fought hard to get their sweet girl here and they were in pure bliss upon her arrival. She is so loved.

Happy Birthday Savannah!

A big thanks to Laura Paulescue with Crowned Photography for helping me make this birth video and photo combination possible and answering my millions of questions!

Here Are some of my favorite photos and why!