I am so, very excited to share this.
When Morgan asked me if I would photograph her home birth I was obviously nervous. Babies come when they want to come and I was so scared I would drop the ball and not be available when Sawyer was ready to make his debut.
Also, even though I’ve seen quite a few babies come into this world, I’ve never PHOTOGRAPHED a baby coming into this world. I had an idea of what to expect but also felt a little out of my element. I really wanted to get this right and do a beautiful job for Morgan and Kevin. Her pictures from delivering Jayce were STUNNING and I wanted to make sure I was up to par with those standards.
Morgan texted me at 6:44 in the morning right when I was just starting to open my eyes for the day. Her text of “I think it’s happening!!” had me karate kicking blankets off and jumping out of bed. I had just enough time to grab a quick shower, drop my daughter off at school and head straight to Morgan and Kevin’s house.
The birthing team was already there and though Morgan was experiencing her contractions closer and closer together, the energy was calm and peaceful.
Sweet Buddy never left Morgan’s side. He was such a good doggy doula.
Jayce woke up and was quickly whisked away for a fun day at Grandma’s house.
Every time Morgan went into a contraction I was breathing right along with her. Her birthing team was incredibly supportive. They talked her through the contractions in a calming, supportive manner. Nothing was rushed or urgent. The energy felt so safe but productive at the same time. In between contractions they would give her little sips of honey and water to keep her energy up. 
Kevin is an incredible partner. It’s so obvious how connected he is with Morgan. He was so supportive and ready to do whatever Morgan needed with each contraction. 
Morgan actually delivered in the hands/knees position but those pictures are kept private for obvious reasons.
I will say that it was pure magic watching and documenting the actual birth. With each contraction you could see the baby move farther down the birthing canal until finally there was a perfect little round head. He followed that with an arm which was positioned up sort of like he was a miniature Superman making his way into the world.
I also got an incredible picture of the birthing bag breaking. THAT was SO cool.
Once Sawyer was here, a wave of relief overtook the room. And I don’t mean a wave of relief because it was scary or frightening. This felt so safe and right and perfect. It was just more like the anticipation was finally over and Morgan, who was a warrior woman through out this whole thing, could finally rest. 
Morgan’s birthing team was so incredible. After the baby was born they immediately ensured skin on skin contact and then went about making Morgan some peanut butter toast and offering to make tea or whatever she felt up to.
While Morgan got a few stitches, Kevin took some time to do skin on skin with his new baby boy.
Side note: We were all guessing another girl before Sawyer was born. Surprise! 
Isa was able to show us the anatomy of the placenta and where Sawyer had been living the past 9 months. This was so cool!
Buddy was also very interested.
To be honest, I was so uneducated about home birthing before I was a part of this experience. I had no idea that midwives carried around certain medications that are used right in the hospital or that they could do stitches or other interventions commonly practiced in a hospital setting. As holistic as midwifery is, it’s also very advanced and up to par with western medicine standards.
Before the delivery day, Morgan invited me to one of their meetings where the birthing team comes and does a check up. They were so attentive and spent an hour with Morgan just for that meeting.
The day of delivery, they were not only there for the laboring and delivering, but they stuck around for hours afterwards making sure Morgan and the baby were safe and settled. You do not get this kind of attention in a hospital setting. They also had a very quiet way of communicating during the birth. I watched as they made small gestures to each other perfectly understanding what the other needed or planned to do next.
It was incredible. 
A huge shoutout to Gently Borne Midwifery Services. Isa, Monica and Melody are AMAZING souls. You can check out their website here…
http://gentlybornemidwifery.com
Moe and Kev – Thank you so much for trusting me to capture and document this day for you. I am so honored. I love you guys!
