Why births make my heart beat a little faster….

Many of you know that I am a childbirth educator and that I teach a class focused on natural childbirth using The Bradley Method. Through my own pregnancy and birth I have fallen in love with the topic of birth and I love photographing births, here is why.

Sometimes I find myself reading and rereading books on the subject of birth. Whether they are birth stories, birth topics, such as immediate breastfeeding, VBACs etc, or information on making healthy choices they all intrigue me. The first thing that gets my motor going is the design of the female body and how she is made to carry and give birth to babies of all shapes and sizes. I have several friends and relatives who are some of the most petite women I know who have birth the biggest, most beautiful babies in upwards of 10 and 11 pounds. The next thing I find wondering around in my mind is the thought that women accomplish something inside themselves when they give birth to a child and even when horror strikes, and discouragements come their way, inside the women find it within themselves to love their child more than the pain they feel. I also bask in the sight of a teary couple who I can often find gazing within each other in the days following their birth. Yes, they  gaze at the child as well, but the look they give each other says a million words I cannot even think to write here. Why? Well it is it actually quite simple. The father has held the mother’s hand and been her strength when she was weak through the most difficult time in her life. A time when she and even others may have doubted her. The mother stared into the face of her biggest doubts and fears and looked beside her to her best friend and he told her she could go on, and she did. This is why birth makes my heart beat a little faster.

These pictures are from a birth I shot about a week and a half ago. The mother had so many obstacles in her way and yet she and her husband kept pressing on and doing the best thing for their baby. I am so proud of them!

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A Very Rowdy Easter

This my sweet little nephew Rowdy! He and Autumn are just weeks apart in age and we are hoping they will be as good of friends as Kristi and I are! Isn’t he precious? Hope you all had a happy Easter!

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I think he is going to be mad about this later in life, but what can we do?

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Lovely Ladies

The other day I had the rare pleasure of photographing my good friend of mine, Leigh Ann’s little lovely little ladies. I say rare because their wonderful Aunt and my good friend Jenn Kilpatrick usually does all their photography- except when she as just has a baby. Since Jen just welcomed their second baby Julian into the world last week I got to step in! I had such a fun time, and what made it even more fun was the payment that took place in the form of bartering! Those of you who know me know that I love bartering! It is tax free, useful and helps keep the government out of my business. 🙂 Anyways, here are a few of these beautiful little girls!

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Dean & Caleb

Last week I went out and met my youngest brother Caleb (yes I have a little brother that is 17 years younger than me ) and his dad Dean to take some pictures of the two of them. Dean is a super talented guy who has gotten me out of a bind on home improvement stuff on more than one occasion. He is a great wood worker and is excellent at building things, molding work and all that fun stuff!  Here are a couple from our time.

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