Just a few miles up the road for the bustling little town of Placerville lies the picturesque area of Apple Hill. Among the blossoms there was a lovely couple  experiencing motherhood in full bloom for the first time.  Their love for each other and their unborn son was a vibrant and beautiful as the flowers adorning the trees.

From the moment I met this momma of soon to be 5, I was blown away. Her strength, dedication and joy was inspiring. She makes homeschooling, motherhood and living a healthy lifestyle look easy. The days leading up to her birth were full of laughs, science lessons, bike rides in the sunshine and snow ( California is having some crazy weather these days), walks, trips to the gym and runs. Yes, I said runs. With all that said, you might understand how I had a feeling that her Placerville homebirth was going to be nothing short of amazing.

A few hours after she joked that "we all knew she wasn't going to have this baby" I got the call 11:40. Being that this was her 5th baby, my stuff had been packed for weeks and my work clothes were ready to go. I arrived to their beautiful home at 11:55. Their sweet little baby girl arrived 14 mins after I arrived. What a beautiful amazing homebirth waterbirth it was!

What a pleasure it was to be able to document this perfectly written story of motherhood. Congratulation to the this perfect family of 7!

​Midwifery services provided by  One Heart Midwifery

You may have see the stories swirling around social media and the internet that lead you to believe that birth photographers don't love or support C-section births. The thing is this is far from the truth for myself and the many birth photographers I know. We love the stories that you write and gladly document them when given the opportunity. Whether you have a cesarean birth, home birth, hospital birth or birth center birth your story deserves to be captured and celebrated. So please know, every birth is beautiful!

The thought of little ones entering the world surrounded by separation and sadness in place of celebration breaks my heart. As a Auntie of adopted little ones I have always had a special spot in my heart for babies that have spent their first hours and days in a hospital bassinet instead of the arms of the ones who love them. Their tiny little features left ungazed upon for hours and hours. Little features that change so quickly. Their story left to be told only by court papers for hours, days or weeks.

​This week I had the opportunity to celebrate one of these babies and their hopeful adoptive parents meet them 3 days after their birth. As we walked into the nicu for the first time the air was full of excitement and nerves. There was a striking similarity between this day and the parents I regularly capturing anticipating the arrival of their little ones in the early stages of labor. The wonder of what their little features look like. Is their baby doing well? How big are they? Do they have 10 fingers and 10 toes?

​After placing a badge with the name "Surrender" upon on our chests, scrubbing in and walking through two locked doors, it was time. Entering their little one's shared room and the emotion was palpable. There their adoptive baby lay. Not a feature was left unremarked. Not a feature left  uncherished. 

​Those first moments captured to be cherished for all time. Something for this little one to look back upon as they grow and see how tiny they were and know how much they are loved.

​For those that know me well know that these moments get me to the core. I chose my profession out of passion, not profit. Long hours, late nights, missed holidays and family events are all made worth while. My hope is for my images to share stories, move hearts, encourage and inspire. Let us celebrate all babies.

 As a good majority of birth photographers scrambled around trying to figure out what to submit to IAPBP's 2017 competition one of our very talented collogues brought something to our eyes. These competitions while they do have awards to be won, something bigger is at work.
​These competition raise the awareness to birth in a new way. Birth is something that needs to be celebrated. The options that birthing women have, need to be known. The beauty and the uniqueness each birth holds, is absolutely amazing on it's own. Then you add the creative eye and passion of a birth photographer and you cant help be stand in awe of what the beginning of life looks like. Every women. Unique. Every labor. Unique. Every baby. Unique. While there will be hundreds of images in this competition, I assure you, EVERY SINGLE IMAGE will have its own story. Take time to see the story written in the furrowed brows, the tears, the bellies, the eyes, the hand and whatever else the image holds.

​I was planning on submitting two images this year one in the details and one in the labor category. The weather around here seemed to have a different idea and our power went out as I was submitting my second image. Competition submission or not, it has a beautiful story to be told.

​What does it say to you?
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