Denver Birth Photographer - Torrey's Birth Story

  I have wanted to document a birth story for a long time.  The intensity of the moment and emotion is so significant.  That moment when you first look into your newborn's eyes and your heart says 'I know you...there you are' and you are flooded with so much love that what you were doing just moments before starts to drift away.  Besides birthing being such an amazing and miraculous process, I may be a bit obsessed with this moment since my own birth stories were very different.  I never went into full labor myself and ended up having an emergency c-section.  I was very sick and my arms wouldn't stop tremoring so I was unable to hold my first born for about an hour.  The second time I had a planned c-section but my son had some heart rhythm irregularities so he spent the first 5 hours of his life in NICU.  So when I was asked to document Torrey's third, and last, birth, I jumped for joy.

Torrey's first two births were fast and furious.  This time she was to be induced and it would be her first hospital birth.  We decided to document the entire day, even though she knew her birthing process would most likely be longer than her previous two.  I can not tell you how honored I was to pay witness to this occasion.  She was amazing the entire day, cracking jokes and smiling in between contractions, watching Food Network and chatting recipes with me.  Her dear husband was afraid to leave the room in case everything were to speed up and that little boy decided to make his appearance.  To see this woman at transition begging for it to be over, but you knew that she had it in her to just push a little longer.  To witness that type of power and strength of a woman who thinks she has no more to give, pull out that last bit of energy to push that baby out was so inspiring.  I knew women were strong, but to bear witness of an event like this gives strength a whole new meaning.

As her little baby boy was laid on her chest, you could see the flood of joy, relief, and love flood over this mother's face.  Her entire body relaxed in to this little figure that settled perfectly in her embrace. The trauma of what was just happening in the room a moment before melted away as she held his little feet, checked his cord, and covered him to make sure he wasn't cold.  I felt such a closeness and admiration for this woman I had just introduced myself to twelve hours before.  I told her she was my hero.  I look forward to future birth sessions and the privilege to document what has to be one of the most significant and important processes we experience as women.