Being invited to attend someone’s birth is one of the biggest honors I have had. It is such a vulnerable, life changing experience for a family, especially for the mother. So when Lauren and Ryan asked me to photograph the birth of Judah, my heart felt so full.

My memories of Judah’s birth are fuzzy since it was in the wee hours of the night, and there are details I may leave out with pieces out of order. But I will share what I remember and those moments that stuck with me.

Lauren had been keeping me updated throughout the day and by 8pm that night it appeared I would be photographing a birth that night. So at 1am when Ryan called me I fixed a cup of coffee, kissed my babies and headed out the door.

I arrived at 2:30am at their house. Lauren was in the middle of a contraction, leaning on Ryan, while her doula, midwife and midwifery student quietly observed. I could smell something yummy baking in the oven. Right before I got there, in between contractions, Lauren had been making muffins.

Soon after they were checking her in the bedroom. There she layed for quite awhile, working through contractions and resting in between. She was having back labor so there were times it was all hands on deck, where Ryan and Emily (her doula) were putting pressure on her back to relieve the back labor. She was so peaceful as she moved in and out of contractions.

Eventually the contractions slowed down, so she had to get up. She hung out by the stairwell trying to find the most comfortable position. To try and get Judah to move down the stairs, stopping at the bottom and top for contractions. Throughout this time, Emily was reading her It she walked up andbible verses that Lauren had chosen ahead of time.

It was very early in the morning and Lauren wanted to lay down. She rested on the ball for awhile, where she munched on the muffins she had made, and was laughing and smiling in between contractions.

She went back to the bed so she could rest. At this point she was having really intense contractions, but was able to get some sleep between contractions. Once she had a certain amount of contractions she moved to the birthing tub where she could get some relief. Daylight was starting to appear as she labored in the tub. The contractions seemed to get more intense, but the labor was slowing down at times.

There son Elijah was asleep in the other room. When he woke up he got to see his mama and give her a kiss before the babysitter came and got him.

Soon after the midwife broke her water to help things along. Things were still a bit slow, so she got out of the tub to use the restroom. From there, her contractions picked up and grew really intense. Things started to move really quick from there. She moved to the birthing stool where it became very obvious that this was where she would meet Baby Judah. Emily sat behind her, supporting her back so Ryan could be there to catch Judah. She pushed for a while as the excitement grew. Then he was there in Ryan’s hands and on her chest. Lauren was so amazing, she was so strong and had so much confidence in what she was capable of doing. Her support team was also amazing with the energy they kept up and their words of encouragement. It was such a beautiful thing to witness.

I also got to witness big brother Elijah meet his baby brother. With two boys of my own, it made my heart so happy to know what buddies they would become. And it made it more special knowing their birthdays were a day apart.

Thank you Lauren and Ryan for inviting me into your home to help tell Judah’s birth story. I am honored and humbled.