For the next few months, I spent a lot of time during my morning walk to work thinking about the birth and thinking about the photography. I wanted it to be perfect. I had this image in my head of going into labour on a beautiful spring day, in the back yard, getting stunning shots under the pear tree. Heading to the Birth Centre, walking through the contractions down by the river. I even asked my midwife if, once we were at the Birth Centre, I was allowed to leave to go for a walk. She laughed at me. ‘Em, by the time you get to Waterford, going for a walk will be the last thing on your mind’. She was right.
The night I went into labour, Cassie was the second person we called. She arrived at the Birth Centre only ten or so minutes after we did and after saying hi, got to work.
Cassie is so good at what she does, there were times I forgot she was there. There were a few moments where we spoke, I remember asking her at one stage why the hell women don’t stop at one child, who would ever choose to go through this twice, and she laughed and told me that women forget, and remember only the good bits. There was another moment, where our midwife was out of the room and all of a sudden a gush of pink bloomed in the pool. AJ panicked. What is it? What’s happening? And Cassie had a peek and reassured us that it was nothing to worry about, my waters had just broken. But for the most part, she was quiet, unobtrusive, and just clicked away as AJ and I worked together, riding contraction after contraction, each time one step closer to meeting our child.
On our lounge wall hangs one of the images Cassie took for us that day. We often watch the slideshow of Ziggy’s birth or flip through the album she put together. We get wet eyes as we relive the day our baby boy came into this world.
When we found out we were expecting our second child, Cassie was the first person we called. Yep, before we called our mums, or AJ’s dad, before we told our siblings and our friends, we rang Cassie.
“We’re pregnant and we need you’, we told her. ‘We don’t even have a due date yet – possibly September, lock us in’.
Our decision to have a photographer at the birth of our first child is one we often look back on, thankful that we made the decision we did. We can’t wait to have her at the birth of our second child too.
Emily Holdaway is a New Zealand parenting blogger gaining local recognition. With her second child due in September, she is sharing her journey to natural parenting through her entertaining and surprisingly open blog Raising Ziggy . Emily is an active volunteer of Waikato Baby Carriers, she attends La Leche meetings and playcentre; supporting local businesses and offering advice and the benefits of these groups to other kiwi parents. In her spare time, you’ll find her in the garden with Ziggy and the chooks.
You can find more of Cassie’s photography at Capturing Life Birth Photography.
