I wanted this birth, knowing it would be my last, to be documented by a birth photographer. The other reason to document it was because my father was dying of cancer at the time and I wanted his presence to be recorded on the occasion of my baby’s entrance into the world. I knew that Opal wouldn’t know him or have her own memories of him, so having his presence at her birth felt very important to me. His imminent death was heavy on my mind and heart, and I grieved for him during my labor. My husband had music playing as I labored and one song in particular was especially piercing. I wept through my contractions to the words “How long will I love you? As long as stars are above you…”
My father ended up being too ill to come to the birth itself, but my brother was able to bring him to our house and he met Opal minutes after she was born. He was so pleased and in awe and we all felt hugely grateful that he was there; that he’d made it long enough to lay eyes on her.
He died 18 days later.
What a beautiful story!!
I absolutely LoVE your eye for color!
WOW, so beautiful!
Wow!! What a beautiful birth centered around family. I love that she had specific preferences based on past birth experiences. And that cord is so interesting– coiled and then not coiled at all! Jenna captured the story beautifully!
Beautiful shots!
Incredibly beautiful, and such a powerful story. Love!
Beautiful work, Jenna. The light is so gorgeous and you captured emotions and their story perfectly!