One of our good friends and neighbor, Juanee (named after her grandmother) was coming up on her due date with her first baby. Juanee is a RN who did all her clinicals in the labor/delivery unit in our local hospital, so this "first timer" title really didn't fit her.
In fact, she probably the calmest, most confident person I'd ever seen when it came to talking about everything that was about to happen.
She learned about my ordeal with Nathan. (Read about it
here, at least the version where I'd repressed most of the trauma. And
here when I realized that crying about your son's birth every day when he is ten months old is
not normal!). Juanee knew that one of the most helpful things for me would be to have a normal experience. Since we're not quite ready for another one, though, and that experience is probably over a year away, she invited me to her birth! I reluctantly said yes, hoping she wasn't just offering to be polite. I kept asking her over the next few weeks, and her answer never changed. We then decided that I might as well photograph the birth while I was there. It was an easy thing to count as a baby gift!
Then, last Thursday, Feb. 23rd, she knocked on my door at 3:30 in the afternoon. Being a Thursday afternoon (I have Tuesdays & Thursdays off from classes) I had all my homework and chores done for the day, and I didn't have a class the next day until 11:30. What perfect timing! She could labor all night and I wouldn't miss a thing in class!
Her contractions started around 10:30. They left for the doctor's office at 3:30 and called me at 4:30, saying they'd just been admitted, and that she was already at a SIX so I should hurry up! When I got to the hospital (half an hour away, after filling up my gas tank and grabbing treats for the "support staff"), she had just had her epidural and was at an EIGHT! This girly was movin' fast! Since she was comfortable we took some fun maternity pictures (I never got her up to my house to take any!), and her sweet husband brushed her hair. It was only an hour or so before things got exciting!
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| Not one stretch mark on this girl...lucky duck! |
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| She'd even painted her fingers and toes the NIGHT before! |
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| Juanee's awesome husband, Ryan, and amazing nurse! |
Juanee's mom was driving from her home, five hours away, at 85 mph just trying not to get pulled over. She managed to peek in 15 MINUTES before Juanee delivered! We were ecstatic, expecting the person peeking through the curtain to be a doctor, nurse, etc. She was so glad to have her mother there and I was excited to go back to being in the background, in my own little corner by Juanee's head, taking pictures :o)
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| Just waiting and breathing in between contractions |
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| Little bed waiting for a baby! |
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| Ryan was so supportive and such a great coach! She and I both feel so lucky to have husbands that don't get queasy or nervous; they just help us power through! |
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| Her mom had just arrived and had a cold hand for Juanee's forehead, which was greatly appreciated :o) |
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| Working SO hard; baby almost out! |
Sunny Marie Baxter was born at 8:08 pm. Remember, she was admitted at 4:30 pm. This girl is a ROCKSTAR! We were all so impressed! She swore she'd have to be induced and would take 20+ hours to deliver. I sent her my "good vibes" all along the way and we joke that they shortened her delivery :o)
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| I love this one...Juanee's face when she saw Sunny for the first time! I just love how genuine the expression is :o) |
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| Watching Sunny from across the room; she hadn't gotten to hold her baby yet and was just so anxious! |
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| Beautiful, perfect baby! This kiddo came out clean as a whistle, I swear! |
I was able to take over 400 pictures that night, and her mom and I were bawling messes (not to mention Juanee and her husband, who cried more than any of us!). It was Juanee's mom's first grandbaby, and the first birth I'd attended that wasn't my own!
I have to thank Juanee...I am so eternally grateful for the opportunity to see a smooth, peaceful, happy delivery, full of joy when little Sunny was born. Even when Nathan was born, we cried because we were happy he was here, but he was supposed to have heart problems and he didn't make a peep and looked pretty limp. We were more scared than anything. I'll never forget that fear, and I hope I never have to have an experience like that again! My whole paradigm of birth has shifted, and I'm finally ready to start planning the day when I'll be there again! (This is a HUGE step for me...nothing I've ever come close to before!) I didn't know that this process was so HAPPY! I mean, I'd assumed it was, but I was so surprised to be crying so hard and overwhelmed by the emotions...and it wasn't even my baby! Who knows what kind of wreck I'll be when it is my baby I'm seeing for the first time :o)
Enjoy some more of my favorites from that day below.
Thank you, Ryan and Juanee! Sunny is beautiful and just so perfect!!
What a great post, Alaina! And those photos are going to be treasures for them. What a great experience for all.
ReplyDeleteAlaina this post totally made me cry! Birth is such an amazing thing. I am glad they let you experience that with them. We are so blessed to be able to experience new life and the spirit that comes with these new babies. I sure miss seeing you each week so it is fun to still stay in touch this way. :)
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ReplyDeleteLOVED this. It made me teary eyed. Makes me baby hungry. I've always thought it would be so cool to have a photographer there. Wanna come out to St. Louis and photograph us??? ....when I get the courage in like 5 years! Congrats to this adorable family and I'm sure it brought you a great amount of peace. So glad it did!
ReplyDeleteThis is so beautiful! I'm so glad you got to witness such a wonderful easy-going birth. I sure hope and pray your next one goes something like this. Congrats to Juanee and Ryan - Sunny is simply beautiful! And you're pictures are so beautiful! I'm for sure gonna make sure our next birth is photographed :) I love her facial expressions pushing and then the calm ''awed'' expression after she's holding her baby. gah I'm getting baby fever. And my baby is only 3 months old! NO GOOD! LOL
ReplyDeleteThis was the best ever! I have never been a fan of photographing pregnancy, but I just decided that we HAVE to have another one in Rexburg while you guys and we are all still there so you can photograph one for me! Those pictures were AMAZING!!! and im soooo glad you got to experience that! i got to be there for both of stephs girls and it was SOOOO AMAZING!!!! everyone needs to have a good birthing experience!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Touching. and your photography skills are amazing as well! Beautiful baby!!:D
ReplyDeleteAlaina! Your photos are so beautiful! I'm not gonna lie, I got a little teary looking at them! Is that weird? I just think babies and moms are amazing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing! Beautiful family and birth story! Can't wait to meet our baby girl in just less than three months!! I hope my delivery can go as smooth as hers!
ReplyDeleteALAINA! (You doing this for me has made me spend more time on facebook and blogs in the past week than I have in my whole life. LOL) Because your pictures are INCREDIBLE! This post is amazing. I will be forever grateful for you and the time you spent to put this all together, I want to print this out and put it in a book. You had me bawling all over again. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Words will never be enough.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post! Thanks ever so much for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteman, you made me really baby hungry for like... 5 minutes. haha
ReplyDeletesuch a beautiful post. I hope you will have a similar experience with your next little one! :)
Thanks, Alycia dear! By the way, I can't find your blog anymore, and since you deleted your fb I have no way to get ahold of you! I'd love to know what you're up to!
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