{birth story}

Even though birth, in general, is predictable, it's very unpredictable on an individual level. As a birth photographer I never know how long I will be when I head to a labouring mama. On average, I'm gone 14 hours. Sometimes 6, and sometimes 26! When I arrived at the birth of Sage it was 10pm. These two were calm yet eager yet patiently going through the motions as baby was slowly making her way down. Things were moving along nicely. This totally supported Mama laboured at home for a while before we made the move to the hospital. She wanted to make the transition before she got further along because as many mama's know, the car ride isn't so pleasant when you're in labour. It's very normal for things to slow down or even stall after a transfer, but she was deep in labour that things really didn't slow down too much. Things were going so well and she was embracing every contraction as they came. She was doing everything in her power to help baby down. But after the sun came up, exhaustion hit. Things slowed down. Rest is very helpful and can become quite vital at this point, and sometimes that's when epidural is recommended. After she was connected, she napped. Her partner napped. I napped. The midwives napped. We met back in the room a few hours later and found there wasn't much progress. But this mama was determined. She wasn't done. Her baby wasn't done. Her partner was the best supporter. So they sailed on. She laboured through a whole other day. Sometimes, you can do everything in your power and things just won't progress. Baby just gets stuck. And when heart rates start dropping, baby needs to come. So they made the very emotional decision to have a c-section before it turned in to an emergency. Their midwives stayed by their side and helped them with a gentle c-section so when Sage was born she was passed to her mama from under the surgical curtain! It was unbelievably emotional. My words don't really do this birth story justice. It was definitely a birth I will never forget. And I am so grateful to be sharing their story with you today. Just look at these images below and of course watch the birth documentary at the bottom of this post. You'll probably cry.

emotional storytelling black and white photography

emotional birth documentary midsives support c-section

breastfeeding black and white birth story

*** now press play to watch this beautiful powerful birth story ***

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When I go to Winnipeg I always try to make room for 2 or 3 sessions while I am there. This summer I will be booking Winnipeg sessions from July 2nd until July 11th. When I was in Winnipeg this past August I photographed 8 month old Emilia and her family, which was pretty sentimental! We went to the same location we shot engagement photos 5 years prior. We had stormy weather and a sleeping baby just moments before we started. But then Emilia awoke and the clouds opened up to give us one epic sunset! This little one hammed it right up the moment we put her on the grass. She absolutely rocked this session! I love that we went to the exact same spots and included the same map too. Total perfection.

At the bottom of this post you'll see some of the photos from the 2012 engagement session. It's a little hard for me to look at my work from so long ago, but it's pretty cool to see how I have grown as an artist. Makes me wonder where I will be 5 years from now?!