New Jersey Birth Photography – VBAC Waterbirth

I got the text at 2:07 am.  Stella’s water had broken.  I wasn’t nervous or stressed about photographing my first birth.  I was only completely excited.  Stella’s husband, Bernie, kept me updated and let me know at 10:19 am that they were heading to the hospital.  I told him I would wait until they got there and Stella was checked, but then I couldn’t wait.  I was soon on my way, thinking about making the same drive 11 months before to give birth to Jasper.

When I arrived at the hospital, Stella was at 4 centimeters and I expected I would stay for a bit and then walk around the hospital, hang in the waiting room for a while as her labor progressed.  I couldn’t leave, though.  It was too intense, and even though I was mostly just sitting there watching Stella do all of the work, I was a part of her team.  I could feel what she was going through.

Stella’s midwife knew exactly what Stella needed and was there the whole time to suggest the right positions to help the baby move down, be the soft and strong voice of reassurance, and hold Stella’s hands during contractions.  I was so struck by the importance of having an experienced and supportive person, and specifically a woman, present at a birth.  Stella, who was completely lovely and amazingly composed the entire time, commented that she needed her midwife to be next to her during each contraction because it reassured her that it was almost over.

During the birth of Stella and Bernie’s first baby, Stella had an epidural and dilated to 10 centimeters, but the baby didn’t move down enough and was delivered by C-Section.  As the contractions intensified this time around, Stella started to doubt her strength and talk about an epidural.  I had a feeling we were getting close and she wasn’t going to need it.  One of my favorite moments during her labor was when Stella mentioned that she was not very strong.  To everyone else in the room, that statement was comical because it was so obviously wrong.  I’m not sure there’s anything stronger than a woman giving birth.

I wanted to ask the midwife, “How long and far apart are the contractions now and how much longer does she have?”  But I stayed quiet and tried to read the midwife’s face and Stella’s reactions to the contractions, which told me she was moving along very nicely.  We all cheered when the midwife checked and Stella was at 9 centimeters.  They filled the tub and she got in, and her body gave her a little bit of a break before it was time to push.  Stella let her body tell her what to do and I was able to watch baby Talia enter the world and the arms of her mama.  It was AMAZING!

Every time I see this picture, or I picture Stella’s face in my mind, tears some to my eyes.  I felt such a connection with her, and the pride and joy and love and sense of accomplishment that I see in her face were so beautiful.

Stella – Thank you for sharing this amazing, life changing experience with me!  I feel so lucky to be a mother and a photographer and a woman!

Baby Talia knew exactly what she needed to do, and she nursed, and nursed, and nursed.

Congratulations to Talia’s mom, dad, and big brother.  Welcome to the beautiful world, sweet baby girl!

If you are in Northern New Jersey and are interested in having your birth story captured through photography, please contact me at maegandougherty@gmail.com or on Facebook.  I am very excited to have two home births coming up, and I look forward to booking additional births beginning in June, once my own baby, who is becoming a toddler way too fast, is ready for me to be away from him for longer stretches.

(The birth of baby Talia took place at Morristown Medical Center and was attended by Cindy of Hackettstown Midwives.)