From the first day I met Irie’s parents at our birth meeting at Starbucks. I just fell head over heals birth photographer and friend in love with them, haha! It’s true, they are so down to earth, go with the flow, sweet and loving couple. I knew this little miss was coming into so much love that it was about to burst!
Two weeks before Irie’s birth I was chatting with her soon to be parents and midwifes at their prenatal. Divinity said her mom was coming in a few days, so she could be here for the birth. She started to mention their plans to just hang out, relax and do some last minute errands before Irie would arrive, one being go through the car wash together. We all laughed and thought it was just one of the best things to check off their list.
May 31, 2018 // Birth day arrived, 1 week past due date and well….I will let Irie’s Mama tell her story and let the birth film along with the photos show those moments that I captured.
From Irie’s Mama (Divinity):
After receiving multiple “is the baby here yet?” texts, the day had finally arrived! My water had broke around 4:30 am and I wasn’t sure if it was truly my water or just me going crazy from wanting to meet me baby girl so badly (First time mom). I was 41 weeks and eager to meet the little love of my life. After waiting 30 mins I finally decided to wake up my husband and tell him the news. He then told my mom and from that moment on, in the dim morning light, you could feel the excitement in our home.
Mid-afternoon had rolled around and my lovely midwives arrived. Contractions were starting to increase in frequency and duration. As they progressively got stronger the fun lighthearted tone of the house shifted to managing my pain. My husband was filling the pool and checking the water to make sure it was at the correct birthing temperature. My mom was back and forth from upstairs watching our three fur babies and making sure everyone was okay. As the pain increased, I started to shift into a daze. My husband, mom, and midwife Jessie were taking shifts holding my hand and giving my back rubs that felt like they were preforming some type of beautiful sorcery on me. As I became more dilated and closer to pushing, my midwives suggested getting in the water. It was time!
The pool and I were equally ready to meet one another. As I stepped in the water with the assistance from everyone in the house, the warm water felt astonishing. I remember being at peace and ready to be holding my baby girl. My time in the pool was kind of a blur. I just remember tuning into some songs my husband had been playing and thinking about my dogs in-between contractions. Then, I got the okay to push from my midwives!
After some long pushes, intense screams, and hand squeezes our baby was here! My husband and Midwife Kluane caught my daughter and placed her on my chest immediately. In that moment nothing else mattered. I was at peace and this little bundle of life had suddenly changed my entire world. My husband, daughter, and I sat in the pool singing songs and embracing our new life.
Reflecting back on those moments, it was truly a feeling of serenity. I had a wonderful team of support and love. I put my complete faith and trust in myself, mom, husband, and midwives. The pain was severe but temporary. The organic love that grew from that pain will last a lifetime.
