Clarkson-Park, a Birth Story | Lifestyle Birth & Newborn Session | Trail Regional Hospital
When Stefanie asked me to attend the birth of her and Emma’s first baby, I was nervous - I had never captured a birth before. Even though I have two children of my own, you never really fully understand the other side of it until you are on the other side. It wasn't until I was driving to the hospital to be there for the preparation of Stef’s scheduled c-section that the gravity of what I was documenting really hit me. I was instantly flooded with emotion. Emotion of the intense love I felt for my own children, emotion of the joy and excitement these first-time parents were going to instantly feel the moment they heard the first cries from their newborn baby, emotion of knowing that I needed to do this session justice because you will never get your first back. I held back the tears that wanted to escape my eyes and ran, I literally ran, into the hospital because I was afraid I was going to be late. I wasn’t late, in-fact, if anything I was early. Stef and Emma were just hanging out in their hospital room, enjoying the company of one another and giving each other cheeky little grins with anticipation building as they patiently waited to meet their baby.
Stef was then dressed and prepped and shortly after that we all made our way to the surgery floor to meet baby Clarkson-Park. Emma helped wheel Stef’s bed, the entire time giving her loving looks of reassurance that all would be alright. Emma held her hand and rubbed her feet…these two are relationship goals! We entered the O.R. room and I was directed to a corner where I would wait for that perfect shot of baby being held up by the lead surgeon. Having had a c-section for my first birth, it was so interesting to be on the other side of the curtain. Thankfully, I am not squeamish, (I will in part, thank Grey’s Anatomy, one of my favourite shows). I actually found the entire process fascinating, I won’t go into specifics but it was pretty darn cool and I am thankful that I was able to witness what a c-section is from behind the curtain. Baby emerged and cried and it was nothing short of a miracle. Emma looked at Stef and chuckled a little and said, “It’s a girl!”Stef was in utter disbelief - up until that very moment she had been 100% certain that the life growing inside her was a boy. She had boy clothes and boy names all picked out and ready to go with nothing for a girl –nothing!
Once baby girl was born, she was taken to get cleaned up and her vitals checked. She ended up needing some further assistance and while she was wheeled away to be tended to Stef was placed into recovery and started scouring baby name websites for the perfect name. I stayed with Stef in recovery, periodically checking on their baby girl to give whatever update I could. Finally, after much anticipation, baby was reconnected with her mamas and placed on Stef for skin to skin contact.
I made plans to return to the hospital in the next day or two to capture a Fresh 48, or in this case a Fresh 72. The day I came back was the first day baby girl (who was still nameless) had been unhooked and fully with her mamas. She was bright eyed and curious and cute as hell with an amazing head of soft brown hair. I couldn’t believe that Stef was up out of bed and going about her business like she hadn't just had major surgery. It was such a joy to capture the instant love Stef and Emma had for their beautiful baby girl, Aria.
Thank you both for having me be a part of your incredible birth story.
(In this post, out of respect to the surgeons on staff that day, I will not be posting the image of them holding the baby up for the first time, as they have requested their faces not be shown).
Less than 72 hours later…
