this has been one of the most remarkable things i have experienced as a photographer, i was so honored to be invited to this special event! celeste decided to go AU NATURAL and did so much preparation in order to be ready for it. her first baby was born with a epidural etc. and she just felt like they were all a little loopy and disconnected. so this time around she was determined to have a natural, spiritual, and emotionally connected birth experience and attended a local HYPNOBIRTHING class. both she and matt did so much research and preparation to be sure that this was achieved. i remember a few weeks prior to her due date, celeste was relaying some of her excitement about having a natural birth. she told me she could not wait to experience it all and that she knew that the birth would be hard, but that it would be the closest and most connected she would ever feel to God, her husband, and her new baby. she wanted and expected a beautiful, loving, spiritual birth, and i think that's exactly what she got. i think the fact that they also went through a year and a half of trying to conceive and two miscarriages to get this little man here made it that much more amazing. celeste told me that despite all of the waiting and the pain, she knew this little guy was meant to come at the time he did.
celeste's water broke at 1pm on wednesday, so I thought for sure she would deliver before midnight! but the going was slow and at 11:30 she was still at a 6. i waited a while and finally whent to bed when i was informed that she wasn't really progressing. at 3 am i got the call that things were turning around and she was at a 7! i hopped in the car and when i arrived at mckaydee hospital, the lights were low, soft music was playing, celeste was SO calm and in control and matt was right there helping her physically and mentally the entire time. i was SO impressed by the teamwork that went into this birth- celeste was absolutely AMAZING, but matt was an incredible birth coach!!
{i am so proud to share my first ever birth story- i hope you enjoy it! please be forewarned that although we aren't showing any - you know, PARTS - this is birth photography after all so if you're bothered by that, maybe skip this post. though if you do, i think you're crazy!}
it was slow going for a couple of hours, but finally around 5 she transitioned and it went FAST from there! i couldn't believe how calm she remained through the hard labor.
-the pushing starts-
HERE. HE. COMES!! celeste had requested to lift the baby onto her chest herself and have an extended amount of skin to skin time before cutting the cord and cleaning up. the rest truly speaks for itself...
in case you were wondering, 9 POUNDS 8 OUNCES, 22 and 1/2 inches.
NO PAIN KILLERS.
at this point we moved to the postpartum rooms and got a little rest before grandma and grandpa brought big sister sawyer to visit...
baby abram...
thank you again matt and celeste for allowing me to be a part of this incredible experience, i could not be more honored to witness the birth of this perfect baby boy! love you all.
45 comments:
Beautiful Jess! Love this birth story! :)
Wow. These images are incredible, Jessica. You truly have a gift for capturing once-in-a-lifetime moments.
Simply beautiful.
this is the most beautiful thing ever..... :) Jessica.. you truly captured moments that will aways be cherished forever... Thank you for sharing your beautiful gift.
Truly stunning, amazing images! I wish I had these from my kiddos births. Priceless.
so so so pretty!
i bet they are so happy to have these!! awesome job :)
wow, make me bawl why don't you?!!!
beautiful story,and beautiful images, some of the best birth photography i have seen. congrats to the parents, celeste is absolutely gorgeous as well~ all the best with their new baby
Wow these pictures made me tear up. Such a beautiful thing to capture. Seriously. These will be treasured forever. Also I know how crazy the lighting can be for these sorts of things, and Jessica, you did an incredible job! Seriously that is the neatest thing ever. Huge congratulations to this family and their new addition.
amazing job. these pictures are beautiful. i too just gave birth to a baby at 9 pounds 8 ounces. i can't imagine doing it without pain meds. that is amazing.
WOW!! Jessica these are amazing! you did such a great job on these!! Seriously breathtaking. I can't wait to have my baby in 6 more weeks....can't wait!!
These images are so beautiful! I love how you captured their story...what a gift.
matt and celeste will love these! what a moment to capture. baby abram is darling!
congrats you two!
These are incredible Jess, so detailed. They show so much emotion. She will be able to re-live these beautiful moments over and over again!!
Tearing right now and I don't even know them . . . beautiful, Jessica . . . just beautiful!
I needed a good melt down this afternoon!!Amazing Amazing!
Okay is it bad that I am sitting here sobbing? Beautiful, I love it!!!! Christine told me you did these, and they are great :)
These are so precious and amazing!!! I wish I had someone photographing my daughter's birth experience. It's such a sacred and emotional time, and you've captured it so beautifully. Great job!
Wow, these pictures are amazing! It makes me remember why I LOVED giving birth to my 2 boys, what an amazing story, and how absolutely fantastic that you were there to capture that rare and beautiful moment. Well Done!
beautiful, jess. so lovely.
So beautiful Jessica. What an amazing story. AND you got the d700!!! Don't you just love it?
Wow! Amazing Mama. Beautiful documenation of the birth. A treasure!
these are incredible jessica- you are just amazing!
You captured this BEAUTIFULLY!!! They just melt my heart!! Great job Jessica! I think every mother should have the birth of their child photographed. Otherwise you can forget those oh so precious moments that you were able to capture so well. Great job!
Amazing Jess! These photos are beautiful and simply breath-taking!
These are incredible! Amazing work :)
my favorite post ever... and some of my favorite pics. brought tears to my eyes! thanks for sharing...
I think these are the BEST birth photos I've ever seen. And please tell Celeste that she is amazingly beautiful at a time when most women feel the opposite. Congrats to them and to you on capturing your first birth. They are so lucky to have these amazing photos.
These photos are absolutely breathtaking. Absolutely gorgeous. You captured the first few moments of this darling baby boy perfect!
Jess this is beautiful. What an amazing capture of love and new life. How awesome to know that your amazing talent created the most perfect memories of a wonderful day for that family. You are amazing!!
absolutely amazing and beautiful! I hope to get the opportunity to do this one day. and I can only hope that my images turn out half as good as these. These are truly touching.
Wow...First time posting, but I've been following your site for a little bit. This was truly an amazing set oh photos. Very inspiring. You do amazing work.
Thanks for the inspiration! :)
These are so beautiful! What an amazing experience! every image is so meaningful and precious.
Omigosh, what stunning images! Taken together, they tell such a beautiful story.
You are so very talented! In fact, I want to be you when I grow up. lol :)
these are by far the most incredibly beautiful amazing touching birth images i have ever seen. and i have seen a lot.
also how on earth can a mother be so gorgeous while going through that?
oh my goodness....jess! this is your best work EVER!!! it is perfect.....i really have no other words:)
Oh wow.
These are incredible (not that I'm at all surprised - you are so insanely talented.)
Celeste is hands down the most beautiful mama I have ever seen. Unreal.
This post made me GIDDY for things to come!
Beautifully done.
Have always been a follower of your work but these are just beautiful. I love the moment and the feeling you captured. Exceptional work!
how beautiful! amazing picts~
wow just beautiful! i cried!
I kinda stumbled upon your blog (I'm good friend with a friend of yours...Allegra George) anyway, these images were so emotional. I did hypnobirthing/natural childbirth with both of my babies - one 21 months ago and one 3 months ago. It is so beautiful. You captured it perfectly. Way to go to the parents, and way to go, photographer! It's intense and the Momma was right - you can't get any closer to God, the baby, or your husband, than that moment of the gift of birth as God intended (for most - for others, thank goodness for life-saving interventions!)
Thanks for sharing!
FA-BU-LOUS!!!!!! Seriously this is why we do what we do. Thanks for making me tear up the library:) Pretty sure people are staring. It was totally worth it. Thank you for sharing
I wish I would have thought to do that with my natural birth. What a sacred experience, and you captured it SO well. They are beautiful shots!
WOW what a BEAUTIFUL & personal moment caught on film...amazing.
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Hard to see these and not cry - and I don't even know them! Child birth is such a miracle! Thanks for sharing - I'm sure the family will be forever greatful for such a beautiful portrayal of this moment. good job!
i seriously have looked at these a million times. i'm so excited to have you there for mine. so keep the end of june open PALLLEEEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE!!!!!
my mom is looking at these with me and she says get your promise in blood ha ha.
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