I had a hard time falling asleep Wednesday evening. I felt like it was empathy for Lauren, because I knew she was having another night of contractions. Around 1:45 A.M. I finally dozed off, and what felt like moments later, I heard my phone ringing. A slam onto the "ignore" button in a state of confusion led to a blurry gaze at the clock. "Who the... well, you know... is calling me right now?!" Then suddenly, it clicked. It was 4:17. The phone rang again, and Lauren's name popped up. Cody started to sit up in a state of panic, so I ignored again (So sorry, Lauren) and stumbled into our living room. "I'm up! Call me when you're ready!" I replied through sleepy eyes. A list of texts and Voxers from Lauren were in my notifications. If she hadn't called, I would have missed the whole thing. God bless those little nudges. I threw the kids lunches together, laid clothes for the day, grabbed my camera and flew out the door. The drive was eerie. Our city was sleeping and my car headlights looked like those beams that they use to beckon people to the fair. I hung out in the waiting room for a bit, respecting their privacy and overall unreadiness for glamour shots at 5 A.M. Around 5:30, Jordan came and got me. Lauren was in the heat of contractions and waiting for a (low dose, shouldn't even count as a thing) epidural to kick in. I was able to capture some of the more intense contractions, and smiled to myself at how laid back they both were. This is their fourth baby, and it was so cool to see them so relaxed and aware of the process. Lauren would say things like "No, this doesn't feel like transition yet" and "I'm starting to feel a lot of pressure. I hope the doctor gets here quick." Jordan was so good to know when Lauren needed to hold his hand, and when she needed to just hunker down and use the bed rails as support. Time passed quickly and slowly simultaneously. A quick glance out the window at 7:45 showed a beautiful sunrise and the signs of our city coming to life. Just a few minutes later, Lauren said "Okay, It's time." and maybe 5 seconds later, Dr. Doke walked in. "First" by Lauren Daigle began to play on the speaker Lauren brought to the hospital with her. Two pushes later, an angry little boy was born, showing us the incredible capabilities of his lungs. The song didn't even play all the way through. It was the most amazing thing I've been alive to witness. My kids were C-Section babies, so I was pretty stoned. I don't remember much of it. To see a life enter this world.... to watch what our bodies are capable of. To see strength that we don't know we have come to life. It was breath taking. To capture it all was such an incredible experience. Thank you Lauren and Jordan for trusting me with this amazing opportunity.
If you can finish reading this through your tears, I would just like to state the most obvious thing in the world and say that I absolutely loved this experience. I would be more than honored to capture your birth. I feel like Lauren can vouch that I kept my time post-birth to a minimum, and stayed out of the way. I stayed by her head for her labor and delivery, and I didn't take any pictures of her that would traumatize either of us. If you are interested in a birth photographer, or know someone that might be, please message me. It's an experience that I would love to re-live again and again. I feel like I've finally found my niche. Seriously. It was the coolest thing in the world. Otherwise, I'll just wait for Lauren's next baby. ;)
Congratulations, Jones family. Palmer is everything that dreams are made of...
...When he's not screaming.
OH, and check out THIS hysterical video of Jordan and Lauren WHILE she was in labor. And try to remember what you were doing during contractions. I don't know about you, but it sure as heck wasn't high kicks.
