A few months ago, I went out on a limb and asked my dear friend, Steph, if she would allow me to photograph the birth of their second child. At this point I'd only documented one birth (my handsome nephew, Liam). I'd fully intended her answer to be a hard no or at the very least she'd need time to think it over - after all, giving birth is an incredibly intimate and vulnerable experience. Much to my surprise and to my elation, she immediately responded 'yes'. Of course, she still had to work out the details, and get permission from her doctor who was to perform an elective cesarean due to complications from her son's birth.
I remember getting the text message from her in our mom group chat; her doctor didn't only agree to allow me in to the operating room, she was excited to have me! The days leading up to her due date were so exciting! Almost like I was having another babe, only without all the aches and pains and sleepless nights.
She made it to her cesarean date without going in to labor, and this made for a conveniently planned trip to the hospital for everyone. When I got there they were prepping the OR and Steph for surgery and I shot a few details of the room and captured some of the anxious moments. We placed our final bets on whether baby Dougherty was a girl or a boy. Dad won that bet. I think mom's certainty that she was carrying another boy - due to the similarities from her first pregnancy - made Posie's birth extra special.
After we put our scrubs on, they invited us to wait outside the OR while Steph went in and got her epidural. Having gone through two cesareans myself at this point, I was shocked by the nerves and anxiety while waiting on the outside of that OR. I can sympathize with my husband a bit more now. As the soon-to-be mama in that situation, you're wheeled in to that cold, bright room and you're in a whole new state of mind. At least for me, it was incredibly surreal and I left the nerves at the door on my way in. You enter a new zone, one of strength and determination, and the only thing on your mind is the health of that baby that's about to enter this world. Basically, you enter the mom zone. That baby is all that matters.
Moments later, after we watched the doctors wash up and scrub in, someone came out and told us we could come in now. We took our respective seats, and Ryan took Steph's hand in support and reassurance. The doctors did their magic and in minutes Ryan and I witnessed a miracle, as their baby entered this world. They held her up and he announced that she was a girl and the joy and tears overflowed. Then the doctor held Posie over the sheet so Steph could see her healthy baby girl, and she was instantly overcome with emotions. It was perfect and beautiful and I am so thankful to have been apart of Posie's birth day.
While I'm so, so grateful to have been able to witness and document Posie's birth, I'm also forever grateful for the opportunity because something else happened that day. I was certain before this day that I wanted to make beautiful, interesting photographs as my life's work. Documenting this experience not only solidified that plan, but sparked a deep and natural passion that I didn't know existed. My husband's grandfather, who lived a long and full 97 years, used to say every time we saw him, "you've got to love what you do, that's what matters." Fortunately for me, between being a wife, mother to my baby girls and making beautiful, powerful images for others - I have heeded his advice.
