Wow Wow Wow

I just witnessed my first birth, and it was absolutely amazing. Brenda gave birth to gorgeous twins Jaden and Isaac. She showed such stamina and patience and extreme strength, it was very awe-inspiring. In addition to me, Brenda and her partner invited their doula and two close friends to be present. Over the course of the 2+ days that we spent together, we developed a synergy, a very special chemistry of support and friendship and mutual wonder and excitement for what we were witnessing and participating in. When the babies were born and it was time to go home I had a sort of withdrawal, and found that I missed the babies, their parents, and their extended "birth family" very much. At the same time, I missed my own two babies very much while I was gone, especially little Will who had never been separated from his mommy for such a long stretch of time.

As soon as I have edited the photos I will share a select few here, with Brenda and Eve's permission. Photographing the labor and birth was an amazing experience - there is no other way to put it. I was flattered and honored that they were comfortable sharing the experience with me, their willingness to share allowed me to capture some very vulnerable and emotional moments. I will be reflecting on this experience for a long time.

Here's a picture of Jaden and Isaac:



During Brenda's long labor, I also had my dear friend Cassandra in my thoughts - she was due on the day that Brenda went into labor... and last night Cassandra's little baby boy was also finally born! Here's a picture of Cassie's little boy, Kai Alexander:



Kai and his proud new parents live in Washington DC, and hopefully we'll be able to visit them in the next month or so to take pictures.