Welcoming Monroe | Birth Photography: Witnessing a Water Birth

“Whether you're a mom of one or a mom of ten, you choose baby formula or you breastfeed, you stay at home, you go to work, you feed your kid a vegan diet, you give them popcorn and popsicles, we are all apart of the same club. Motherhood. We all understand. We feel the lack of sleep and the loss of memory together. We feel the overwhelming happiness, love, and the exciting firsts. We all chose to bring a baby into our world and forever change what our days look like. The joys, the stresses, the coffee, the wine, the tears, the thousands of diapers and piles of laundry. We willingly gave up an enormous piece of ourselves, our freedom, in exchange for selflessly caring for someone else. That makes us all united.

We are all one in the same, experiencing so many of the same hurdles and indescribable moments of happiness. We are a sisterhood, a lifelong sorority. We share unspoken understanding and empathy. I feel it all the time. Instant acceptance, an instant friend. No matter what our differences are, we are still connected in a huge way. An understanding smile as we pass each other in a restaurant with temperamental children. This sisterhood is forever. This is Le motherhood.”

- Heather Grimm, Le Motherhood Blog

Heather is one of my most favorite people. We met a couple of years ago through several mutual connections, and since that moment, I’ve felt like I’ve known her my entire life. Yes, I realize this sounds a little insane fangirl, but Y’ALL, I can’t help but gush over women who are positive and uplifting role models. She’s a wildly artistic, beautifully articulated mama who keeps it real, humble, and practical with her poised execution of this adventurous rollercoaster that is womanhood. From recipes to educational tools, creative ideas for family activities and home decor, to just simply blending the messy and the beautiful of everyday life, Heather is a mover and shaker when it comes to inspiration and connection in motherhood.

Heather asked me to document her birth and I had no clue just how much it would move me to my core. Let me clarify. With every single birth I’ve witnessed it feels as though I gain a little more appreciation for the beautiful and powerful gift it is to be a woman. WE MAKE HUMANS, and seeing that played out in real life along with some of the most organic emotion found in this human experience, is well, pretty stinking breathtaking.

Upon receiving a text from Heather early that Monday morning letting me know that labor might be in the coming hours, I got myself ready in case the “it’s time” text came soon. A few hours later, I arrived at Heather and Matt’s home to find her greeting me on all fours in the floor of the foyer, mid-contraction. In that instant, I knew I was about to witness something like I’d never seen before. That is exactly what happened.

For the next eight hours, my attention became completely engrossed in documenting, in the most authentic way I could, the unfolding of that day. Heather has also chronicled the entire experience, hour by hour, from her perspective on her blog here. If you’re curious about the honest details and happenings of birth and other motherhood topics, you’ll probably find it fascinating and insightful.

Here’s a photojournalistic story of Monroe’s journey into the world…

9:45am: I arrive to Heather and Matt’s home. Her contractions are strong and she’s timing their frequency. She and Matt grab the last few things from the house, kiss Pryor goodbye, and make their way to the car in-between contractions.

10:10am: After a few stops to reposition herself in the car and work through contractions, Heather is in the back seat of their SUV. I see her crouched and working through contractions as I follow them in my car, the whole time eyes glued with curiosity on what she’s experiencing in the car in front of me.

10:45am- We park and head up to the Alternative Birthing Center at Ochsner Baptist. We are ready for the moment of truth: the cervical check. It felt like everyone in the room was holding their breath. Heather is 7cm dialated. She and Matt breathe a sigh of relief as this indicates that they’ve made it past a part of laboring that provided a traumatic experience with her first pregnancy. You can read more details about this in her post.

11:00am- Heather gets in the tub, where she anticipated she’d be most comfortable during the next part of labor. The room is peaceful and jovial as Heather and Matt exchange jokes. Matt feeds her fresh fruit, her doula provides some calming lavender essential oils, and her entire team encourages her with words of praise and affirmation.

11:00-12:00pm- Contractions continue getting stronger and more intense. Matt and her doula, also named Heather, hold her hand through every contraction. Her doula also keeps an ice cold rag with lavender essential oil on her neck and face.

12:28pm: My eyes feel glued open to all that’s happening in front of them as Heather works through the increasing intensity of each contraction. At a point during this time, I could see her transition into a place where her body seemed to take some sort of natural control. Her water breaks. The next few moments fluctuate with rapid moments of intensity. Heather’s midwife tells her that with the next push she’s going to reach down and grab her baby. My eyes are still glued wide open. With the next push Heather catches Monroe in her hands, the vivid intensity of the moment painted on her face better than any words could articulate…

12:30-2:30pm- Heather climbs out of the tub and onto the bed where they wait for the placenta to be birthed, still attached to Monroe. In the words of Heather, “Seeing them connected is such a wild experience! His little lifeline, still attached to him. SO COOL.” Matt then cuts the cord almost 20 minutes after the birth and the placenta is preserved for encapsulation.

Heather and Matt spend the next hours enjoying the pure bliss that is their newly changed life and introduce Pryor to his baby brother, Monroe.

A few weeks later I received a handwritten note from Heather in the mail that further reached in and touched pieces of my soul. In the most delicately written words strewn together, she shared with me what the photographs of that morning meant to her and Matt:

“Our birth photos are more than just documentation. They are highly personal and emotional for us because of how life-changing of an experience that was for our family, of course, but they are also so much more!

We found ourselves discussing, analyzing, deeply appreciating individual photos throughout the gallery. The art you’ve created is similar to that of a painting in a physical gallery. The angles, the framing, what you chose to include in each shot, the mindfulness. The importance of what you didn’t include, perfectly choosing which moments would be better suited for monochromating imagery, the expressions, the details, the genuine human interactions.”

What she wrote gave my heart something that I’ll cherish forever.

Parenthood Firsts: Welcoming Greyson | New Orleans Birth Photographer

"All those cliches, those things you hear about having a baby and motherhood - all of them are true. And all of them are the most beautiful things you will ever experience."

                                                                                                  - Penelope Cruz

Last year after feeling really compelled to document motherhood experiences in a more hands-on, organic way, I announced that I’d be adding birth photojournalism to my service offerings. Having not ever experienced childbirth myself, I was both excited and nervous to embark on this new endeavor. After witnessing quite a few babies come into the world over the past few months, I’ve found the experience to be so enlightening and beautiful. 

Each woman, family, and birth experience is so different from the last and it’s so incredible to watch! Epidurals to inductions to natural births, breastfeeding to bottle feeding, dads who wanna be in the middle of the action to dads who want to quietly support their wives with hand holding and soft kisses -- ALL such raw and breathtaking exhibitions of the strength each and every woman has within them. 

Each by their own unique journey, listening to the needs of their individual mind + body -- it’s nothing short of breathtaking. Every single time. Victoria and Josh are in the throes of their first run at parenthood and documenting the steps of their journey has been such a cool experience. World, meet Greyson James!

It's always so fun to visit my clients for a newborn session in the week following the birth. Seeing them settled and finding their new "normal" always gives me the feels. Recently, I've been inviting my mamas to get as comfortable and natural as they'd like in sessions--less posing, more real life. Wanna nurse? Let's do it! Wanna take a nap with baby? I'm down. A more timeless, photojournalistic approach. All the yes.

The photos above were taken a few days after I had the privilege of watching Victoria bring Greyson into the world. Watching my mama clients in the midst of such a range of raw emotion and physical feeling while giving birth is such a unique experience. I am truly mind blown by women and the things our bodies can do.

Here's a peek into Victoria's birth journey...

Now Offering Birth Photography! | New Orleans Motherhood Photographer

For anyone who keeps up with my posts regularly, you know the strong pull my heart has always had towards capturing the essence and experience of women. I cannot fully explain it, only that I know in the depths of my soul when I photograph a woman who opens up to me or lets me peer a little into her vulnerability, that there is no other place in the Universe I'm supposed to be more in that moment. Whether it's a high school senior, a bride, a boss girl, or an expecting mama, the women and stories that have found themselves in front of my lens over the course of my career have left me impacted in the most unusual and profound ways. For much of my career, I'd never had any stronger pull to any particular type of womanly experience--and while I still very much love photographing ALL types of milestones, I've noticed an ever-growing tug in my gut over the past year or so. During this time, I've noticed a particular and welcomed shift to clients desiring me to document their journey through motherhood. (This is in addition to weddings, of course, which I still very much photograph). Perhaps, and likely, this has to do with my age and place in my own life (no, I'm not quite ready to be a mama just yet), but, this particularly strong pull towards motherhood portraiture and the intensity of emotion captured through the experience is something I know I'm meant to delve into deeper.

After years of inquiries, pleas, and suggestions that I fearfully turned down, I have now decided it's time for me and this camera of mine to extend my services to include birth photography and/or hospital photography. 

Motherhood photography encompasses a wide scope of experiences. Currently, I document many mama moments from maternity, newborn, to growth and regular family lifestyle portraiture sessions and have many clients who purchase my Motherhood Collective which allows comprehensive documentation of these. With this, I'll now be offering the option to add birth photography or the option to hire me exclusively for your birth experience or time in the hospital with new baby.

Many families are interested in documenting their birth experience; however, some instead prefer to have the experience documented during the first few moments of life after the birth. Whether you'd like me to document the pushes, tears, and intense emotion of your birth or the tender moments together within the first 48 hours following, I am available for either form of documentation.

As this is a brand new venture for me, I'm offering introductory pricing to the first 5 bookings for Birth Photography or "Fresh 48" After-Birth Photography. If you are interested in having me document this part of life for you, please contact me at kali@kalinorton.com for more detailed information + pricing.