Baby Zyan’s Birth Story – or – “How I Spent My Christmas Vacation”
It’s been an eternity since I have blogged but I wanted to jump back in now that I’m free with one of my happiest moments as a photographer thus far. This Denver Health birth photography session was memorable for so many reasons. The two big ones being that this was my first time documenting the actual moment of birth (c-sections man…) and that Zyan decided to make an appearance on Christmas Day! As a birth story photographer, it’s par for the course to know that babies are unpredictable. But I jokingly predicted this one right in the week prior! While mom was worried that his timing might be difficult, I think her son being born on a major holiday allowed for a very special birth experience that might not have been possible otherwise.
I met Dreya in the Denver Mom’s Facebook Group. Being newer to the area and having a partner who traveled for work, she was worried about not having a support person in the delivery room. Even if Warren was able to be there, he would be watching their young daughter instead. That sounded really lonely to me so I put my creeper hat on and offered a complete stranger a deal. I would document her birth for my portfolio and in exchange she would have both someone who was fully dedicated to keeping her company and pictures of the birth for dad. She took a big leap of faith in agreeing to spend her most vulnerable time with me. It’s an honor of the highest order to be present for the miracle of birth as a professional. It’s an even greater thing for someone to allow you as a support person. I feel so incredibly lucky to have been welcomed by Dreya, her family, and the staff at Denver Health even when I was no longer needed in that capacity.
You see in the end all the stars aligned for this family. Warren was not only there due to the holiday, he was allowed to be fully present during the birth. Their daughter happened to fall asleep…shortly before it was time to push. That was some kind of crazy holiday juju! Dreya delivered a healthy baby boy with Warren by her side (and me by her head as requested) before shift change Christmas evening. The birth team who had helped her since she arrived that morning got to see the product of their care manifest before they went home to their families. What a gift for everyone! Zyan, a beautiful little boy with full cheeks and a sweet demeanor, had arrived. He was met by a group of caring people whom it seemed to me could not be happier to spend their holiday in that priceless moment. Smiles all around! (And tears from me because it was seriously the most amazing experience.)
Around noon on Christmas Eve, Dreya let me know that she was having contractions. By bedtime there hadn’t been enough progression to go in. By all accounts, nobody got any sleep that night. I know from my side it was like being a kid on…well…Christmas! Then first thing in the morning I got word that they had gone in to Denver Health. I slipped out of the house before the kids were awake and headed excitedly to meet everyone there.
I was not allowed to photograph the epidural, but that’s not what I was after anyway. The thing that struck me was the nurse (Susan) and family during the process. Epidurals are a little scary and you can see what a (literally) hands-on approach she had to comforting her patient.
When I arrived that morning, Dreya was at 6cm and pretty rapidly progressed another 2-3. Then labor plateaued and they were even able to get some much needed rest to prepare for the task ahead.
Their daughter, Tigerlily, is clearly a big fan of mom and was struggling a bit. I love how these pictures show that being a mom seems to supersede everything. Between contractions they were playing dinosaurs, cuddling, nursing, and having a video chat with family back home. She would have a contraction and then comfort her kiddo without skipping a beat.
I spent a little time in the waiting room having a coffee to give the family a reprieve from documentation. I was surprised to hear from one of the nurses that pushing had began so I ran back to the room to find that it had indeed. A little kick of Pitocin had done the trick and it was go time on baby! Dreya labored strongly and productively. Warren was visibly in awe the whole time. The labor team consisted of two smart and supportive women who took time between encouraging mom through the pushing to also encourage each other in their work. The mutual support and trust of the women in that room was heartwarming.
Tiger woke up to meet her new brother after naptime. I always laugh because the first pictures of sibling interaction invariably contain a shot of the older one looking irritated. I’m inclined to think it’s because she woke up from a nap though because she was definitely happy! Every time she touched him, she would draw her hands back and clap. And when the time came to sit on the bed with mom, she repeatedly forced Daddy’s hand to pet the baby’s head. It was adorable!
After documenting their first moments as a family, I was out the door to let them enjoy the peace. I returned the next day to do some Fresh 48 shots of Zyan’s first bath and all of his little details in better light. He is a wonderfully alert and sweet little guy. Welcome to the world dude!
Birth stories are my absolute favorite thing to photograph. I would love to be part of your life-changing day.
Find out more about birth story photography from my blog post “Why Birth Photography?”
Excited to book your birth story session? Contact me for details.
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