the birth

As I mentioned on my facebook page, a month or so ago I was asked whether I was interested in doing birth photography for a new friend.  To be honest, the thought hadn't occurred to me before then, but as soon as she mentioned it, I was obsessed with the idea. Being her third child, and a home birth close to where I live, I was certain we could make it work. And I'm so so glad we did!  She called me at 5am to very calmly tell me she was 9cm dilated. 15 minutes later I arrived at her door and heard a baby crying. I missed that moment, but caught plenty more after that. 

I felt so privileged to be there to capture the exhaustion, the excitement, the love, the curiosity and the relief of the morning.  And with zero natural light, I had to rely on whatever ambient light was available - which wasn't much - hence the grainy quality to the photos. I think it just lends to the drama of the occasion.  Thank you so much for letting me be part of this.  Due to the personal nature of the images, only a small selection have been chosen to be put on the internet.  A brand new baby.

What a glorious morning to be born.

Meryl

The weather wasn't playing nice for our maternity session, so rather than postpone, I decided to go ahead anyway. Dark rainy day photos inside with this wee family turned out perfect. And little miss 19 month old pulled out all the poses I asked her for! I so can't wait for her little brother to be born in a few weeks!

 

Oh and their PUPPY!!!! She is SO cute :)

My growing belly - 23 weeks

Sleep? Crazy vivid dreams the last few nights and lots of waking because of Alia means I've been super sleepy the last few days! I have added a second pillow for neck support, and have been thinking lately that I might add a belly pillow one day soon... maybe.

Food? Much healthier this week in terms of fatty foods and takeaways, but have eaten LOTS of baking and sweet stuff... didn't help going to a 4 year olds birthday in the weekend!

Movement? Lots and lots of movement lately. The kicks are big enough for the husband to feel them now if he is patient.

Weird Stuff? Other than the crazy dreams I don't think there's much weird stuff. Maybe the itchiness is weird. I have an itchy belly. No rash or anything, just itchiness. 

Looking forward to? When Alia decides she wants to stay in her bed in the early hours of the morning. She used to just hang out in her cot, and chat away if she woke up early... but now it's straight in to see us! 

Names? Still haven't thought much about a middle name. 

When we got to the beach for our weekend visit this weekend, it looked like this out the window.

But we waited a while and had a wee walk along the very edge when the rain stopped. The tide was really really high at Red Beach and there was hardly any walking space.  Thanks husband for the photos!

My growing belly - 22 weeks

Sleep? Alia hasn't helped sleep the last few nights.. she is out of her cot now so can just wander into our room whenever she pleases.. and does. Also, any disturbance and I wake up desperate to pee. So annoying.

Food? I think I've eaten less bad food this week. I still think about it lots though.

Movement? Still lots going on. It was really cute last night when I was cuddling Alia and she was singing little bits of rhymes she knows right next to my belly and the baby started kicking! She didn't notice though but I think he liked it.

Weird Stuff? I've been having braxton hicks contractions right from early on, but since I got the same with Alia, I believe it's fine. My belly button was still way in at this point when I was pregnant with Alia... no sign of it about to stick out at all. But this time, it's already pretty much out! So silly looking.

Looking forward to? Everything really, I'm been in such a good mood (mostly) lately, and have so much to look forward to. I especially get excited about all the babies and future mummies I get to photograph in the weekends!

Names? Still working on that middle name. Or not working on it actually. Haven't put much thought in yet at all to be honest.

Thanks lovely husband for the belly photo, and beautiful Orewa beach once again after the Sunday market.