When Kaela first contacted me about wanting a birth photographer, she was still somewhat on the fence about the whole birth photography thing. When we realized I couldn't guarantee my time to her due to scheduling conflicts, she said "if it is meant to be, it'll just work out." From there, we pretty much played it by ear. She informed me that she was having a natural homebirth, so when her due date came and went, along with the schedule conflicts, I became very excited!
Kaela texted me on the morning of August 19, but not knowing much about natural births, I had no idea I was in for over 20 hours on duty! When I arrived, contractions had somewhat stalled and Michael was in the middle of bbq'ing up some dinner....in his own backyard....with a beer (my husband still asks why we didn't go the homebirth route so that he could do that, too!)
Lisa, Kaela's mother, was in town from California to help out with back-rubs and hand holding, and that's pretty much how it went for the next day! Night came and went, and at some point in the night, Sandra and Stephanie (midwives from The Natural Birthing Center in Salado) arrived, followed shortly by the doula, Elle.
After lots of labor, NO drugs, and 42 total hours later, Molly (named after her great-grand-mother) made her way into this world. The first surprise was her sex, as Michael and Kaela had kept it a mystery. Michael's face when he first looked at his daughter making her way out was PRICELESS. The second surprise was Molly's size! She weighed in at 10 pounds even, and 21 inches long!! I've never cried at a birth (and keep in mind I have two sons) but this time there was no stopping it. My first home birth was something I will NEVER forget, and I'm so thankful to Kaela and Michael for letting me be there with them! Congratulations to you guys!!!!