Seriously. I feel so strongly about this that I am devoting a blog to it. That probably seems a little weird, but what an amazing day and most of us settle for half ass pictures or whatever pictures our family and friends can snap. When I was pregnant with Sawyer I wanted to hire a doula that also did photography. Chris never warmed up to the idea and I will admit while I was disappointed I let it go. Chris and the medical staff were the only ones in the delivery room and while it was exactly what I wanted looking back, I know it was a lot of pressure for Chris. Not only was he experiencing birth for the first time, his first child, being a support person for me and then I hand him a camera and tell him he better not miss out on getting good pictures. Wow, no pressure there. So while he is counting and breathing with me, trying to hold a leg, waiting and watching for a glimpse of his first son he is also wrestling a camera and probably going back and forth between experiencing and being in the moment and trying to get pictures. Fast forward to this pregnancy...I knew there would be a better way. Having become friends with Ciara over the past year or so Chris seemed more ok with the idea. He was sort of like well, it’s your body all out there and if you are ok with it then it’s great. I am not sure if it’s because this was his second go round so he knew what to expect or that there was less pressure on him but he was so much more supportive and much less intense. Perhaps it was a combination of both.
Ciara was amazing! I went into this totally ready and no worries...then as it got closer I will admit I was a little nervous about having a photographer in the room. I mean birth is probably one of, if not the most raw and intimate experiences in our lives. Would I be comfortable in front of her?? What if I yelled and lost control in front of her (which I totally did)??? Would she think I was a super freak?? Then I started to think...she is a professional...this is her job. Not to toss in the fact that she is also a woman and a mom that has delivered 3 babies of her own. When it came down to it I was not only comfortable with her there but I honestly forgot she was there! She sprang to my rescue with some gum I was desperate for. Occasionally I apologized for my crazy outbursts which she assured me I was being totally sane...what a sweet girl she is ;) and other than when I looked for her she just snapped away. She took pictures of things most of us wouldn’t think to shoot, the machines, the environment, stuff us normal people don’t think to take pictures of but I love that she did! The fire alarm went off when I was pushing (I had no idea it was the fire alarm) and for a split second I thought DAMN that girls flash is bright! ha ha, yeah it was the alarm on the wall! She hung out for awhile to be sure to get some pictures of our first moments as a family. I honestly can’t speak highly enough of Ciara or my experience.
We hire photographers once or twice a year for family photos, we pay hundreds and even thousands for wedding photos and we totally forget about our births! What’s the deal?!?! Not that I am having any more babies BUT if I did I would definitely do the same. I will recommend it to all of my friends and families! I even think it would be an amazing gift for a baby shower!
I will not only cherish the photographs forever, but the experience of being able to completely trust someone else to take care of this so that Chris and I could focus on the birth of our 3rd baby was completely priceless.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to Ciara.
If you are expecting or know someone that is get in touch with her asap! You don’t want to look back and wish you did this!
You can find Ciara via email CiaraHammonds@yahoo.com
or any of these sites!
