A Birth Photographer's Birth Story

Oh Brady's birth story.... I've been trying to write this thing for almost a year now. I have so many different thoughts about his birth and my experience as a birth photographer being on the other side of the camera. Its been a year of questioning what I would share, should I include some of the embarrassing pics (hello unflattering butt shot), how much would I dive into about the unexpected feelings I experienced when viewing my own birth images.

There are times when I sat down to write a long and sentimental story that encompassed all the love I have for Brady, the love I have for being pregnant and my passion for labor and birth. Then there were other times when all that came to mind was funny and lighthearted memories, like the jokes we shared during my labor or the time when I was pregnant and embarrassed my family by barfing at Party City, Costco, Whole Foods, the Cheesecake Factory, and countless times in our front yard. Yep, there was a lot of puking going on. Sometimes I would sit down to write my story and I'd look through my birth photos and feel like a total bad ass. Other times I'd view them and would just be self conscious about being a plus size mom.

Why even share at all you may ask….

Because I think birth stories are important. I think women reading about various birth options and experiences is helpful. And as a plus size mom that struggles with being super self conscious, I feel that representation of all types of bodies giving birth in all types of scenarios, experiencing joy and rocking motherhood, matters. It all matters.

So here it is, Brady's birth story. For now its just a super random recap of what happened that day, but I kinda love it. I love remembering all these moments, the big and the small. I love seeing and remembering all the happiness and joy, the hard work, the support from my birth team, and most importantly the love.

May 5th, 2019

I was 41 weeks and 5 days pregnant when I went into labor. Every night I would wake up a few times to go to the bathroom. Every night I would hope that I'd be woken up with not just the urge to pee but also the discomfort of early labor. When you're almost 42 weeks pregnant its probably the only time in your life when you wish you'd be experiencing pain instead of resting relatively peacefully. 

3:30am - I woke up to a contraction. At first I didn't even believe it. I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep, several minutes later, another contraction. I smiled ear to ear. Could our stubborn little man finally be ready, I know my heart was ready. I got up and headed to the bathroom. YEAH! Bloody mucous. Again, who gets this excited about pain and bodily fluids, people who are super pregnant that's who. The contractions were somewhat mild and 7-10 minutes apart so I went back to bed to get some rest, didn't even bother waking up my husband Kevin. 

4:30am - Who am I kidding, I can't rest. I might meet my baby today, I'm way too excited to lay here in bed, plus these contractions are getting kinda punchy. I hopped up and decided to shower and shave my legs, which should be an Olympic sport when you are ridiculously pregnant and in labor.

5:00am - Colby, my firstborn who was almost 4 years old at the time, was stirring in his room. I went in to comfort him and laid with him for a bit. As we cuddled I thought about the day he was born, the day we told him he was going to be a big brother and now this moment, which I knew was probably the last time we'd be at home as just a family of three.  

5:30am - Colby was back sound asleep and I felt like I needed to get up. I was contracting every 7-10 minutes but they were getting stronger. I felt pretty confident that today was going to be the day so I woke up Kevin and told him the good news. A little shocked and excited he sat up really quick, I told him nothing crazy was happening yet and to go back to sleep. I went back to the bathroom, dried my hair and messaged my doula and birth photographer on Facebook. I didn't want to wake them just yet but wanted to keep them in the loop.

6:30am - Contractions still getting stronger, approx 7 mins apart. My doula, Delilah, had messaged me back and we chatted a bit. She always knows just what to say to keep me in a great frame of mind. I used her for my first birth too and cannot say enough great things about her.

7:00am - I was excited and can be a little OCD about making plans so I couldn't wait anymore and called my midwife Adrienne. We talked about what was going on and planned to touch base when contractions got a little closer together. I also called my birth photographer, KE Documentary, as she lives further away and I wanted to give her plenty of time to get to Dallas if things started picking up. 

9:30am - Things were getting more uncomfortable, but contractions still hanging out around 6-7 minutes apart. Up to this point I was pretty much just trying to rest. I decided maybe it was time to try something different. I called my midwife again and we talked about getting something to eat and trying some walking and belly lifts. Kevin went and picked up my favorite Starbucks drink and breakfast sandwich (the Bacon Gouda with no Bacon because meat during pregnancy is gross). I ate while bouncing on my birth ball and said bye to Colby as he left for a trip to the park. I'll never forget his excitement, he came running in with his big brother t shirt and was so happy that today was baby day.

10:15am - Contractions were picking up even more. I had been walking around the house, nesting, straightening my hair and putting on a little makeup. I was starting to feel like I wanted my birth team. The contractions were still pretty manageable but I just didn't feel like doing it alone for much longer. I reached back out to my midwife, doula and photographer and let them know we planned on heading to the hospital within the next hour or so.

11:00am - I remember walking through the living room and Kevin was on the sofa playing on his phone. I had been pretty restless and was just wandering around the house tidying up and keeping busy. As I went into the kitchen a contraction hit and it was the first time I needed help coping. I asked Kevin to come over and rub my back. Once it passed I asked him to load the car and we got ready to head to the hospital.

11:30am - We left for the hospital. I remember the drive like it was yesterday. I had three contractions during the 15 minute drive. Between them I was happy, we were excited. We talked, we listened to music, we passed some motorcycle racing on 635 and I complained about the small bit of traffic to get on 75.

12:00pm - Our doula met us at the hospital and was already providing much appreciated support, counter pressure is gold. One of the great things about Modern Midwifery is they office inside Texas Health Dallas aka Presby Dallas so when you are in labor they give you the option to come to their office vs going straight to L&D. Upon arrival I decided to get a cervical check to see how things were going, I was 5cm, which I was happy about. My birth photographer also arrived around this time. The whole team was together, it was a great feeling to be surrounded by such wonderful support.

12:30pm - We all felt the contractions could be a little more productive so I decided to try the breast pump. Don't get me wrong, the contractions were uncomfortable, but if you've ever experienced unmedicated birth you know that things have to kick up a notch for it really to be go time. The breast pump gives some great nipple stimulation and can increase the intensity and frequency of contractions. It definitely worked! After just a few minutes of pumping I was sitting on the birth ball when a contraction hit, I dropped an f bomb and immediately stood up, sitting was no longer an option.   

1:00pm - I was done pumping and contractions were stronger and 4 minutes apart. I walked around the office for a few minutes, had a couple of intense contractions and decided it was time to head to L&D. The next hour was spent getting settled into my room, the initial monitoring of baby, the IV for antibiotics (I was GBS+), etc. I had a bit of a flash back to my firstborn's birth when Brady was causing problems on the monitor, but thankfully the issue resolved quickly. During this first hour, between contractions, there were lots of laughs. We were all joking and sharing stories. I was enjoying everyone's company and felt safe and ready to meet my baby.

2:00pm - Contractions picking up, more pressure, more discomfort. I remembered that I wanted to order Tiff Treats and asked Kevin to call in an order for us and the nurses. Three minutes later I was barfing. Transition had hit. The next hour was spent in and out of the bathroom, walking around the room, on the bed, off the bed, getting some rebozo lifts from my midwife and regular counter pressure from my doula. Contractions had reached the "oh f*&k" level but it was still a lighthearted and fun environment. There was more chatting and jokes and as my husband Kevin said something obnoxious I giggled and responded with "your antics are starting to get marginally annoying".

3:00pm - More trips to the bathroom, some to pee, some just to sit on the toilet for a contraction or two. I was moving around, laying in bed with the peanut ball, basically just bouncing around the room and listening to my body and doing whatever felt right.

3:30pm - Feeling lots more pressure. It was a lot of work to breathe through the contractions. I was still changing positions and trying various things to help move things along and cope with the pain. Kevin got a message from our moms with Colby saying "Brady is almost here but he's taking forever". I laughed and cried a few happy tears and said "I love that guy". 

3:45pm - I decided I wanted to be checked. Music to my ears, I was almost 10cm dilated! I only had a small bit of cervix left with a huge bulging bag of waters. My midwife offered to reduce the lip of cervix which sounded great in theory but as she tried it was a hard no. One of my favorite songs was playing "we can breathe in the moment, open arms, we can own it. All these dreams we can run down, feel it all fall into place now". 

4:00pm - I was experiencing some involuntarily pushing. I felt shaky. Even though things were super intense at this point I still remember chatting between contractions. I joked about a silly picture that we needed to take after Brady was born, poking a little fun at another birth worker that we love dearly, you know who you are, lol. I went to the bathroom again and when I came back out a certain song was on. I remember it being "too nice" so I found my phone and scrolled through my playlist to find something a little more upbeat. 

4:15pm - Leaning on Kevin for support while my midwife did a little belly lift to help baby into optimal position. Holy cow that wasn't fun. Next contractions I was squatting, trying all the things to get a little relief. I felt like I needed to poop, which was obviously the baby just being low but I was convinced I needed to use the bathroom so back to the toilet I went. Fun fact I felt the same way with Colby, as do most birthing people, you'd think I would have learned my lesson, but nope, I was convinced I needed to poop.

4:20pm - Everyone follows me into the bathroom, I thought it was a bit overkill, I thought I was just going to poop, not push out a baby. Next contraction was more involuntary pushing. 

4:25pm - CRAZY strong contraction with so much pressure. It felt like a bomb went off and something just dropped. As I was bearing down and making who knows what kind of primal animal sounds I shouted "here he comes" as I felt something coming out of my body. I remember my midwife moving closer to check and see what was going on. I looked up and saw my super fantastic nurse Tanya about to pull the delivery cart into the bathroom. But Adrienne just looked at me and calmly said lets get up and move over to the bed. It wasn't baby's head that had come out, it was the amniotic sac. A baseball sized mass of fluid was hanging out of my vagina. Just a perfect, intact sac, dangling as I walked from the bathroom to the bed. Such a strange sensation. I pushed for one contraction standing next to the bed and at some point the sac broke.

4:30pm - My legs were shaky so I decided to get in the bed. I pushed with the next contraction and a good portion of his head started to crown. No one was telling me when to push, I don't recall anyone counting or making me push a certain way. I was surrounded with such amazing support and was able to just listen to my body and do what felt best.

4:35pm - Next push, head was crowning, I reached down and touched Brady’s head as he was emerging. These are some of my favorite images, I remember this moment so well, feeling that intense pressure and ring of fire but just being so overwhelmed with joy I couldn’t help but smile. His shoulders got a little stuck and required a bit of maneuvering by my midwife and nurse, but all was well. 

4:37pm - He's here! Kevin helped catch and Brady went straight to my chest. At 4:38 he cried for the first time. Kevin and I soaked those first moments in, just embracing each other, so happy, so in love.

4:42pm - The initial birth shock was wearing off and I got a chance to look at Brady. "Hi handsome" I said, "you kinda smell, I'm sorry" l For the next hour we just snuggled and nursed. We took pictures and talked about Colby. It was bliss. Brady stayed on my chest the entire time, undisturbed, which was something I didn't get with Colby and was really wanting with this birth.

5:45pm - Snuggles with our favorite midwives. I cannot express my gratitude enough to these two amazing ladies. Adrienne and Meghan were exactly the care providers I dreamed of for my second birth. So amazing, so personable, just really strong women who know how to support a fellow mama. If you are in DFW and are looking for a hospital based midwife you need to check out Modern Midwifery, you will not be disappointed!

6:45pm - Kevin finally got to hold the baby. I remember just looking at him, so in love, he's such a great dad. Brady weighed 8lbs 5oz, 21 inches long. A perfect chubby cheeked little man.

7:00pm - Our moms arrived with Colby. Kevin went out to get him and what happened next is one of my favorite moments ever. Colby's reaction to meeting his brother was truly priceless. His smile, his squeal. It was the cutest and sweetest thing I've ever witnessed. My mama heart was exploding.

Next we headed to our postpartum room and celebrated Brady's birth and Cinco de Mayo with some yummy Mexican food and off course those Tiff's Treats I remembered to order during transition. Before going to sleep I got out my camera and took my very first picture of Brady, I just couldn't help myself. He was so perfect. I was on that birth high and didn't want the day to end. He was here, in my arms and worth all the waiting and hard work. 

So there it is, the story of how I welcomed my sweet and fiery boy. As Brady’s first birthday approached I really wanted to share his story, I wanted it to be perfect, just like the day he was born. But perfection isn't happening right now. A year later and I'm still processing, still working through emotions as I remember one of the best days of my life and see the images that go along with it.

Shout out to all the amazing women who made my birth such a wonderful experience. Big thanks to my fantastic midwives, Adrienne and Meghan with Modern Midwifery. My awesome doula, Delilah with Cherish Birth. The miracle worker chiropractor, Brianne with Uprise and Dana with Bump to Baby Birth Services for some heavenly prenatal massages. All these ladies went above and beyond to support me and my family and for that we are so thankful. The beautiful images in my birth story were captured by KE Documentary.

Kathryn Johnson is a Dallas Fort Worth Birth Photographer who celebrates motherhood through maternity, birth and newborn photography. Click here for more info regarding birth photography and other services.