Erie, PA Birth Photography
Imagine getting a call in the morning to photograph a birth that potential evening!! When I was contacted to do this birth it was literally the day of… well maybe to say the “eve” of baby Cora’s birth. Yes, you read that right! I was elated that I was chosen to photograph yet another birth. I hold these near and dear to my heart, they are one of my favorite sessions, besides newborns. Just kidding… BIRTHS ARE MY FAVORITE!!! I love the intimacy, the intensity and the sweetness of seeing a baby brought into this world. There is nothing like it.
Anyways, as I am slipping away for the real story, I was contacted on February 14, 2020, to shoot a birth all the way in Erie, PA. Yeah… it’s about a 2-hour drive from me. Knowing that births can be so unpredictable, this was going to be a challenge. But this was mama’s first baby and it was an induction. Usually, in my past experience, they tend to drag on. I mean I have been at the hospital for almost 32 hours for one birth I did. But to be 2 hours away is one thing, rather than a half-hour away.
So, I made sure that the family contacts me as soon as mama to be was 4 cm dilated… Which is the transition of labor, and usually happens pretty quickly?? So I get the call early into the morning and I get ready to make the hike to Erie. I try to do the speed limit, but hell… I Am too pumped at this point and I am flying there, shhh!!!! Good thing I did, cause almost 25 minutes out from the hospital, I get the call that mama is ready to push! Are you FREAKING kidding me???? So I Speed even faster, blowing through red lights and honestly hoping not to get pulled over at this point. I arrive at the hospital and I have no clue where I am going as I have never shot a birth or even stepped foot into this hospital. Luckily I happened to be coming in at the same time as a nurse who worked and she helped me find my way.
As I find my way into the room, I get in there and mama is pushing… I ripped my camera out of my bag on the way up to make sure I didn’t miss a thing.
So what normally would’ve gone, I would say pretty easily, kind of took a little longer than expected. See baby was OP!!! In a posterior position! Let me break this down for you…
This is when a baby is head-down but facing your abdomen, she’s said to be in the occiput posterior (OP) position – or posterior position, for short. The term refers to the fact that the back of your baby’s skull (the occipital bone) is in the back (or posterior) of your pelvis.
You may also hear this position referred to as “face-up” or “sunny-side up.” What this means for mama… is she has to push extra hard and may even need some assistance with her birth, Vaccum or forcepts, or a csection. What ended up being a long journey of 3 + hours of pushing ended in mama having help with pushing. This woman totally shook me at how hard and willing she was to labor on her won without the assistance if anyone. It was crazy…
But Mama worked super hard and had her baby. Which they did not know the gender of this sweet baby and it ended up being a girl!!
