The birth of Amelia: The story of a birth plan diverted

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January 29, 2020

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Oh births…they’re just so unpredictable! And you know what else is unpredictable? Birth plans. They are great to have to remind an expectant mom of what she would like to happen in the best of circumstances, but 99% of the time, the birth plan is altered at some point during labor…if not thrown out altogether!

Allison was due with her first baby on July 15th (put the emphasis on FIRST baby). I had plans to be on vacation in RI until the 14th, but I was confident the baby would be late. But just to make sure I had my bases covered, I scheduled a backup photographer to be on-call during the days I was away. As luck would have it I got a call from Allison’s doula, Megan, as we were driving through Baltimore. She told me that Allison was in labor and she had already contacted my backup to let her know as well! In case you were wondering, Charlotte is 7 hours away from Baltimore. SEVEN. HOURS. Luckily Allison was delivering at Natural Beginnings in Statesville, so I was really only 6 hours away. ?

A couple of hours later, I got an update that they were heading to the birthing center. Not too long after that I got a call that she had been examined and was not as far along as she had hoped (the midwife suspected prodromal labor), so she was being sent home. But she had been contracting for DAYS and was exhausted, so instead of heading home she headed to the hospital, which was NOT part of her birth plan.

The good news (for me) was that Allison’s labor stalled a bit and I was able to make it home with plenty of time to spare. The bad news (for Allison) is that her labor had stalled and she was still exhausted, so the midwife gave her some pitocin to get things moving, which was also not part of her birth plan. Neither was the epidural that followed shortly thereafter. But you know what WAS part of her birth plan? Delivering a beautiful, healthy baby girl. And you know what else? When I asked Allison if, looking back, she would have done anything differently, she responded, “Not a thing.” So my advice to expectant moms is to absolutely write that birth plan and share it with your birth team…but try and be flexible so that when changes to the birth plan inevitably happen, you can still look back at your birth with joy and not disappointment.

Congratulations on delivering a beautiful baby girl, mama! Amelia is a doll!

Baby Amelia
Monday, July 15th @9:58pm
8lbs. 9oz., 21” long

  1. Chad says:

    I don’t know what to say! This is so so beautiful, what an amazing experience wow! Congrats.

  2. kumamonjeng says:

    What an amazing journey and I could feel the hardship and finally the joy of the mother. This is the tears of joy.

  3. congrats!! A lovely sharing & love all the captured shared, it symbolises the important moments between the mum & the baby girl. This gonna be a lovely life memories for sure!
    cheers, siennylovesdrawing

  4. Marysa says:

    That’s great that things worked out even though it wasn’t the exact scenario the mom had in mind. These are great photos!

    • Nicole Bertrand says:

      Exactly! I’m happy that she was happy in the end, as that — and a healthy baby — is all that matters!

  5. Wow….amazing pictures for sure and what a beautiful thing thee brith of a child is. It is truly a miracle and so appreciate you sharing 🙂 Amazing pictures and what a beauty you have!

  6. dhemz says:

    awwww, the beauty of giving birth! Giving birth is sure is unpredictable. Thank you for sharing these memorable photos.

  7. Sue Tanya says:

    This is so beautiful. The pictures look amazing and they captured her birth so beautifully.

  8. Heather says:

    Wow, what an experience!

  9. It’s such a beautiful feeling to bring life into this world. Glad you were able to capture these moments.

  10. What a beautiful birthing story and love the pictures! It is such a miracle for sure ~ Thank you for sharing your special moment.

  11. Natalie says:

    Oh what an experience. Thanks for sharing this lovely story.

  12. Congratulations, birth plans never go to plan and my mummy changed hers at the last minute and opted for a water birth (which she hadn’t planned) it went swimmingly (excuse the pun) gorgeous photos x

  13. Catherine says:

    It’s truly an incredible moment and experience. These images are stunning and have really captured the beauty of life and love.

  14. Heather says:

    You have a talent that you are able to capture every single emotion. What a beautiful way to document such an important day.

  15. Wow! I have never seen images like this and they are incredible. What a miracle.

  16. Wow, this is so beautiful ? Baby Amelia is super cute ? Love these photos ❤

  17. Agnes Vazhure says:

    Congrats girl! All your pushes and sacrifices are all worth it. Those photos are so lovely.

  18. Garf says:

    Beautiful birth pictures. Thanks for sharing the experience.

  19. Heather says:

    Amazing! The experience is unlike anything in the world. You are lucky to capture things like this as part of your job!

  20. Myrah says:

    Giving birth is such a special moment. Absolutely beautiful. I wish we would have taken pictures but this was all so new to us. Great shots.

    • Nicole Bertrand says:

      Same Myrah! I don’t have birth photos either. 🙁 It’s probably one of the reasons I fell in love with birth photography. I get to give my clients what I never had.

  21. Lisa says:

    What a moving story! These are wonderful photos and tell their story well. Amelia is precious.

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