So I haven’t posted in a while and the reason is that I purposely scheduled myself free of photography work for the month of August because Shaleen and I were due to have a baby girl this month. Grace is her name. This time has been dedicated to getting the house ready, the baby’s room ready, buying clothes, putting together furniture, organizing things, etc. At the beginning of August, we had an ultrasound appointment that scared us a bit because we were told that Grace was really big weighing almost 9 lb. That was really bad news because we werent due for another 3 weeks which would mean that Grace would grow another pound and a half and make the likelihood of a c-section that much more. At that point Shaleen and I took active measures to bring the baby quicker. We took long walks in Dadeland mall, said and asked for a lot of prayer from friends and family (which worked), and other tricks that doctors tell you to do.
On August 11th at 3am Shaleen woke me up in bed with some contraction pains. Nothing too bad, but as I timed them, I noticed they were between 4-6 minutes apart. I phoned the doctor, who said to go to the hospital, and then I phoned my friend Abby. Abby is one of my past bride clients who has grown as a friend over time. Since her wedding she has become a photographer herself specializing in birth photography. I was so blessed to have Abby in town that week since this is not where she lives. Abby met us at Baptist Hospital with camera in hand at 3:30 am. What a trooper!
This birth went by so much faster than our last one that by the time we got to the hospital Shaleen was 6 cm dilated already. By the time we went through triage and into a room the nurse said she was too far along for an epidural, YIKES! I was kind of happy about that because I knew she could do it without the drugs and I knew that deep down she would be happy that she did it by herself. I know it sounds easy for a guy to say, but my wife is a fighter. The whole process including baby took 3 hours at the hospital which was amazing! Here are the pics from Abby with her permission.
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Shaleen had a playlist for birthing on the iPod. Being a huge Ben Folds Five fan, “Gracie” played.
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I think this picture is amazing. Anyone who has been through this experience can identify with this moment.
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She held my pinky. So sweet!
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Abby left after these pictures and we were so blessed to have her. Great job Abby! The next set of pictures were taken by me throughout the first couple of days.
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Abby’s website: www.abigailtodd.com
Our happy family.