Capturing the Miracle: A Photographer's Perspective on Jayde's Birth Experience

All information has been written in collaboration with and reviewed by the birthing person.

All stories and images are shared with verbal and/or written consent from the subjects.

Jayde's journey to this birth began long before the day itself. She reached out to me in February. She let me know that this would be her fourth and final baby. She had seen my work from a friend that had their birth documented and knew that she wanted to have her own experience documented too! It was important to her that we capture every moment of this last chapter. We chatted about her due date and where she planned to deliver. She even showed me an image that she had dreamed of recreating, and from there, we waited for the day.

On April 11th, a Friday morning, Jayde walked into the hospital at 39 weeks and 6 days pregnant. She was 3.5 cm dilated and not feeling a single contraction. She knew it was time for her little girl to make her arrival and chose to have an elective induction. Jayde had decided early on that she did not want an epidural for this birth, even though she had had three in the past, one of which did not work well. Her pregnancy had been smooth, and she was quiet and determined to meet her baby today.

Pitocin was started shortly after she got settled. Jayde moved to the birth ball, tracing the alphabet with her hips. “Guess what letter I’m on,” she asked Travis with a grin. At 11:00 AM she had some broth and a Sprite, and by 11:45 she was walking the halls, chatting and pausing only to breathe, if at all. Her nurse was kind, calm, and attentive—Jayde felt seen and supported. That theme would carry through the entire day.

At 12:30 PM, the doctor came in to ask about breaking her water. Jayde wasn’t sure. She wasn’t in pain and was already making progress, so we talked about what it meant—what it could do, and what it didn’t have to do. I reminded her she was allowed to ask questions and say no. So, she waited. At 12:45 PM, she was checked again and measured 4.5 cm. Still progressing.

She rotated between sitting, bouncing, using the peanut ball, and sneaking granola bars from her stash. Around 1:00 PM, she walked again. Labor didn't feel like something happening to her, it felt like something she was moving through. She was made for this.

The words on her chart board really resonated with me. It was a constant reminder that she was safe and supported.

At 2:00 PM, her nurse brought out the squat bar and comb. She helped Jayde find comfortable positions that would help her baby girl descend. The energy in the room remained calm, light, and unhurried.

At 2:30 PM, they asked again about breaking her water. Jayde's nurse gently asked, "What number would feel right to you?" Jayde was checked - 5 CM - and she still wanted to wait. She got back on the ball, and we talked about baby Madisyn and how ready she felt to meet her!

Travis returned from lunch around 3:00 PM and asked how she was doing. "I want to walk, eat, shower, and sleep," she said light heartedly. So they did just that, well, without the sleep. They went for a walk and she took a shower. The two of them were such a team - easy, honest, and steady. Jayde later told me she knew Travis would be an incredible birth partner the moment they met. "He's my soul partner," she said. "He's been there for me through everything."

These two images are two of my favorite images I have ever taken during a birth. Jayde was about 3/4th of the way through to meeting her baby, she stopped and admired her beautiful body in the mirror. She had a life right there, in her womb. Her fully grown baby was right there with her, every step of the way. This was a moment to be frozen in time forever, a moment that she will not experience again, but now can look back on forever.

At 3:45 PM, Jayde felt ready. She agreed to have her water broken and felt that she was making an informed decision. The nurse prepped the room and checked her dilation one more time. Jayde was still smiling when the nurse asked, "Are you feeling anything with those contractions?" She blinked in surprise and said, "I'm having one now???" The room shifted as her team began quietly preparing, knowing how fast fourth babies can come once waters are broken.

At 4:00 PM, Jayde started feeling some tightening in her belly. She got up, walked a little more, and began needing to breathe through contractions. Her nurse gently offered some position changes, and Jayde was grateful. "I wish all nurses were like you," she told her. She felt respected, heard, and powerful. "You're in charge," the nurse had told her and Jayde believed her.

By 5:00 PM, she was 6cm and things were intensifying. Jayde began to close her eyes during contractions. She was still in control, but the waves were becoming harder to breathe through. Then, just three minutes later - she surged to 8cm. Her body was getting ready and fast. She grabbed Travis's hand and squeezed. He didn't mind. She could grip him as hard as she needed. He stayed steady for her. Later, she told me that was the most helpful thing he did - the way he held her through those final, painful moments.

Then at 5:16 PM, after just one mighty, instinctive push - Madisyn was born. Jayde breathed her baby into the world. There was no chaos, no fear, just strength. She had done it. After 3 medicated by epidural births, she had birthed her 4th completely on her own. She did it with intention. She did it with a supportive team. Madisyn landed in her arms and everything else faded.

The staff moved quickly to tend to her IV. It had stopped working for a moment, and they nearly had to restart it, but even then, Jayde was wrapped in a perfect bubble. Nothing could touch the stillness she had with her daughter. The cry, the hush when she latched, the smell of her tiny body, her silky hair, the warmth of her skin - Jayde took it all in. "It's something you can't explain," she told me later. "You just have to experience it."

The next day, I returned for her Fresh 48 session. Madisyn wanted to nurse the entire time, so we captured what we could, but I offered them a studio newborn session to follow. They took me up on it, and it was such a joyful time - lots of posing, baby snuggles, and of course I got to see Jayde again! I always love getting to chat with mamas in those first few days and weeks after their birth. I try to continue the relationship with as many clients as I can.

Later when I asked Jayde about her experience, she shared everything with me. Her favorite part? That one powerful push when Madisyn finally came into her arms. The hardest part? The transition contractions right before - the ones that stole her breath more than pushing ever could. She expressed just how much it meant that she knew Travis's hands would never waiver and that she could trust her body wholeheartedly.

She told me birth had changed her and not just her body, but her emotions, her appreciation for life, her sense of who she was. She always knew she wanted to be a mother, even from childhood. When she got that first positive test years ago, she became the woman she was meant to be. This birth gave something new though - confidence. Further proof of just how brave she is. That she is THAT strong. "I didn't know I could do it without an epidural," she said. " But I did. I remember thinking to myself, "I did that sh*t!"

I ask every birth client about my presence at their birth. She told me: "You made me feel strong in my birth. Having you there reminded me that I was in charge, just like my nurse did. Between you, my husband, and my nurse, I had the most amazing team. I always wanted photos like this, and I finally have them because of you."