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.
The way I found out Christiana was pregnant was unexpected. The very beginning of her pregnancy foreshadowed the very end of her pregnancy.
In October of 2024, I experienced a rare and heartbreaking technology malfunction that resulted in the loss of a session. I reached out to Christiana right away, apologizing and offering a reshoot. Her response surprised me! Not only was she kind and understanding with my mistake, but she told me that they actually needed a new session anyway because they had just gotten what she called "a massive shock." They found out they were unexpectedly pregnant!
Later, she shared that her very first reaction was disbelief. She knew there was a line on the test, but it was so faint that she almost did not trust it. She took another test the next day, then called her OB immediately to have her HCG checked. She was not even four weeks pregnant yet, and already this baby was arriving in a way that felt surprising and intense.
We talked often in those early weeks. She shared about her previous births, her love for birth itself, and what she might hope for moving forward. On December 7th, we met at Iliff Commons for her announcement session. She accidentally forgot her sonogram that day, so I later photoshopped it into the images. During that session, we tried something a little different, leaning into warmth and candid connection instead of anything that was really posed. When she later told me the images felt “very us,” not staged and more spontaneous, it meant everything to me.
In February, during a routine check-in I sent out to birth clients, she told me they were having a boy. We began talking about maternity photos, looking back at images from her past pregnancies and looking over the client closet! But before we reached her maternity session, everything shifted.
On June 20th, Christiana went in for a routine OB appointment. She expected a normal visit. Instead, her blood pressure was elevated, then higher. First 144 over 92, then 150 over 100. She was sent to Labor and Delivery for further testing. Her labs looked okay, but her blood pressure would not come down, and she could not go home.
When she told me what was happening, she was still trying to process it herself. Her team consulted and decided it was safest to induce immediately for preeclampsia. She told me they were going to start Cytotec within the next half hour. She was two centimeters dilated, fifty percent effaced, and thought around 6:30 would be a good time for me to join them.
Christiana loves birth, as she puts it, and she is incredibly informed. Still, this was completely off her radar. She had never had preeclampsia before. She later shared that the shock of it all made her feel like she was trying to catch up mentally to what her body was already being asked to do. I reminded her that the fact it was caught early mattered, that she had a team advocating for her safety, even when the situation felt out of control.
When I arrived, things were already intensifying. At 8:17 PM, her blood pressure was taken again and had climbed to 174 over 112. Magnesium and IV labetalol were being discussed. A second IV was needed. She was told she could not get up, would need a Foley catheter, and would not be able to use the bath or shower.
Later, she told me that moment was one of the hardest emotionally. Movement and water had been essential tools in her previous unmedicated births, and hearing that those options were gone felt like having the ground pulled out from under her. It was not just about pain management, but about losing what had helped her feel in control.
At 8:30, she ate a snack before magnesium was started. Her blood pressure dipped slightly but remained high. Her IV became tricky, and IV therapy was called. Nurses moved in and out of the room. By 8:50, there were four nurses present, and Christiana’s anxiety began to rise sharply. Her husband, Trevor, covered her eyes and gently reminded her to breathe, telling her to focus on him. At 8:57, when the IV was finally placed, she laughed and said it was not as bad as she expected, a brief moment of levity in an overwhelming night.
By 9:00 PM, conversations turned again toward the epidural. Christiana wondered aloud if it might help lower her blood pressure. She later shared that this was when she began to feel torn between what she had always hoped for and what her body and circumstances seemed to be demanding.
At 9:08, they were on the phone with family, guessing birth times. She was reminded she could not have food or water on magnesium, but there was good news. Her blood pressure was holding at 144 over 84. Still, the cuff cycled every ten to fifteen minutes, a constant and sort of annoying reminder that her body was being closely monitored. Christiana asked questions. Lots of them. Her nurse took time to explain everything thoroughly, understanding how much information mattered to her. She later reflected that she needed to fully understand before consenting to anything, because information gave her a sense of grounding when everything else felt uncertain. At 9:20, they discussed another cervical check, the Foley balloon, breaking her water, and Pitocin.
At 9:30, her OB came in. Christiana later said she felt like she was just trying to keep up at that point. She was checked and found to be four centimeters. The Foley was placed. When breaking her water was mentioned, she asked to call her doula first. Her worst fear, she shared, was ending up in a C-section, and she wanted to make every decision with intention. By 9:45, her blood pressure was still holding steady, but her confidence was fading. She told me she no longer trusted herself to cope the way she had before. After speaking with her doula, she made the incredibly difficult decision to get an epidural. This was her third birth and her first epidural, and she later shared how emotionally heavy that choice felt, especially with past trauma tied to surgery and her fear of an epidural leading to surgery.
The epidural arrived at 10:25 PM. The process took time. She had to reposition several times and felt sharp zings that made her tense. Trevor stayed close, steady and calm, the same boy she had met when they were eight and nine years old, the same best friend who had been her anchor through everything life had handed them. She later said she was especially grateful for him during the needle pokes, since she has always been terrified of needles.
When Trevor needed a brief moment to step back and regroup so he could continue supporting her fully, I set my camera down and held her hand. Quietly. She later told me that knowing I understood preeclampsia from personal experience made her feel less alone and more grounded in that moment.
Once the epidural was placed, warmth spread through her body. At 11:15 PM, her doula Julia arrived, bringing a sense of familiarity and calm. Within thirty minutes, contraction pain began to fade. At 11:55, she was six centimeters and her bag of waters was bulging. She considered whether to let it break, talking through past births and finding reassurance in remembering how her body progresses.
After resting, she changed positions with the peanut ball, then moved into a princess throne position. By 12:45 AM, she began feeling pressure deep in her tailbone. A check showed she was seven to eight centimeters. Progress was steady, and she felt encouraged hearing that. They rested again. Around 2:15, she returned to the throne position, chatting softly, eating ice, finding small moments of normalcy.
At 2:35, she felt something unmistakably different. Her baby’s head was there. Her bag of waters began to emerge. In that moment, she realized Julian was likely going to be born en caul. Later, she told me this was her favorite moment of the entire experience. She had always thought en caul births were incredible, and she was overwhelmed with gratitude knowing I was there to capture something she could not see herself.
The room shifted as everyone realized what was happening. This was one of the most supported births I have ever witnessed as a birth photographer. Her OB invited me closer, handed me a clear mask, and made space so I could document the moment fully. Julian was born en caul, his placenta following him into the world, something rare and extraordinary to witness.
Christiana later remembered pressing her face into the pillow and noticing the smell of hospital detergent as she pushed. She remembered hearing the team grow excited, saying how incredible it was that he was being born en caul and that the placenta followed him. She remembered Trevor rubbing her shoulders, whispering encouragement, reminding her she could do hard things as she focused intensely on engaging the right muscles, even when she could not feel much at all.
Despite her fears, she not only pushed her baby out with an epidural, but she did so without tearing. She later shared how proud she felt of her ability to control her pushing, something she had worried would not be possible.
When reflecting on the most difficult part of her birth, she named the moment her blood pressure spiked and she learned she would need magnesium, bed confinement, a catheter, and compression devices. Hearing that meant letting go of movement, water, and other coping techniques that had worked so well before. She chose the epidural not as a failure, but as a way to surrender, to work with her circumstances rather than fight them, and to still have the most peaceful birth possible.
She remembered being soothed by the dim lights and even by the sound of her husband snoring, subconsciously realizing that if things were calm enough for him to sleep, then she must be safe. She remembered being comforted by casual conversation with her doula and with me, the steady presence helping keep her mind from drifting to fear.
She later told me that her birth felt like the best possible outcome in a bad situation.
After Christiana brought her new little boy to her chest, Trevor was able to assist in cutting the cord.
They were beaming with joy. Baby Julian latched immediately and was nursing like a champ. Everyone in the room just peacefully surrounded them together nursing for the first time watching in awe and admiration.
Before heading home, I documented Julians first measurements. He was one of the cutest little babies I've ever seen!
A few days later, I traveled to their beautiful home in Carbondale for their Fresh 48 session. We photographed everything in the comfort of their bedroom, a space that was filled with soft neutrals and a subtle pop of navy blue that tied everything together so perfectly. We began the session with quiet, candid snuggles on their bed, capturing their early moments of settling in as a family at home.
At the beginning of his Fresh 48 session, baby Julian was hungry, so I stepped out while Christiana nursed him. I was able to catch this beautiful moment from the doorway. It was a pause that was a sweet reminder of how these sessions truly move at the babies pace and how his mama honored his needs first and foremost.
Once his tummy was full of mama's milk, we were able to capture some gently posed images of Julian with Christiana and Trevor. These quickly became some of my favorite images from the session. He was so incredibly squishy and sweet, content in their arms and surrounded by so much love!
We wrapped up their Fresh 48 session with a few images of baby Julian on his own. Christiana shared that she loved a warm, earthy style of editing and gave me full creative freedom, so I tried to lean into the tones of their home! The result reflected the warmth, calm, and loving home that they have created together.
Not long after, the Schacher family joined me in Scranton for their family newborn session. Julian did so well and was such a dreamy, sleepy baby. We started by capturing images of him with his siblings, along with a few full family portraits that highlighted the joy they all had for their growing family!
After that, we focused on a few simple sets featuring just Julian. We began with a soft yellow bed setup where his droopy little cheeks completely stole the show. He was also wrapped in yellow with the sweetest little duck, and we finished that portion of the session with a Winnie the Pooh inspired set.
Next, we placed baby Julian in a bucket and captured two sweet setups there. Afterward, we transitioned to a cozy little bed set where he slept peacefully, completely relaxed and content.
Julian’s newborn session felt complete once we captured images of him with Christiana and Trevor alone. We used a cream wrap against a beautiful neutral backdrop and also photographed them backlit, a style that is always a favorite for its softness and intimacy. We ended the session with detail images of Julian wrapped in green, matching his mommy and daddy, safely held in their arms.
To meet this sweet, sleepy, and calm baby now after the abrupt beginning and end of Christiana's pregnancy was quite the surprise. It was an honor and blessing to document this chapter of the Schacher family's life and I will never forget witnessing it. This little one is going to surely keep you all on your toes!
