I met Carrie a few years ago as a very pregnant woman myself. Her personality and easy going spirit instantly drew me to her. She’s funny and real, and I adore her for it. She reached out to me when she was in her second trimester with a sweet baby girl they had yet to choose a name for to ask if I would be available to photograph the birth, and I immediately replied. I love being in the birth space. I love seeing the team of people it takes to deliver a baby work together. It’s a sacred space, and it feel immensely honored to be asked.
I photographed an evening in the life for Carrie and her husband, Josh, last week as they prepped to welcome their little girl. At the time, we thought we still had a couple of weeks before she would be joining us Earthside, but she had other plans.
Carrie texted me on Tuesday to let me know that she was admitted to the hospital for high blood pressure and that her doctor informed them that they would not be going home without baby girl. I sat anxiously by my phone awaiting the text to tell me it was time. When Carrie texted me yesterday, the 4th of July, to let me know that labor was progressing, I couldn’t get to the hospital fast enough.
I cannot say enough good things about the environment and staff at Mon General Hospital. The room was calm and quiet when I arrived. Carrie and Josh were ordered to rest up for delivery and no one came to bother them until they thought it might be time. Carrie was happy and seemingly calm. She was cracking jokes about the way she felt with her epidural, The Spice Girls, and needing a pizza. Josh was right by her side the whole time feeding her ice chips and making sure she was comfortable.
A couple hours after I got to the hospital, nurse Sarah came in to check Carrie and made the call to announce it was time to start pushing. Carrie pushed with each contraction and Josh was there to count, hold her hand, and make sure she wasn’t breathing too hard between contractions. They worked so flawlessly as a team. After about an hour and a half of pushing and laughing, Maren Elizabeth was laid on Carrie’s chest…and she cried. And Carrie cried and it was, undeniably, one of the most beautiful moments I have ever witnessed.
Omgosh. I’m not crying… You’re crying! I know that beautiful baby girl is about to “Spice up your life!”