Erin's Home Birth
My brother Adam, and his wife Erin had decided to have a home water birth for their second baby, Silas. Everything didn’t go according to their plan. Erin's labor escalated quickly and her contractions were on top of each other. The midwife and doula had not shown up yet and were nowhere near being at their house yet.
I had to act as part photographer, part birthing assistant! Once Erin's water broke, Adam jumped into the tub with her and helped coach her breathing through every contraction and rest period. A few minutes later, the baby started to emerge. A healthy 9lb, 21in baby boy was born without any medical intervention, by themselves in an inflatable birthing tub in their living room.
Erin said, "It was nothing like you see on television. There was no stress, no screaming, no pushing and no medical intervention. Don’t get me wrong, it was still painful and required an insane amount of mental fortitude but despite the obvious, I have never felt stronger or more capable in my entire life. Letting my body do what it was intended to do by nature was an extremely powerful and visceral experience." I'm so thankful for Erin and Adam to trust me and allow me to photograph their birth story.
