A few weeks ago my sister Kelsey, 36 weeks and a few days pregnant, texted me that she’d been having contractions off and on and though it probably was nothing, she wanted me to be ready just in case… This was her second baby, and her first was born quickly. Well, it wasn’t a false alarm, and just a couple of hours later my mom texted and said I should probably get to the hospital, that she was being admitted and things were moving fast! Woot!!! I went from being exhausted and ready for the day to be over to completely amped and running out the door in about 5 minutes! Ha! Nothing like the pending arrival of a sweet baby to wake you up!
Annabelle handled labor okay….but just okay. She wasn’t as responsive as she probably should have been during labor. Kelsey didn’t know this in the middle of it all, but the rest of us were saying LOTS of prayers for this sweet girl!
Kelsey was a rockstar. For real. Her labor was hard, and she managed it with such incredible grace.
The cute lady in these pics…that’s our mom. She’s a doula, and was Kelsey’s (and my) doula at her request….and for real….you should hire her. If you’re having a baby in Colorado, no matter your birth plan, you should hire her. She’s such an advocate of whatever you want, and is a breath of fresh air and quiet focus when things get hard.
Scott…or as I call you, Scotty… You are such an amazing husband and father! Your family (and our family) is blessed because of you!! Kelsey ….once again being the rockstar that she is, worked so hard to bring Annabelle into this world, but she was just NOT coming…which seemed weird because Judah, their little boy was born very quickly by this stage.
Then the doctor called for the suction and said she was going to make sure Annabelle was born during the next contraction. She just wasn’t responding well at all.
But thanks to the doctor’s quick work, Annabelle was born just seconds later at 3:02 AM! She was TINY. Even the nurses commented on her surprising smallness.
Sweet Annabelle just barely missed the NICU weighing in at 4 pounds even and 17 1/4 inches long.
In spite of her size and earliness, she responded perfectly! Cried well, breathed just fine, and even kept her temp all on her own. She’s a true miracle.
Sweet Annabelle!! What an incredible honor it was to see you take your first breath! You have already captured the hearts of everyone who knows you! Love you to the moon!!
To see a slideshow of Annabelle’s birth story, click here.
JacqieObsessed!!! Love everything you captured. <3
DawnThese are so good! What great, emotional moments captured – and what a cutie this little one is!!!
Kate BorgeltOh my! Such real emotion… so perfect! and that last photo?!?! Are you kidding me! So great! Hi little one! Welcome to the world! 😀
StephanieOh My GOODNESS! The one with Dad holding her is she is looking at him is absolutely priceless!
ShannonOh my heavens!! How amazing. What a blessing to have you there to capture these!! Tears!!
DestineeSuch a beautiful story, Melissa! You captured it perfectly! Births are definitely one of my favorite types of sessions. How amazing that Mom is a doula!
I love these images so, so much. The one just jumping off the page for me is the one of Dad right before Annabelle is born- you can feel the concern and love. Love it!
Wow! Well done!
And that last image is just so beautiful! Lovely!
kimWOW!!! what an experience that you get to share with your mom and your sister! your images are beautiful and that last image of the baby is just absolute perfection!
Sarah KristiansenLOVE every one of these images. How lucky Annabelle is to have this record of her birth!! And what an experience to share with your sister. Love love love!!
ChrissyJust beautiful!!! Yet another reason photographers are so important: to capture our most meaningful life experiences! Beautifully done, Melissa! Congrats to this sweet family!
Megan DI just cried through this whole thing. I LOVED it. So special and so so incredible that you were there to capture it so perfectly. Your mom looks so sweet. I want to meet her. 😉 xoxo Congrats to your family Melissa!!
MeganBirth stories are incredible. Such a special thing to capture and you did an amazing job. Photo of dad is brilliant. That last photo though, it’s stellar.
RachelJust a beautiful birth story. Great job! And congratulations to your sister – I can’t believe how small she was!!!
NickiWhat a beautiful images you captured of your sisters birth story. such a cool thing to be able to share with your family. That last photo is amazing!!