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The Birth of Charlotte Elizabeth - Keila June Photography

SHE'S HERE!!

The long awaited and much anticipated baby GIRL addition to our family! 😁

The night before Charlotte was born, I was determined to "walk her out" by going to the beach and jumping around a bit under the full moon. We had dinner after, and got home around 10pm.

I believe it worked because I woke up with my first contraction around 5:30am! 🙌🏼

I had one or two contractions an hour after that first one, so I knew it would be a long day. I texted my midwife, parents and photographer friends. When the kids woke up around 9am I shared the news with them that THIS would be the day that they would meet their baby sister! Everyone got dressed and were over the moon excited! I also told them they would need to be patient as it may not happen until the wee hours of the next day.

I started full blown nesting, did what was left of my laundry and folded lol, mopped the floors, took a shower, pampered myself, prepared breakfast... all while having sporadic (but painful) contractions.

Around noon my midwife (bless her heart) told me to take some skullcap and take a nap. So I got comfortable in the Miles' Circuit position, breathed through another 2 contractions, and fell deep asleep! Woke up two hours later to a very painful contraction. I knew I was getting closer, but I still felt I had to get stuff done, so off to the kitchen I went to make arepas (a Venezuelan corn pancake type of thing) and after a while I told my husband to take over so they wouldn't get burned. I retreated to my room, where I sat on an exercise ball. I heard my parents arriving but at this point, I started deep moaning through contractions as they were becoming more and more intense. Because they were still pretty far apart I was able to build strength again before the next one came.

As my husband heard me, he knew I was getting very close so he told midwife Gelena, and she was at our house within 30 minutes! She knows when my husband is the one texting her she needs to make her way over. 😂 She arrived around 5:45pm, set up all the supplies, and had a look at my "purple line" (a way to see how much you are approximately dilated without an internal cervical exam). As soon as she saw, she said "ooh, I would get in the water if I were you, you look to be about 8-9cm". 🤨 I was so surprised because I didn't feel like I was anywhere near giving birth yet. I was still breathing calmly through each surge, and listening to my worship music in between, singing praises to God! I had my whole support system next to me by this time. My parents, my husband and my boys, my daughter who was my own personal little doula, my two photographers (who also happen to be great friends!), my sister, my midwife and her assistant. My house was full and so was my heart. I couldn't believe this was about to go down! 🤩

So I got in the birth pool which I had setup way ahead of time, I had made a birth space for myself and looked forward to this very moment for nearly a month before. I had my favorite essential oils diffusing and my favorite worship playlist going. The atmosphere was right. I just sat back and relaxed, waiting for the next surge. And so it came. This one was different. This one made me start bearing down more and I felt her head enter the birth canal, still deep within me. I changed positions to find a less painful one. With the next contraction, my water broke and I felt her descending even more. As I breathed and deep grunted, I felt the head start to emerge. I couldn't believe I was birthing her on my own. I held on tightly to my perineum as the counter pressure felt good and I was able to guide her out. I felt her head of hair just flowing in the water. This got me excited for my next contraction! I was determined to push her head out now, as the ring of fire was really burning! So with the next one, I really grunted and pushed with all my might and felt her head pop out fully! What sweet relief!! I waited there a few seconds until my body pushed the rest of her out, the most incredible feeling on earth! My midwife lovingly grabbed her and placed her on my chest. "I did it! She's here! Praise Jesus! God, You are faithful!" These were all the thoughts going through my head. Charlotte was born 6:59pm on September 24, weighing 8.5lbs and 21 1/4 inches!

This was my redemptive birth. The one that healed all others. The one that brought such joy to my heart! The one that was an answer to all my prayers. If my midwife wasn't there to stop me, I probably would've gotten up and started dancing - I was so happy and energized!

⚓️🌈

Below is a slideshow of this moment!

A very vulnerable moment for me, but I will gladly share with you as I believe in empowering and encouraging other women out there, that they too can do it!

Naturally, peacefully and lovingly.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Photos taken by Rachel Eade (@eade) and Brooke Logue (@brookeloguephotography)

Attended by Midwife Gelena Hinkley from Natural Birthworks in Margate, FL.

And her lovely assistant Martha Lerner from Zenmamalove. She is a doula and fellow birth photographer.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Preston is 6 months - Keila June Photography

My youngest is 6 months old and I'm not sure how that happened. I love every stage of infancy, some days wishing for it to be over, and some days just really longing for this time because I know it'll be over way too soon.
Well, I decided to quickly grab some pictures of him today & plopped him outside in his diaper (which describes my life right now very well - a zoo! hahaha).

And these I took just a couple days earlier... I was just trying to capture a fraction of the different expressions from him <3

It Takes a Village - Preston's Homebirth

It's funny to see people's expressions when they hear about me choosing to have a home birth. Given my past hospital birth experiences this was a no brainer actually! :) It was probably my most painful and empowering birth yet because I was standing the whole time, gravity sure moved things very quickly! From when active labor started until the time he was born was just about an hour long.

So for the story....

I had contractions on and off all day on Monday 3/21. I didn't think anything of it. But my AMAZING midwife, predicted a baby for that Monday because it was two days before the full moon. I was in total disbelief that she could possibly get the date right on the nose like that! LOL Another clue was that I was in the bathroom for most of the day too (sorry tmi) but my body just knew baby was coming and was cleaning itself out. This happened with my third pregnancy as well -- I should've known better! ;)

I kept in touch with my midwife the whole time, and she probably knew it was labor, but was telling me all sorts of things to try to sleep it off! hahahaha I really did try to sleep and follow her advice, since my contractions would come in sets of 2-3 every couple of hours! I told my photographer at 11pm to keep her phone on just in case for that night, because "maybe" something was happening.

We had my husband's friend come over, and he hung out for a little while (we are night owls like that), but I couldn't really focus on any conversations, and not because of contractions -- I was just. that. cranky!!! I wanted to SLEEP so badly! So I laid down.

Around 2am, my husband asked me how I was doing, and I couldn't give him a straight answer because those contractions sure were painful but so sporadic that I was confused if labor was starting, or maybe I would have a baby the next day or two, or what....

But he said he heard my moaning through these surges and he remembered that this is what I sounded like in my previous births!

Smart man he is!

He then contacted the midwife, and she said she was on her way around 2:45am. Good thing she lives near us, because at that point I felt like there was NO relief in between contractions! Labor went from 0-100mph in a 20 minute span.

When she arrived at 3 am, she said to my husband "oh - she's very close!" What I thought was pretty amazing about her too, is that she didn't do a single internal check the whole time. She KNEW how close I was just by looking at me, and listening to me. This woman really has super powers!!! :)

All I wanted was for her to set up the birth tub though!! I wanted to get in the water and get some relief, because the contractions were out. of. this. world intense and I began screaming, literally!! It was the only way I could cope with the intensity of the pain, baby was coming down FAST and FURIOUS! :D My husband quietly whispered to me as I got louder, and louder: Babe, soon the neighbors are going to call the cops! lol

At this point, my parents walked in, with one of my sisters (who travelled from NJ that week) and 3 of my nieces. A couple minutes later my other sister arrives, and my midwife's assistant too.... It seemed like a really full house. But you see, it takes a village folks. They were all silent, and respectful. Helping and assisting me in areas I didn't even know I needed! I had my husband supporting me, and my mom fanning me, holding my legs... One sister praying over me, the other bringing me coconut water and taking whatever photos she could on her phone. My dad, the grandfather.... just being present as the backbone of the entire family. The kids all learning about family values and priorities, even at 3AM. A whole new generation of girls and future mothers learning about how birthing choices matter. All I can say is, yes my house was FULL! Full of love, full of support and positive vibes.

Now, as they were trying to fill my own tub in my room (because we obviously had no time for the birth pool), I reached down and felt his head crowning with each contraction, but I wasn't pushing (just screaming lol), he was almost out all on his own... so, as per my midwife, I got into a squatting position on the birth stool and with one long push he went FLYING out into my midwife's hands at 3:45am! How in the world she caught him no one really knows, it was way too fast for anyone to see! All I know is, she went from behind me to in between my husband's legs. There were no pauses, like "there's the head out, now the shoulders... etc etc" He flew like a football! As soon as I felt his head coming out there was no stopping me from pushing his whole body out in one shot.

To go into my own bed after birth was priceless! To have the baby checked right there next to me was even better.

No, I didn't get my water birth, and no, there was no time for the photographer to arrive, and no, I didn't get to light candles to "set the mood", there was no music or playlist playing in the background, and no, there was no time to put on the top I bought just for the birth!!! Things definitely didn't go as I planned or envisioned it, but it was just as beautiful in its own way.

This experience has topped all my other hospital births. And I would do it all over again!

I can't stress enough how good it was to have my family there.... My oldest sister and my niece massaging my cold and shaky feet, my other sister cooking me a postpartum meal and feeding it to me... my mom helping to clean up a little. I mean, it does take a village y'all. And I had my village there! All surrounding me with tenderness and love.