I know I haven’t blogged in forever.. and I’m soooooooo behind on everything. BUT I just HAD to blog about my absolutely wonderful day! I’ve been wanting to take a jab at birth photography :)… My awesome friend Savanha was due in a few weeks and I asked her last week if she minded if I used her as my guinea pig and tried out birth photography.. she obliged… and I am SO, SOOOOO, glad… that she did!
Today began with me arriving at the hospital at around 8ish this morning. Savanha was getting induced between 7-8 and since this was her first baby,.. or in texas, we say, her first “rodeo”.. lol.. there was no telling when Riley would arrive.. it could be quick.. it could be 24 hours.. who knew! So, I figured,.. the earlier my arrival.. the better! I walked into her room.. Savanha’s husband, Aaron, was sitting in a chair.. & watching Savanha. Savanha was passed out.. cold. 🙂 Aaron informed me that Savanha had been induced, they checked her and she was at a 5, so they went ahead and gave her an epidural.. and then gave her some nice stadol… 🙂 which I assumed was to help her relax while her body moved things along. First of all,.. have you ever had a child? I have had 3. They gave me stadol with my last baby.. & I KID YOU NOT.. I was higher than a kite. I actually woke up at some point during my high and saw my husband on a surfboard, surfing around my bed. TRUE STORY.. 🙂 Stadol doesn’t play around.. but it doesn’t last very long either.
Savanha woke up from her nap and we had a few giggles 😉 and she started feeling pressure during her contractions. The nurse came in to check her… I stepped out. Nurse left.. told me that Savanha was at a 6! WOW! Things were moving along quickly.. over the next hour.. Savanha’s “feeling pressure” turned into.. feeling HORRIBLE contractions! The anesthesiologist came in.. gave her more epidural meds.. and left.. 10 minutes later.. she was still feeling pain.. Anesthesiologist came in about 30 minutes later.. gave her some sort of concoction of pain reliever that was so strong that I assumed if you were being mauled by a bear, you probably would feel like you were being tickled by a feather. if you felt anything… at all. LOL she was happy.. WE were happy that she wasn’t in pain anymore.. and we let her take another nap.. about 20 minutes later, the nurse comes in to check Savanha.. I step out.. and she comes back out and says.. “She’s at an 8.5!” … HOLY canoly! Savanha does NOT play around when it comes to birthing babies apparently. LOL… I knew from my birthing days (that are long over.. lol) that once you get to a 9.. they’ll get you to push and BOOM you’re at a 10. The nurse comes back and she’s pushing in all of these tables. She’s getting baby Riley’s bed warm and ready for him.. she’s completely redoing the entire room and getting it to look like a delivery room. Around this time.. Savanha’s family and Aaron’s family are waiting outside the door.. eager to know the latest.. eager to hear Riley’s first cries. The nurse comes back in, I step out.. and she was in there a good few minutes.. steps back out and tells us that Savanha was at a 10! WOO! I sneak back into the room, and Savanha is ready to start pushing. Aaron and I watch on as the nurse instructs Savanha to take a deep breath and hold it, while the nurse counts to 10… 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.. The nurse repeats it with each push.. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Saying it each time. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Heck by this point, I’m even saying it in my head with her.. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10! FINALLY the nurse gets excited and informs Savanha & Aaron that she can see baby Riley’s head.. and he’s got a headfull of hair! Aaron kisses Savanha.. and with the next contraction.. .she pushes again.. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10! Does this for about 20 more minutes.. and the nurse pages Dr. Vaughn and lets him know that Savanha is ready. At this point, I was watching Savanha, this was the last hour of her life as just being Savanha,.. daughter, sister, aunt, & wife… She was fixing to add another title to her name… Mommy! Her lip was quivering, her body was shaking, the room was freezing,.. and I was in total ADMIRATION of the amount of work she was doing to bring this tiny little person into the world. She was ready. Aaron was ready.. and allllllll of their family was ready to see him.. I was ready to see him, too 😉
Dr. Vaughn comes in and everything was like a total blur after that. Everything happened sooooooo fast. Savanha pushed more, the nurses counted to 10 and I was taking every single photo I could think to take. Savanha’s face, Savanha’s awesomely painted toenails from a recent pedicure, the clock on the wall.. you name it! 🙂 They instruct me to move in closer and next thing you know.. at 12:13 pm, you hear baby Riley 🙂 He had this amazing first cry. I’ll admit.. the kid has an awesome set of lungs on him. 🙂 Dr. Vaughn lays him on Savanha. Aaron kisses Savanha on the forehead which was a total.. awww gushy love squeezy moment for me, and then they had everything ready for the new proud Daddy to cut the cord. After that, Aaron stayed back with his baby Momma, Savanha! *Haha! love it!* & I followed the nurses and baby Riley over to his nice, warm, heated bed.. watching the nurse get him measured and weighed. 🙂
After everyone is cleaned up and happy and ready to snuggle with each other, all of the staff leaves the room and it was just me and the brand spankin’ new parents with their absolutely BEAUTIFUL baby boy, Riley. New Mommy Savanha just glowed looking at her new little dude, and from the huge cheezin grin on new Daddy Aaron’s face, I could tell that both of them were never more happy than they were at that moment, in that tiny little room.. on the 2nd floor.. in Paris Regional Medical Center.. and I was right there sharing and photographing that moment with them. OMGOSH! Thank you Savanha.. sooooo much for allowing me to be with you guys on one of the most important days of your lives. It really was one of the greatest experiences of mine.. and I can’t ever, ever, EVER, thank you enough for it! You two are going to be such awesome parents to Riley… & I honestly can’t wait to watch this little dude grow up!
XOXO,
KK 🙂
