WHAT IS BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHY?

Birth photography is capturing your journey as you become a mother. It documents the presence and support of those surrounding you. It freezes time, allowing you to relive one of life greatest’s moments, the moment when your baby is finally in your arms.

It’s the pure joy on your partner’s face, the proud siblings, excited grandparents, and all those fleeting details of your first hours together.

WILL WE MEET BEFORE THE BIRTH?

100% YES.  I believe it is very important for us to get to know each other ahead of time so you and your partner will be comfortable with me when it comes time to have your baby. Birth is a very intimate, personal experience, so whatever you need to feel comfortable with my presence I’m happy to do.

We discuss …

proper time to call me, and how to keep me updated in the days and weeks before labor starts.

doctor / hospital guidelines, all physicians and hospitals are different and we want to ensure they are ok with having a birth photographer present and if there are any restrictions (such as no photography at certain stages of labor or in the operating room).

ideas of what you want captured / or not .. if you’d like to capture images of something specific (like siblings, cord cutting, etc) let them be known so that if the opportunity presents itself I can do my best to capture them.

WHEN DO YOU ARRIVE?

I stay in communication with you and your labor support team to help determine the best time for me to arrive. My goal is to join you during active labor, ideally when you are approximately 6-7 centimeters dilated. Not having cervical checks, no problem, we can use the intensity and pattern of your contractions to help gauge the right time for me to come. Perfect timing is a few hours before your baby is born, for a total of 4-6 hours of photography. Birth is far from scheduled, so together we will gauge the right time for me to join you based on a variety of indicators. I suggest when you are at 6cm is the time to call me.  *Usually it’s best to go by how close together your contractions are, if they are 3-4 minutes apart and you can’t talk or walk thru them, I should already be there.

HOW LONG DO YOU STAY AFTER BIRTH?

Approximately 2 hours. I want to capture those precious first moments which often include lots of baby snuggles, the newborn exam and family introductions.

WHAT IF I HAVE A C-SECTION?

Belly births are beautiful. And great news, most Orange County hospitals are happy to welcome professional birth photographers into the OR. We can make that work! Ideally, you should discuss this with your care provider during your pregnancy. Chat with your care provider ahead of time to see what their policy is in the event of a cesarean birth. Different hospitals have different guidelines and it is your responsibility to check ahead of time if a birth photographer is allowed to join you in the OR. Even if your doctor has a policy against allowing photographers into the OR, I can come to the hospital with you at check-in, document your pre-op, and photograph post-delivery moments as usual. 

I REALLY DO / DO NOT WANT GRAPHIC IMAGES… IS THAT OK?

The type of images you want is something we will discuss prior to your birth. If you want crowning shots, great, the woman’s body is incredible!! If you’d prefer to keep things more discreet that is awesome too.

DO YOU SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

I typically do not share birth stories on my social media. I feel these are such private images – although I’m happy to share some examples if you are interested in booking me!