Birth is one of those magical, unpredictable, intimate and vulnerable times in your life. Choosing to invite me into your space during this time is never something I take for granted, and from the moment we first meet, I’m invested in you and your story. I met with Desiree in the earlier stages of her pregnancy where we chatted for too long and lost track of the time, and from that moment I was committed to being there for the birth of her third son who was due in July. Desiree had plans to labour at home as much as possible, and then birth in the water at the Family Birthing Centre. As with all plans, they don’t always run smoothly, but for the most part, she got there!

Zion wasn’t overly eager to enter the world, and needed a little encouragement with a couple of sessions of acupuncture and a stretch and sweep. Despite needing the encouragement though, once it all started it was ON! At 1030am on July 19th Desiree messaged me on her way back from the stretch and sweep, letting me know that she was picking up some milk. Within an hour of that I receive a call from her where she can’t even talk and passes the phone onto her husband who tells me to come to their house. By midday I had arrived and it was obvious things were picking up – she was breathing through those contractions and her little boys were playing around her and rubbing her back. Within 45 minutes I was following behind them to the hospital – half expecting them to pull over and deliver on the side of the road!

We arrived at the Family Birthing Centre at 1.15pm. As Desiree waited for the birthing pool to get to the correct temperature, she breathed through her contractions in the shower, and then it suddenly became obvious that Zion wasn’t going to be waiting for that birthing pool to be ready!! There was no pushing, no noise, just sudden movements to the floor, a calling out of ‘baby!’ and at 1.55pm he was born and lifted into his mother’s arms. Desiree couldn’t even remember that she’d been able to hold him straight away – but she did – and looking at these photos showed her that. She was there for her baby, right from the start, and she birthed like an absolute warrior!

This is what Desiree had to say about her experience “Alana recently captured the birth of our third son and was so amazing throughout the whole experience. As you can imagine, at such a vulnerable time, it’s hard to think of how it will feel having someone else there watching but I felt so comfortable with Alana ahead of time and through the birth. Not only was she there to take pictures, Alana provided support to me whenever it was needed in the birth as well. She maintained her distance at the right times and I honestly didn’t even realise she was there for the most part so it was amazing to see the pictures she captured when I had no idea she was there in those moments. Alana made me feel so comfortable and not at all like being watched and of course the photos she captured were absolutely amazing!! highly recommend!”

If you’d like to book me for a Birth, I only take on a very small number so that I can be totally available to you and your story. Contact me to ask any questions and check my availability! You can also view more of my birth images through my Birth Portfolio.