Ally Marie’s Birth Slideshow

Let me start off by telling you that I know what you’re thinking. Why in the world would you want to be photographed big and pregnant with your hair all messy and unpleasant looks on your face? Wait you’re actually photographing the birth?? I am in the room carefully tucked in a little corner so that I don’t see or photograph anything that doesn’t need to be seen.

Birth photography has completely evolved over the last year or so and I am so glad that several moms and friends have allowed me into their lives for one of the happiest days they will ever have. Labor and delivery is often a blur to new mommies. You’re so tired and in so much pain or heavily medicated that you lose a lot that day. You lose so much of the story. The people who were there for hours and hours just because they love you and want to welcome your new little one into the world. You forget about the intense moments between you and your husband when those labor pains set in.

Most say that child birth is unpleasant. In my opinion, it’s absolutely beautiful.

Meet Sara and John.

I met them through one of my closest friends, Jodi. Sara and Jodi have been best friends since childhood. Sara was there when I photographed Jodi’s first born and she told me that day, “When I have a baby I want you to photograph the birth.”

2 years pass and I learn that Sara is pregnant. She told me immediately that she wanted me to be there and photograph the labor and delivery. To say I was excited would be the understatement of the year. But her pregnancy was no cake walk.

When she was 18 weeks pregnant she got news that would turn her world upside down. Her dad, her best friend, her hero had suffered a brain bleed and was clinging to life. Sara and John planned to not find out the gender of their unborn baby. But when they found out that they would have to say goodbye to her dad, they decided to find out the gender of the baby in the ICU waiting room so that she could tell her dad before they had to let him go.

It was a girl.

With her entire family crowded around his hospital bed she told her daddy, her hero that he was going to have another gorgeous granddaughter. Then she told her daddy goodbye one last time.

After going through so much so early on in her pregnancy Sara began to have contractions soon after her daddy passed away. Her doctor put her on daily medication and very strict bed rest from 22 weeks pregnant to 34 weeks. It was torture, but she did what she had to do to protect her little girl.

As the due date approached the anticipation heightened. Sara was adamant about having a completely natural birth. She used her time on bed rest to research and learn everything she needed to know. John even did a little reading himself.

Week after week went by and still no baby girl. Finally on June 5th, 2 days before her due date, Sara went into labor. I got the highly anticipated phone call early in the morning and jumped in the car and drove as fast as I could. It was a 4 hour drive for me so I was extremely nervous that I was going to miss it.

When I arrived she was 6cm and feeling the pain. With John’s constant and unrelenting support she progressed to 9cm without a drop of pain medication. Her worst fear was to work hard and progress, only to have to do a C-Section in the end. She was stuck at 9cm for hours. The doctor gave her 30 minutes to progress, if not they would move forward with the dreaded C-Section. After receiving an epidural, which was strongly advised by the nursing staff, she finally progressed. With some amazing sassy nurses who were determined to get this baby out the natural way, everyone worked together and focused. It was the most intense, emotionally charged roller coaster ride that I have personally ever experienced. After nearly 2 hours of pushing at 8:05pm Ally Marie Manasco joined the world weighing in at 7lbs 8oz and stretching 20 inches long.

Tears, tears, and more tears. We all sobbed as she saw and held her baby girl for the first time. Sara and John had been through so much in such a short period of time. Ally Marie has one amazing guardian angel watching over her. I will never forget that day for the rest of my life.

So here it is. Ally Marie’s heart wrenchingly beautiful journey into the world.

For the best quality, select “HD” in the bottom left corner of the video and expand to watch in full screen. 🙂

Ally Marie’s Birth from Kelsie Fair on Vimeo.