My Birthing Experience

There are many reason why I have kept these photos to myself.  One, and let's just face it, I was a bigger version of me. Swollen and puffy. I see my face in these photos and my eyes bulge out along with a gasp and, "Nobody told me I looked so swollen!" Two, I dunno, they just seemed sacred. And should be kept private.  Three, it's a little personal.  I mean, I'm giving birth. 

Then I decided, last night (after a glass of wine), that 'what the heck'.  What it was was beautiful, amazing, and should be shared.  This will be a very personal post, and so what and good for me.  I usually pride myself on being an open book.  I show my ugly along side of my pretty, I tell the truth and I try not to judge.  Because we are all the same, with the same insecurities and embarrassments.  Life shouldn't be about presenting your best self, but presenting your true self.  We should leave room for all to feel the same. So you have a crazy family member? We all do. So you have a roll somewhere you'd rather not say, we all do.  So you've made some bad choices, we all have. Who are we too judge.  We are all equal.  And we all are a part of this amazing circle of life.

Speaking of circle of life, I hope you enjoy the following video montage of my experience giving birth.  And I hope you realize how important and special it is to have a birthing photographer.  I mean, we all have wedding photographers, it's a must, heck even a rule.  And if you ask me, having a birthing photographer should be an even bigger rule! The photos are priceless.  I would pay an arm and a leg for photos like this over a million Sears Studio looking shots of my baby the next week.

My birthing photographer was the amazing, Meg Fenton.  Who I became great friends with in the Photojournalism program at WKU.  Thanks Meg, for the photos and enduring the insane experience alongside of me.

*P.S. I know that being all swollen at the end of your pregnancy is not ugly, it's beautiful. I know this. I mean, I believe it to be true.  With everyone else, but not me. ;) Kidding...ish.
**And yes, I do shoot births. Had to say that somewhere. :)


Sonora's Birthday & the day I became Mama. from Emily Rose Pearman on Vimeo.