Some babies come before their due date. Some come after. Seldom do they come on the actual day they are expected - but this little lady did! When I was editing this session at one point Adele came on the radio and it felt most fitting - so I'll let her take over this blog post from here:

When the rain is blowing in your face,
And the whole world is on your case,
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love.

When the evening shadows and the stars appear,
And there is no one there to dry your tears,
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love.

I know you haven't made your mind up yet,
But I will never do you wrong.
I've known it from the moment that we met,
No doubt in my mind where you belong.

I'd go hungry; I'd go black and blue,
And I'd go crawling down the avenue.
No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love.

Now Booking 2016 births

Life. I just can't even seem to put it into words lately.

I recently made the plunge and dove head first into the world of birth photography.

My first birth was extremely special in ways I can't disclose. This was my second ever birth behind my camera and my first home birth. So powerful. So, so powerful.

A fast labor - I arrived less than 20 minutes before baby was born. There was no time to ask questions or get my head together; when I walked into the room I could tell by the silence we were nearing the end. I knew I wouldn't have much time (though I didn't realize how little time I would have) - so I tried to find my place in the mix and take in as much as I could.

These days - with cameras always at our finger tips - it's pretty standard to want to capture amazing moments. Especially as a photographer - the more amazing the moment, the more I reach for my camera. It can be a curse sometimes - struggling to live in the moment and not capture it - a balancing act for sure. But imagine a moment SO amazing, SO beautiful that it takes your breath away - and silences your pestering need to document it. That's birth.

There is no denying that there is a steep learning curve photographing births. Everyone knows the lighting is tricky - however I am finding not standing back in awe but instead being active in capturing the moment to be one of the more difficult aspects of this field.

This momma ROCKED her labor and delivery. It was incredible to see her breathing change without instruction to birth her baby. And her sweet boy was born en caul (translation: her water never broke and he was born in his amniotic sac). Incredibly rare (around 1 in 80,000 rare) - and incredibly special.

Support team:

Midwife: Shea, from Birth Center of Jacksonville - learn more HERE

Doula: Rebecca McKinney - learn more HERE