A few years ago I photographed this family of three in the fall, shortly after they moved to Washington for dad to serve our country based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.  I was so happy to hear that they were expecting a new addition to their family, and honored to be chosen as the newborn photographer to capture these memories when their baby boy arrived.  They brought little Bodhi to my Sumner photography studio, not far from their home in Puyallup, when he was just about one week old.  Bodhi had the best cheeks and some of the softest skin ever. We created an organic feel for his session, with soft colors and earth tones, and even included some natural living plants to bring the outdoors in.  His family has loved their stay here in the beautiful Evergreen State and no matter where the future takes them, the Pacific Northwest will definitely be commemorated in these photos.  Mom was so kind to share her birth story, read on to find out how close he was to sharing his sister’s birthday.

This pregnancy came as a big surprise and all we could do was laugh when our due date was estimated to be two days after our daughters fourth birthday.

Early in the pregnancy my husband deployed and we were expecting him home during the third trimester but this pregnancy quickly became complicated during the middle of the second trimester and he was brought home early (just in time for the holidays). By 39 weeks we had made it through my water leaking at 21 weeks, strict bed rest, and several hospital visits for preterm labor before my doctor planned an induction for a rapid increase in water retention.  

There were a lot of jokes as we loaded up the car at how prepared we were, and how well packed we were, because of all the late night trips we had had to make to check labor progression in the weeks prior. I was told I could eat a light breakfast and a slice of cheesecake with a latte seemed like the perfect meal to eat on the way to the hospital. We checked in at 6:30 in the morning and I was hooked up to pitocin by 7:30.  Thanks to the constant contractions I had been experiencing for months it didn’t take long for labor to start and at 9:30 my doctor checked his position and he was fully head down so she broke my water (he was in constant motion and had spent most of the pregnancy transverse). 

By 11:30 I asked for an epidural and it took close to an hour for the procedure to be completed.  I was expecting a few hours of relief but the epidural failed within the hour, as I was entering the transition stage of labor, and I quickly regained full control of my legs and started to feel every contraction again.  

A second anesthesiologist was brought in and she tried changing the dose and giving me a bolus but neither worked and by now it was close to 2:30. There was a brief talk of redoing the epidural but I told my nurse that I couldn’t stop myself from the urge to push and they quickly called my doctor who was in her office across town. 

The nurses and my husband spent the next 40 minutes trying to keep me relaxed, and to keep me from pushing, as my doctor battled traffic but my body was doing all the work.  My doctor ran into the room around 3:15 and told me to start pushing and that he had a head full of dark hair.  

Bodhi was born in five contractions, with the cord wrapped around his neck two times, at 3:21 in the afternoon on April 7th, 2016, the day after his big sisters birthday.  He weighed 8.6 pounds, a full pound heavier than his sister, and was 20 inches long. We spent the first hour skin to skin and he stayed in the room with me the entire time we were in the hospital.  

Congratulations on the arrival of your sweet baby boy, what a perfect addition to your family <3 Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.

Are you expecting a little one?  Take a peek at my newborn gallery and get in touch via the contact form above or email for current availability.  I take a limited number of newborn sessions each month to allow flexibility if your little bundle should arrive early/late and so that I can create something truly special just for you. Now booking Spring/Summer 2016 – 1 session available for late May, June is sold out, July is sold out, 3 sessions available for August (although you can always check for last minute availability when the time comes).  Book now to ensure availability for your one-of-a-kind newborn session.