Andrew's Birth Story

Full name: Andrew Soule Fernandez (rhymes with duel)
Born: September 7, 2009, 6:21 pm
Height 20 1/2 inches
Weight: 8 lbs 10 oz


I never thought of myself as someone who would want or allow birth photography. I turned my head away a lot during the actual birth parts of the videos they showed in the childbirth class we took when I was pregnant with Kara and frankly, I was embarrassed for those ladies. This was something sacred and private and well, not something to be shared with strangers. Actually going through it myself having Kara confirmed it for me... sort of. Definitely something private and sacred, between me and Jeff and Heavenly Father... and the doctor and a bunch of nurses. I tore and hemorrhaged badly, lost a lot of blood, and I'm glad I wasn't watching that happen. Feeling it was enough! But... right after that, when they put Kara on my chest and let me hold her while Jeff cut the cord... was one of the most amazing, miraculous, indescribably wonderful moments of my life! And I have often said that when we get to the other side I want to watch THAT moment over and over and over again! About the same time I found out I was expecting Andrew I was checking out my friend Sarah's photography blog and she had posted about the birth photography she had done for one of her friends. That got me thinking... I wish I could have had someone there when Kara was born, who wasn't busy helping me have the baby who could have captured the moment. So, I asked Sarah if she would be interested/willing to photograph Andrew's birth. Like me Sarah is LDS, so I knew that she would understand both my feelings about modesty and the sacredness of childbirth. She is also a certified doula and a mother of two, so she knows and and is very comfortable with the birth process. And thanks to the wonders of digital photography, I knew that only me, Jeff and Sarah would ever see any pictures I didn't feel like sharing. Having her there as a second support person was extremely helpful, but having someone there to capture the moments was priceless! The pictures she took are beautiful, I can't thank her enough for being there and capturing the memory for us! I especially love that I can "relive" the experience without having to relive the pain of the contractions. And surprisingly, I actually do like having pictures of the baby's head coming out. I won't be sharing them, but it gives me a new respect for what the body, what MY body can do! There are so many wonderful pictures I decided to make a slide show, which I will post here once it's finished. For now here's a couple of the pictures she took.