I was so excited when Rosie and Rose asked me to photograph their birth! We clicked when I came over to photograph their Maternity Photos. What I love about them is that they are exactly as you expect them to be, so warm, funny and natural - with no pretensions. I just knew that they would make such an awesome birthing team, and I couldn't wait to bottle up these amazing memories for them.
It was a big commitment though. I was on call weeks before the due date with my kit bag packed and ready to leave at the drop of a hat, not being able to be more than 2 hours away from home. I knew the many unknowns of the journey that a birth may take, and wanted to do my best to capture it in the most honest and beautiful way possible for them. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous - knowing that I had zero control of this entire process.
However, if there is one thing that I could say that I love photographing most - it is pure and tangible emotion between loved ones. And the process of giving birth is one where strength, connection, support, resilience, joy and raw emotion collide in one short space of time.
We had been making jokes and placing wagers on when their baby would arrive. A week before her due date, Rosie had thought she was in labour, which turned out to be braxton hicks. Fast forward to a week after her due date, we were in touch for 36 hours whilst she was at home and in early labour. I knew we were in for the long haul from here on.
Although they had originally planned a home birth, at the time, it was tricky liaising with the midwives on call. And whilst Rosie had done so well to stay at home for this long, they made the decision to head into Cheltenham Birth Unit to see how she was progressing. Amazingly she had dilated to 6cm at home, so there was no turning back from this point. I wolfed down my dinner, kissed my little girls goodnight, and rushed out of the door to meet them - at around 8pm.
It was so lovely to see them again and share the excitement that they would soon be meeting their long awaited baby! Rose was in her crocs busily organising their things, and Rosie was on the bed drinking up gas and air, doing her make up in between contractions and striking diva poses! I mean, I knew she was going to be amazing and strong, but this was on another level!
One of the things that I’m most passionate about is telling your story, capturing your true emotions with my photos. These are your memories - not mine. Part of my process is getting to know you on a personal level. It allows me to zone in on what is before me - finding the best angle to tell your story, using light to enhance the emotion, anticipating the exact moment to click the shutter. For Rosie and Rose, what I saw was the many facets of their wonderful relationship, they have so much fun together, are so supportive of one another, and were on this journey to parenthood as one.
Rosie moved to the Water Bath, breathing through her contractions via the birthing lifeline that is gas and air. Rose was by her side every step of the way, tirelessly making sure that Rosie was as comfortable as she could be under the circumstances, keeping things positive and upbeat, getting snacks and drinks, keeping family updated and staying super strong when things got tough...
And they got tougher. The clock crawled towards 12:30am, the time at which the midwives said they would measure Rosie again. Amazingly she had made it to full dilation (10cm) on just gas and air, which we were so excited about…
However progress slowed as Rosie was understandably getting tired after such a long time. She powered through nonetheless - again Rose barely taking a breath for herself, making sure that she could help and support in any way that she could.
The timings were such that the midwives were minutes away from blue lighting Rosie to hospital for possible intervention, which none of us wanted, especially having come this far. This is the point where true resilience kicked in.
It was now all down to Rosie, who despite being exhausted by now, drew upon all of her strength within her - and after what seemed like an eternity at the time, their baby boy finally made it earth side, just after 3am in the morning.
Being invited into this private space to document this for Rosie and Rose was a true honour. I hope that you see their inner strength, humour and the love that they have for one another in the photos. What a wonderful inspiration and a rock solid team they are! Ziggy Wilder is a lucky boy to have them both as his parents.
