I sit here and I wonder where I should even begin with the story of Baby Zephyr’s birth, but there is no other place to start than the beginning…

To be able to provide a family with the most beautiful gift we could give them, a way to stop time for just a moment and savor the beautiful details of their sweet baby boy, brings peace and acceptance in my heart. I have fallen in love with supporting and lifting the spirits of vulnerable new parents finding their way through the sleepless nights and unconditional love they share for this tiny human being. I fell in love with photographing newborns, and now it is one of my favorite photography services to provide.

But birth photography?? To be in that room with heightened emotions, high stress levels, and the anticipation … I just wasn’t sure… I had never done it before, but as a photographer my ultimate goal is to provide families and individuals with memories and to capture their stories in a way that brings joy to their hearts for the rest of their lives. What is more beautiful and precious than the memories of bringing your child into this world, and what is more powerful than giving the gift of memories to two new parents? Andrea and Ryan trusted me to provide that for them, and that is exactly what I did.

So, the journey began…

Through this experience waiting for baby Zephyr Rad to make his arrival, we all became family. We spent long hours together and I was able to share one of the most personal, intimate, and sacred times in the lives of these first time parents and I couldn’t be more grateful.

Zephyr was due on January 31, but he was just too cozy inside his mommy’s belly to come out and visit us quite yet. He made his mamma and papa wait another five days before we were all able to meet him. Andrea and Ryan had a birth plan in place, a plan for a natural birth… but Zephyr had different plans in mind. You can follow Andrea’s birth story on her Instagram account  as she describes her experience creating a sacred space in their hospital room,  hypno-birthing, and her choice for a medical induction and pain management.

Speaking of sacred and safe spaces, these two individuals know how to fill a cold dark hospital room with love, light, and peace. As soon as I walked in the room on February 5th, first thing in the morning, the smell of rose water filled the air. Music played softly in the background, soft battery powered candles added a sweet glow to the room, and Andrea snuggled in the tiny bed with a huge smile on her face in between each and every contraction. Ryan, her baby’s papa, her birthing coach and partner, and her husband of three years was always close by. Whether it be to re- position her socks, help her breath through the painful contractions, read her the intentions she created from her vision board, or dance with her when a fun song came onto their birthing playlist. He was everything she needed him to be and witness their strength and their love was absolutely beautiful.

Grand-mom, Ryan’s mom Heidi, sat quietly by the window acting as a source of additional love and light, and filled in for Ryan when it was his turn to rest. The love and support felt in this room was strong and wild, and I could feel it in my bones. I knew immediately that I was meant to photograph this family’s story and be here to capture what they all share, and every single ounce of fear disappeared. I knew I needed to be another source of calm and light for them, and that is exactly what I did.

Andrea and Ryan’s birth plan didn’t go as expected, but baby Zephyr Rad Robbins was born at 9:34 p.m. that evening by emergency c-section. I was not able to be in the room during the surgery, but they shared some amazing cell-phone photographs displayed in the gallery below!

As my gift to this beautiful family, I created this birth story montage, I hope you enjoy their story as much as I do. You can see the rest of our time together from their precious sunset maternity session at Kenneth Hahn Park in January, which you can see here, and we continued all the way to baby Zephyr’s newborn photographs, displayed in this blog. I hope to continue to capture their special moments as baby Zephyr grows, as well as their love for each other.