The first time I chat with upcoming birth clients, one question each asks is some form of, "When do you come to the hospital?", "When should I call you?", "How do I know when to call you?" My answer is always the same - my goal is to be with you by the time you're at 6cm or before you enter the transition phase of birth.

I ask that my clients call or text me as soon as they "think" labor may be starting. This doesn't mean always I'll head to the hospital. This just gives me a heads up that today may be the day. For some clients that call may be a false alarm, but for other clients, like Alison, that call may come as she's getting in the car being rushed to the hospital by her husband. Sometimes labor goes slowly.

And sometimes labor goes FAST. 
Alison warned me when she booked that her two previous labors had been very short, so I was on red-alert leading up to her due-date. I knew that she would have a 30-40 minute drive from her home to Thomas Hospital in Fairhope, AL and that it would take me 45-50 minutes to get there myself. When Alison called me around 7:30 that morning to tell me she was headed to the hospital, I asked how she was feeling and if she thought I should go ahead and head her way or if she'd rather I  wait until she got checked in. She said I should hurry. And thank goodness she did!

I was changed and out my front door in under 5-minutes.
Zipping across Baldwin county, Alabama, I arrived at the hospital 45-minutes later (thank goodness for valets) - only 10ish minutes after Alison and Sean's arrival at the ER. By the time I got to their room, Alison was already in transition even though just over an hour before she'd been going about her morning like normal.
Baby was coming and he was coming now.
Four minutes after I arrived in the deliver room, Alison's obstetrician arrived from his office next door to check her only to tell her it was time to have her baby. 
Four minutes later, their baby boy was born!

Every labor is different. Every birth is different. Every baby is different. 
But I will do everything in my power (and break some speeding laws) to get to you in time when at all possible!

Another question my birth photography clients always ask is how long I stay after the birth. The short answer is 1 - 2 hours. The longer answer is: I stay to document golden hour as you bond with your baby, I stay to capture baby's first weight and length and footprints, I stay to capture baby's first latch (if you decide to breastfeed), I stay and quietly click away capturing all of the special moments and details while the Oxytocin courses through your body as you breathe in your new baby!

It was clear as soon as I walked into mom, Kelly's, delivery room that things were going to be moving more quickly than anyone expected.
After being on bed-rest for weeks, Kelly had been excited to reach 37 weeks. Her 2 previous children had both arrived by 36 weeks. After 37 weeks she no longer needed to be on bed-rest as baby could just come when she wanted. And surprise, surprise, Willow hung out until 40-weeks!

Kelly and her birth team decided to induce on her due date. 
Her doula, Lindsey with Belly to Cradle, LLC, called me a little after 1pm to let me know that they'd just broken mom's water and suggest I get ready and start making my way to the hospital.  Something told me I shouldn't wait long, so I grabbed my lunch and headed out. Just over 30 minutes after I made it to the hospital, Willow made her earth-side debut!

I'll never forget Kelly's shout, "she's here! You're finally here!"

I was honored to be a part of the Christenson-Martin family's day, just as I am honored to have a small role in any family's birth-day!

When expecting parents begin researching hiring a birth photographer they're often hit with a bit of sticker shock. A bit of "does it really cost that much?" 
The short answer is yes, it does.
Most people understand that we are on call 24/7 for potentially 4+ weeks for each birth and then there's time to edit the photos themselves. My on call time starts when the mom reaches 38 weeks gestation, and then I remain on call until baby is born - sometimes at 42+ weeks. For a mother carrying multiples, my on call would start earlier, at 36 or 37 weeks depending on how her pregnancy is progressing. 

What a lot of people don't understand is exactly what being on call means - what birth workers (not just photographers, but doulas and midwives) give up by going on call. So, I thought it'd be fun to write a little blog about it. I asked a large birth photographer community that I'm a part of as well as some of my favorite doulas with Belly to Cradle, LLC the following question: 
"What are some of the weird things you (as a birth professional) have to consider when you go on call for a birth?"

Here are their answers.

I'll ask you, how much would you charge to potentially miss your kid's first soccer game, VPK graduation, or Thanksgiving dinner?

There's one more thing you should know though -
it's worth it!
I'd photograph births every day to witness and capture these moments! Making the decision to offer birth photography services in Pensacola, Crestview, Foley, and Fairhope is one of the BEST decisions I've ever made in my life!

Every photographer and doula I spoke with wouldn't change a thing.
We photograph births, we support mothers, we hold space because it's what we LOVE and because it's important.
​Everything we risk missing is worth everything we are allowed to witness!

"This is how we take the fear out of birth: by honoring and embracing all the many possible variations that birth encompasses. In this way, every birth is a natural birth. Each of us is a part of nature, not separate from it, and nature is always stunning in its variety. Your birth, then, is part of the natural world, however it unfolds."
~ Lauralyn Curtis

Cesarean. C-section. Belly Birth. Call it what you will. You go into an operating room pregnant and come out a mother! I don't think there's anything more wonderful than bringing a new life into the world - however you choose to do so!
Claudia contacted me early in her pregnancy to hire me as her birth photographer to photograph her fourth and final cesarean birth. Mathias would be their fourth and last child as well as their first to be born in Pensacola, and they wanted to make sure that his birth story was captured!

When you hire a birth photographer for a c-section delivery, there will always be the possibility that she (or he) won't be allowed into the operating room to capture the actual moments of birth. All of my clients know it's up to them to let their OBGYN or midwife know that they've hired a birth photographer and to advocate for me to be allowed with them along their journey to parenthood. 

Mathias's birth was amazing to witness! Look at that beautiful, angry little man.
The clear drape that was used for this birth was so neat! The mom was able to watch her baby being born just as she could during a vaginal delivery.
​BTW - Thank you Baptist Hospital Pensacola, FL for the BEST OR clock placement ever!

The pediatrician and nurses called dad down to the warmer to meet his newest son while baby was cleaned up and measurements were taken.

As soon as they were sure Mathias's vitals were good, the nurses returned Mathias to his mom for some skin-to-skin while she was still on the operating table! 

Finally, we all headed to the recovery room for some family bonding. Mathias's 2 older sisters and big brother even got to come in to meet him for a couple of minutes!

I've been wanting to revamp my current Portrait Referral Program for quite some time, but I wasn't sure exactly what to offer. I wanted a new program that really reflects what my clients are looking for and would appreciate. Let's be honest, if the referral credit isn't worth it, you're not going to remember to make sure your friend lets me know YOU sent them my way.

The two most important things I want the updated referral program to do are
1.  benefit clients no matter what type of session they booked including birth photography and Watch Me Grow Baby Plans 
2. benefit my local Pensacola, Orange Beach, etc clients as well as my awesome vacation booking clients
I think this system will benefit everyone!

So, without further ado, my new and improved Client Referral Program:​

3 credits = 1 free 30 minute Mini Session with your choice of 5 digital images and print release (session must take place in Perdido Key or Southwest Pensacola)
5 credits = 1 free full Family, Newborn, or Maternity session of your choice (all normal session perks included)

The fine print:
*Your referral must be a new client of Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Photography and they must let me know that YOU referred them.
**Credits can accumulate over multiple years.
***You can choose to turn in your 5 credits into a gift card that you can give to someone. (Not available for 3 credit mini sessions.)

It's been 4 weeks since I photographed the birth of the Roderick family's third and final child at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, FL. It's taken me 4 weeks to blog about this birth not because the pictures weren't ready and not because anything went wrong. In fact, it was the opposite - this was a beautiful birth filled with love and support. The reason it's taken me so long to make this post is that I have been struggling to come up with the right words. And you know what? I still don't have them. So I'm going to use the mother's own words that she wrote to describe her final birth experience.

Isn't that lovely and true? You can't really plan your birth but that you can prepare.
Now I'm going to share some of the pictures highlighting baby A's birth and the amazing support system that Lindsey had in her husband, her doula, her midwife, and her nurses.
*Pictures below will contain moderately graphic images showcasing how incredible women's bodies are at bringing new life into the world but sensitive areas will be covered.

Mama, Lindsey said it best when she described their new addition as their caboose who made their family complete.

​Doula | Amber with Belly to Cradle, LLC
​Hospital | Baptist Hospital

​

I am a birth photographer.
You have no idea how exciting that is for me to say!
Becoming a birth photographer has been a part of my "ten year plan" for a couple of years now, but I never thought I'd be able to take the leap this soon. But, thanks to some wonderfully supportive local friends, the amazing doulas of Belly to Cradle, LLC (who have spent the past 18  months pushing me to, "find a way"), and an awesome on-call nanny, my dream has come true 8 years sooner than planned!
I am offering birth photography for those delivering in Pensacola, FL and Foley, AL.

The day that you meet your new baby is unlike any day you've ever had before or will ever have again. Not only is every child different, but every birth is different. This is just one of many reasons that birth photography has called to me. Let me be your eyes. Allow me to capture the details of your labor, delivery, and postpartum so that you can look back on this amazing day knowing that you didn't miss anything.

For me, giving birth was the most monumental, amazing, ​and terrifying moment of my life. But we women, we're incredible! What our bodies can do - it's incredible! ​

Pensacola birth photography coverage includes:

• Pre-delivery date where we meet in person, via video chat, or over the phone to discuss your wishes and birth plan and get to know each other a bit
• On call status from 38-42 weeks 
• Coverage of labor, delivery, and at least 1 hour postpartum
• The edited, high-resolution images from your special day in a private online gallery for digital download and sharing (with print release)
• Sneak peek image from birth delivered via email within 24 hours of delivery
• Special perk for signing a model release

Head here for more details on hiring me as your birth photographer.

​Finding Beauty in the Ordinary Photography offers Birth Photography in northwest Florida that is timeless and unforgettable. Located in Pensacola and also offering maternity, family, and newborn photography, service areas include but are not limited to Perdido Key, Gulf Breeze, Pensacola Beach, Navarre, Pace, Milton, and Cantonment in Florida and Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Foley, Fairhope, and Daphne in south Alabama. Portrait sessions tend to book up to one month in advance, while maternity, birth, and newborn sessions should be booked early in the second trimester to ensure availability at the time of delivery. Amanda offers a high-end, full service experience including a pre-session consultation, exclusive access to her Maternity and Newborn wardrobe, an online proofing gallery to share and download your included high-resolution digital images, and an array of professional print, canvas, and album options. I can’t wait to hear from you and help create your own beautiful heirloom memories!
 
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