The Birth of Rihver

I attended a birth in 2022 for a sweet sweet repeat client. Her last baby was a surrogate baby, and this one was a surprise keeper! She was attempting a Vaginal Birth after 3 Cesareans and was a walk in at Baylor Dallas. Her midwife had checked her before she made the drive to the hospital, but the hospital staff had a different cervical exam than they had thought. This meant there was more work to do. There was increasing anxiety and increasing discussions about how risky a VBA3C was. After some time and having some strange feelings in her lower abdomen, she called it and decided on a 4th c-section.

She received a gallery of photos as well as a film. This film was not as cinematic as it was documentary styled, so that the family could see and hear important aspects of the birth from an eye-witness viewpoint. I knew going in that the photos and the film were going to play a huge role in how her labor and birth was processed. She received a gallery of 191 images. The images in the gallery below are just a few of the favorites.

When I left the birth, Mom and Dad were in the recovery room. I had been there for quite some time so I left after I got the photos I needed… but it didn’t feel right to end the story like that, so about a week later I went to her home and did a documentary styled newborn session for her. Her midwife was there and checked in on her and baby, and we did an herbal bath and took a few c-section scar photos. It was important to me to finish this story with a session that was redemptive and celebratory. After all, a brand new Mom and Baby were born that day <3