BABY KEATON | OREGON CITY BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHER

I'm not generally a huge believer in 'fate', but when it comes to my birth doula and photography work, things seem to happen with a bit of magic to them. Reagan had contacted me a little over a month before her due date expressing her interest in birth photography. Usually in this situation, I would meet with you to be sure that we were a good fit for each other (I mean, you are inviting me into your labor and delivery room...a sacred space!) and then you would decide whether or not you wanted to hire me for my photography services. Reagan was pretty sure she wanted a photographer and it was getting close to her due date, so she decided to hire me without that initial meeting. I was stoked to capture her birth, but the doula in me wanted to make sure that she was completely comfortable having me in the room, so I scheduled a time for us to meet and chat, even though she had already paid and signed the contract. We planned to meet at a local Play Cafe during the day so that I could bring my 3 1/2 year and 6 month old boys. I met with Reagan and her mom while my older kiddo played and I held the younger. We had a great time chatting and I truly enjoyed our visit. Both ladies told me they thought baby keaton would be arriving early - she was currently 37 weeks, but I wasn't 100% convinced. Not 5 minutes after they left, I got a phone call from her mom that Reagan's water had just broke! During our visit, Reagan had been admiring my 6 month old, and part of me wonders if his cuteness caused a surge of Oxytocin that started her labor. My kid is cute enough to do that, right?

I packed up the kiddos, informed my husband and made sure everything was ready. A little after 7pm, Reagan was 5-6 cm dilated. I put my kiddos to sleep and hit the road for the hospital. Shortly into my trip, I saw my phone light up in the holder with the message saying Reagan was now at 9 cm! It was from Reagan's sweet-as-can-be mom and said "Hurry, safely!" Wow, she was progressing quickly! I got to the hospital at 8:15 and little Keaton was born half an hour later. It was amazing and miraculous. Reagan was so strong and beautiful, she was a true inspiration.

Sweet little Keaton was born with one hand up by his head - you can tell in the pictures of the birth where his hand was because his ear is folded over. (It quickly corrected itself.) He also ended up with a pretty significantly bruised hand as a result. Poor little dude. But mom, dad, and baby were all beautiful and healthy. It was an honor to be there to capture their story! PS - I'm hidden in one of the pictures, see if you can find it!