The Power of Birth Storytelling It was somewhere around hour 22 after my waters had released, maybe 9 or 10 hours after active labor had kicked in. This was my 3rd baby – and after an easy breezy second birth I was not expecting it to be this difficult. She just wasn’t moving down, and […]

Amanda’s egg. Lauren’s womb. When that’s how it starts, you know it’s going to be an amazing story. Amanda always wanted a biological child but could not imagine herself carrying and Lauren dreamt of birthing babies since she was a little girl.

18 months into a pandemic, and I’m still trying to get my bearings. I know I’m not the only person in the world who feels this way, but I still feel like I should have figured this out by now, shouldn’t be so overwhelmed with pandemic-living, should be better able to cheerfully be running my […]

One of my greatest honors, and one of the best parts about being a birth photographer for going on 9 years, is photographing a family’s first birth…and then their second…and then their third! I met Brian and Linda way back in 2013 when I was in my first full year of being a birth photographer. […]

A worldwide pandemic changes everything, and yet babies are still being born and beautiful families still need photos! I was so sad when hospitals in the Northern Virginia area began restricting visitors, knowing that I would miss the birth of my dear returning client Jessica, now pregnant with baby boy #2. I am so grateful […]

One of the most common reactions when I tell people that I’m a birth photographer goes something like this: “WHY would you want to take pictures of THAT?” Implied, of course, is that THAT is gross/private/not pretty/not worthy of being remembered. Too often we think that the only pictures worth taking are the carefully crafted […]

When Erika first contacted me last December, she wrote the following: “I’ve been terrified of child birth long before I even wanted children. Your photographs and videos are the first thing I’ve ever seen/heard that have made me not only not horrified, but actually EXCITED! Like, I might get to be one of those amazing, […]

Birth is beautiful, even when it is not pretty. And giving birth to Ivy wasn’t pretty. It has been just over 4 months since she was born, and I still haven’t completely processed or come to terms with how things went down. It wasn’t a traumatic birth, but it was hard. So, so hard. I had […]

I have SO many sessions and births from the past few months to share, but I’m starting with my most recent because I am absolutely in love with everything about this session. A sweet family with a squishy newborn, rambunctious (and adorable) older siblings, beautiful light, colors, and textures – basically the perfect in-home newborn […]

I’ve been a bit silent on my blog and social media and this is the reason why! Baby #3 is coming to our family this spring and the first part of pregnancy wipes.me.out. I am 24 weeks now and finally feeling really great! Which is good because I have a calendar full of births, first48’s, […]

“Every midwife knows that not until a mother’s womb softens from the pain of labor will a way unfold and the infant find that opening to be born.  Oh friend! There is treasure in your heart, it is heavy with child. Listen. All the awakened ones, like trusted midwives are saying, ‘welcome this pain. It […]

The story of Malachi Cael began a few months before he made his arrival, with the wedding of his mom and dad, Jessica and Eric. I was so privileged to photograph their wedding (Yes! Occasionally I shoot weddings as well!) on a lovely little farm in the Virginia countryside. We met up again about a […]

I can sum up all I have to say about Alexander’s birth in one word: epic. This was a birth that began on a Monday evening and ended on Sunday night (yes, SIX days later.) This was an induction that included two rounds of Cervidil, cytotec, pitocin, Foley bulb, a break to go home and […]

15 days after we welcomed baby Sana into the world, it was time for her newborn portraits. It was so fun to see this sweet family again in my studio, relatively well rested and enjoying settling in as a new family. Sana had very little interest in sleeping – I think she is an extremely observant […]

At long last, I am so happy to be able to share this birth film tonight. This was my longest birth to date (I was there for nearly 36 hours) but also one of my favorites.   This amazing mama waited long and worked hard for her baby. After many days of prodromal labor, a […]

As I finish up this sweet family’s birth film, I thought it fitting that I share my favorites from their maternity session, from way back in March! Spring had bloomed – or so we thought – so we arranged to meet at the Smithsonian Gardens, which according to Instagram were in full bloom. When we […]

This birth story is a very special one for me, mostly because of the people involved! I’ve been friends with both Scott and Irene for more than 15 years, since we were all in college – before they were married, before they were even a couple! I watched them get together, get married, start their […]

Shooting the newborn session for a family I’ve seen through maternity, birth, and first48 sessions is always a bittersweet moment…it is a celebration of this new human, this new family…and also a little sad for me because it is the last time I will see them for this chapter of their story! I so loved traveling to Marco and Sharon’s bright and happy DC apartment to capture these first family snuggles. This, right here, is why I love lifestyle newborn photography – the light and happiness of the home they have created for their family is in each and every photo.