Essentia Health-Duluth Delivery :: James

A brown moose, a fuzzy bear, and a pink BFF pillow flanked her in the hospital bed as she rested quietly. Each stuffed article belonged to a immediate family member, loaned to the mama for this most special of days: baby’s birth-day. “You can do this”  and “I love you” reminders in soft, stuffed physical form. I arrived at the hospital and found my dear, sweet friend walking the halls of Duluth Essentia Health wearing her favorite smiley face terrycloth bathrobe, hoping that the laps around the floor would jumpstart her babe’s entrance into the world. And they did. As we waited for labor to progress, I looked at the carefully packed diaper bag: neat stacks of diapers, wipes, outfits. A tiny “going-home” onesie–over-sized even its tininess— read:

“After every storm is a rainbow of hope. Here I am!”

Birth photographers document and tell the story of a tiny human’s entrance into the world. We bear witness to the blood, the sweat, the tears, the emotion, and unutterable joy that is birth. And in some cases, we capture moments–hours, minutes, seconds–that a mama or papa can’t for whatever reason, experience themselves.

 

So it was for the sweet mama of James Jon. James Jon ignored his due date and showed up a week later than his mother expected him to. He didn’t particularly appreciate the contractions, designed to usher him to his new home. Thus, his safe arrival necessitated an emergency C-section. As a result, his mama met him nearly two hours after his birth. I photographed the moment his father held him for the first time, his newborn exam, his tiny, screwed up face.  And then, the moment when mama met her baby: James Jon. Oh, baby. My eyes welled. One cannot not help being moved by the beauty and power of maternal love. Andrea and Travis: thank you, thank you, thank you allowing me to document the day James Jon was born. I look forward to all his birthdays and milestones. Love, “Auntie” Rachel.