This hospital birth story was a sacred experience for me.  Some of my favorite moments in my life are the birth stories I have attended and photographed.

Brett and Katie like my family, and our kids are like cousins to each other.  When I found out they were having another baby I was ecstatic for them!  I felt privileged to be asked to capture this special moment.

Named after Garth Brooks

They went to a Garth Brooks concert when he was the size of a grape.  But they just knew.  That was going to be his name.  Baby number 5, and baby boy number 4.  Exactly the same as my family.  They had 3 boys, a girl, and another boy.

This was also a huge moment of growth for me individually.  We had been trying for 4 years to add to our family only to be disappointed over and over again.  Miscarriage, pain, disease, and surgery.  At this point I had started to come to terms with the fact that I might never have another baby.

Humbling birth

For years I struggled seeing pregnant women, or even holding someone else’s newborn.  Going through Katie’s pregnancy with her as a neighbor and friend helped soften my heart.  Attending the birth was such a humbling moment for me.  It was so beautiful, and my bitterness melted away.  I was just in awe.  I realized that maybe I wasn’t meant to have another baby.  Maybe, just maybe I was meant to be able to capture these moments for others.

I as pregnant too!

The biggest surprise at all is that I was actually pregnant at that moment, I just didn’t know it yet.  One week after baby Brooks made his appearance I found out, and his mom was the first person I told.  I still had a hard time believing it myself until 9 months later when I was holding that baby boy in my arms.  But she was there to believe it for me.  That baby boy of mine is 3 years old now, and I have another 10 month old at home too.

What I love about photography is being able to tell someone else’s story through my lens. It is so much more than just a pretty picture.