I am so excited to share this blog post with you.  I apologize in advance for all of the pictures (#sorrynotsorry).

I am so lucky to do what I do and I love that fact that I get to be a part of so many special days.  I LOVE that I was there when these two said “I do” and I love it even more that I got to be there to watch them become parents.

When Cheyenne contacted me to let me know she was pregnant and that she wanted me to do her birth photos, I was over the moon!  We met for coffee and caught up on life, talked about the future and we talked about what she wanted for the birth of her baby boy.  It was such a wonderful time.

She was due April 7th and I was very worried that I would miss the birth.  We had a family vacation to Costa Rica that had been on the books for a year and I wouldn’t be getting home until the 1st of April.  Talk about cutting it close.  But little Ezra loves Lisa and decided he was going to wait until I got home.

Cheyenne was keeping me up to date on how her appointments were going and she was getting discouraged and uncomfortable.  I texted her on Saturday (one day overdue) to see how she was and to encourage her to keep up her spirits and that it was only a matter of time.  Less than an hour later, I got a text that her water had broken!  I still had a busy afternoon and thankfully I was able to get everything done.  So I headed down to the hospital late that evening.  I knew I was getting there pretty early but I wanted to get there before it was the middle of the night and I had a lot of work to do so I just brought my laptop so I could still be there but also get some work done.   Good thing because I got a LOT of work done!

When I arrived Cheyenne was in hard labor and was trying to cool down in the bath tub with her husband and her doula.  Shout out to her doula, Mandie.  She was so amazing throughout this process and she loved on and advised Cheyenne and helped her make great decisions!

Cheyenne’s mom made this adorable goodie bucket for the room.  It was filled with snacks, gum, mints, magazines and more.  What a great idea and wonderful gift!! 

From there she labored for a few more hours until she decided it was best to get an epidural.  Her labor was taking a long time without a lot of progress and she was getting really tired.  So she decided to get the epidural with hopes of getting some rest before having to push.

She rested on and off for the next few hours (and I “rested” in a comfy (not comfy) chair in the lounge).  At 6:00 we were all awake and ready to see what progress she had made.  She was almost fully dilated but not ready to push.  And this continued for a LONG time.  Little Ezra wasn’t engaging and he was quite comfy in there.  Silly me.  I thought I would be out of there by mid morning.  

She was able to get a few cat naps (one of which she fell asleep like this….how cute is that??) but became quite uncomforable despite the epidural.  She was exhausted.

The doctor said she could try to push for a few hours but that she wasn’t super optimistic that Ezra was going to come down.  So she recommended a C-Section.  David and Cheyenne talked about it, prayed about and consulted with Mandie and the decision was made to go ahead with the C-section and not try to push.  She was too tired.  It turned out to be a really good decision.  

I am so proud of Cheyenne in that she wasn’t disappointed or didn’t feel like she had failed by having a C-section.  She was calm and at peace with the decision.  At many points throughout the day and night her family and friends would pray with her and it was so cool to see the faith of this entire family.

I know this picture is blurry but I love it.

A little after 2, Cheyenne got prepped (and so did David and I) and we all headed back to the OR.

HUGE shout out to the doctors and nurses at Lutheran.  They were gracious enough to allow me into the OR to document their birth.  It was unsure right up until it was go-time but they did allow it.  Once I got into the OR one of the nurses said “we only have one rule”.  I was serious and waited to hear what I had to do.  Then she laughed and said that their one rule was that I had to share the pictures with them.  NO problem!

David was exhausted and a little overwhelmed but he handled himself so well and held her hand every step of the way.  He barely even broke away from her when Ezra was born. 

Once David and I were settled they began the procedure and less than 10 minutes later (at 2:29)….baby Ezra was born.  They remarked that he was really wedged in there and that no amount of pushing would have helped deliver him.  In fact, he was really comfortable in there and it was even hard to get him out during the C-section. (side note:  See if you can spot the step stool next to the operating table.  Her doctor was so tiny she had to stand on a stool).

The doctor brought Ezra straight over to David and Cheyenne and showed him off before handing him to the baby nurses.  

The entire staff was completely centered on making sure that Cheyenne was a part of everything even though she was on the table.  They were telling her how good he looked, how big he was and even showed off his footprints.  They even remarked at how lovely her insides were!

They advised me on the best places to stand and made sure David got to cut the cord to a shorter length.  They were seriously some of the nicest women I have ever met.  

How cute is it that Ezra was grabbing on to his daddy’s hand when David was cutting his cord.  Got me a little misty-eyed. 

Big boy.  Another reason a C-section was needed. 

Those nurses do not mess around.  I think he charmed them.  Look at his little smiley face.

Less than 6 minutes after he was born, he had been weighed, footprinted, swaddled and was meeting his mama. 

Cheyenne was adorable.  She just stroked his head, yet she only had eyes for David.  You could see the love between the two of them and it is clear that this little boy is lucky to have parents that are crazy about each other.  There is something special that happens when your baby is born and it bonds you together in a new way that you never even imagined.

 My favorites.  Already smiling.

So 24 hours (almost exactly) after having her water break, she was holding her little baby boy. It was a long process full of unexpected turns but because of her awesome and supportive family, doula, nurses and doctors Ezra arrived safe and sound.

It was an honor to be there and even as I edited these pictures and as I am writing this blog my eyes are welling with joy.  Joy for this new life, new family and joy that I can be a part of something truly miraculous.

Thanks for sticking with me to the end of this ridiculously long blog.  To reward you, here is a sneak peek of little Ezra’s newborn pictures.  Coming to the blog soon!

For more pictures visit www.photolilo.com or my Facebook page.