Regina and Matt have been waiting...and waiting...to meet their baby girl. They were just a couple days shy of 42 weeks and since Regina had been having regular contractions that weren't showing progress, they decided to give her a tiny bit of help to get things going. The plan was all natural and Regina was a freaking rock star.
Things were expected to move very slowly yesterday. I was updated when Regina progressed to 3cm and thought I was going to have all day. Fast forward about 30 minutes after that update and Matt called and she was 9cm!!
I rushed to the hospital and when I walked into the room, Gina was working so very hard. The room was dark and calm with her candles glowing, her amazing support team helping, and essential oils in the air. It was time to have a baby...
Matt was such a hands on and encouraging birth partner. He kept telling Regina how proud he was of her, how great she was doing, and how close they were getting to meet their baby girl. It was so beautiful to watch the way they were so in tune with one another.
After Gina was told told that she could push when she felt the urge, the song "Push It" started playing on the playlist. It made us all have a great laugh!
After two hours of pushing, we started seeing baby's girl's head appear and Matt & Regina's excitement was contagious.
After baby Elizabeth's head was finally out, she got stuck. Regina kept pushing with all her might, but those big shoulders just weren't budging. The room got pretty chaotic for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only about a minute. The midwife started to pull baby girl out while two others hopped on the bed with Gina to push on her stomach and threw her legs as far back as they could go.
Finally, Elizabeth Ashlann entered the world...
After a quick second on her Mommy, Elizabeth needed a little help breathing.
She went back to Mommy & Daddy for a quick moment before needing to be taken to the NICU to make sure everything was fine.
Since they were going to keep this perfect 9lb 9oz baby girl for observation overnight, I told Matt & Regina I would come back in the morning to capture their first moments. What an honor to be able to witness this...
And we even got a couple sweet smiles.
This was the reaction to Elizabeth's heart shaped birthmark. Regina's best friend, Ashley, passed away last year and baby Elizabeth's middle name honors her. Everyone is sure it's a sign that she is watching out for this baby girl...
Regina and Matt--you two are beyond incredible. It was an honor to be included in such an intimate experience and I thank you both for trusting me with documenting it. Congratulations again!! I can't wait for her newborn photos. ;)
xoxo
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