Everyone had been waiting for this baby to make his appearance, but baby number three is a wild card!
Mariel had been having labor like pains for days and has a history of fast births, so I was on high alert that things could be picking up.
Around 6:00 a.m. I received a phone call from Max, letting me know that Mariel's water had broke, she wasn't having contractions, but they were headed to the hospital soon. After getting settled in I started documenting her birth at 7:00 a.m.
Once she arrived at the hospital Mariel kept talking about how much better she felt now that her water had broken. That she felt like she could jog around the hospital, instead of walking.
Nothing was really happening and we joked that Theo was just waiting for his brothers to get here before he made his entrance.
At 9:05 Mariel started having regular contractions and was starting to need to breathe and focus durning them.
Even in the minutes between contractions Mariel was so focused on her boys. It was honestly hard not to cry watching this. Here is this woman in the middle of one of the most painful days of her life, and yet she still is attentive and present with her babies. At 9:42 thing rapidly picked up and Mariel decided to get in the tub to see if it relived any of the pain. Once in the tub contractions picked up so quickly Mariel couldn't get a minute in-between them. Within seven minutes of getting into the tub it clear Theo would be here shortly.
Theo was born in the bathtub at 9:59 a.m. about two hours after mom checked into the hospital, one hour after his brothers arrived at the hospital, 17 minutes after contractions were consistent.
Why was a birth photographer something that you wanted?
MC: I didn’t have photos of either of my first two births and it actually makes me sad. Of course I have my own memories but it would be nice to have photos to also share with my kids about their births.
What was the most important thing that you wanted to remember about your birth?
MC: I gave my older 2 kids the choice of watching their baby brother be born and I really wanted it to be a memory thy we could all look back on because it’s not often you get to experience such a miracle.
Looking back now how do your photos make you feel?
MC: I love my photos and I’m so happy that we had Rhiannon as our photographer. I have beautiful, intimate photos that capture the birth of my last child and I really wish I had done it with my other two.
Why did you allow me to share some images publicly?
MC: I want other people to know that it’s worthwhile to have a birth photographer. Anyone can take photos with a cell phone but they won’t be anywhere near the quality. It’s like a wedding, you want your loved ones to be able to be present in the moment. Let someone else be there to capture it. The beautiful photos that you have forever are worth every dollar you spent.