I’ve haven’t quite figured out how to blog birth stories. Three separate sessions, that all weave together one of the greatest stories. Do I tell them individually or as a unit.
For this sweet girl, I’m telling you all three stories. My dream for my business has always been to transition my wedding couples into my birth clients and hopefully my family clients. My dream is starting to come true and my heart has never been more full. Kendall & Joe got married in Mid November and quickly I learned that Joe was the goofy while Kendall was the business. His fun loving personality brings out her smile and laughter and Kendall keeps Joe grounded.
We met for a surprise 6 month married session that Joe secretly booked for Kendall! I met their fur babies. It was great catching up with them!
I remember getting the message telling me they were expecting! So excited for them!! I was even more excited when I realized I was going to get to document their birth story!
I’ve seen Kendall’s mom and spent some time with her sister over the last year and they kept me updated on how she was doing and how baby Burnett was going to be a little girl! I raced home to watch their gender reveal on facebook! A little girl! The world could only get so lucky! You see, Kendall- she’s about as sweet as sweet can be. I know she’s gonna raise her daughter to be the same. Joe, I knew after watching Joe with Kendall that the world needs him to be the father of a girl. Every time I see Joe and Kendall he’s more in love with her than he was before. His daughter will no doubt have high standards on how she should be treated.
We met for their maternity session and Kendall was absolutely glowing!! She had the tiniest of bumps, all baby!! We had a beautiful night! I was so excited to see Kendall in one of my maternity dresses I have in the studio!! She ROCKED it!! I could see how see how excited Joe was to welcome their baby girl!! Every session with these two feels like I’m hanging out with old friends and my heart was on the verge of exploding knowing all the exciting things to come!!
I got a text from Kendall letting me know that she had been having contractions, but she would keep me updated. The day went by, no baby! The next morning, I woke up with a message letting me know they were at the hospital, 4cm waiting to hear from the doctor. I have a meeting Wednesday mornings right by the hospital so I thought it would be perfect timing. I got the message she was 6cm and was working on wrapping up a few things in my meeting when not even 30 minutes later I get a message saying she was 8. Birth can be incredibly long, but also incredibly fast. I once watched a mama go from 8cm to baby on her chest in less than 2 minutes. So getting that message, I jumped up and booked it to the hospital.
I arrived and thankfully there was no baby! Kendall was having trouble with her epidural taking. Multiple times i’ve heard Kendall tell me that she has ZERO pain tolerance. But she was handling it like a total champ!! They finally got things fixed with her epidural so Both Kendall & Joe’s moms came back to check in. Now I love people watching in general, but stepping back and observing in moments like this are an absolute favorite. Paula came in and I could see it, her excitement of becoming a grandma was met with that heart ache of seeing her own “baby” going through something hard, something scary and life changing and knowing there is nothing you can do to help. I never knew that feeling until I had my own kiddos.
Joe, I’m pretty sure that he gets even more silly and funny when he’s nervous. Like all dads welcoming their first baby. There is so many unknowns, so many feelings, thoughts, all racing through your body. Not sure Joe sat down the whole labor. Mama did her best to rest in-between the nurse visits and before we knew it, it was time to push. Kendall did such an amazing job, but her nurse was pretty sure she was gonna need some help getting baby down and out. The earth must have tilted ever slightly because as the nurse was going to get the doctor, another nurse came into Kendall’s room and grabbed a machine and let Kendall’s nurse know they were delivering next door. As that birth wrapped up another nurse came in and stated they were gonna snag the doctor for another delivery down the hall. I told you, the earth tilted slightly, and all the babies came at once! Finally the doctor made his way, and with a little assistance, Baby Burnett was here!!
Although they had decided on a name, they had not agreed on a spelling. When talking about it, Joe, so sweetly agreed that Kendall had earned the right to spell it how she wanted! Myla with no H it was! We all laughed.
Joe could barely contain his excitement, He was so ready to share her name and her arrival with the crew hanging in the waiting room! I went out first so I could get my lighting figured out and they all jumped up about ready to burst. He shared her full name, Myla Jeannine. A middle name shared with Joe’s grandmother. Sent his mama into even bigger tears!
A long night had turned into a long day, grandparents made their way into meeting this sweet girl. A few days later the cutest trio in town came to join me in the studio. She had already changed since the last time I saw her!
She’s pretty as could be! Loved seeing Kendall in her new role. She was such a beautiful bride. A champ in the delivery room and never more beautiful than as a mother.
I am so blessed to have people in my life that allow me to take part in all their exciting moments.
Congratulations Joe & Kendall. Myla is the perfect addition!!
