I’ve been looking forward to blogging this session since I walked out of there house that morning. This birth was like nothing I have experienced thus far. **I must mention that there are raw, real and incredibly beautiful images within this gallery.**
Incredible, moving, tranquil- all words that easily describe this day. Katie reached out to me and asked so many good questions, told me about her previous births and about her vision for the birth of her newest pregnancy.
I knew then that this was going to be something special. Katie knew exactly what she wanted for her birth and I had all the confidence in the world she knew how to achieve it.
Her pregnancy flew by and I eagerly awaited her message. She text me and told me that had some bleeding and was having contractions every 5-8 minutes. But she wasn’t sure if this was the real deal. But she knew baby would be coming soon. She said she could sleep through most of her contractions so she was headed to bed.
A few short hours later she called letting me know that her birth intuit was headed her way that she was having some more intense contractions.
I gathered my things and headed towards their house.
I arrived on a starry night, where the lights of their house were the only glow offered in the darkness.
It was quiet inside, Katie was resting on an air mattress they had set up in her birth space. I admired her affirmations she had arranged around her birth space. And shortly after I arrive her birth workers arrived.
Cortnie gave baby a listen and they headed upstairs to get as much sleep as possible before baby. I cat napped off and on downstairs.
Craig was the perfect support for Katie. They didn’t even need to speak words. It was like he knew exactly what she needed when she needed it. At one point they walked around their pond, their path lit by moonlight and the brisk air.
As her tub was being filled, Katie & Craig’s youngest awoke, came strolling down looking for mom. Sensing things were changing he looked to Katie for a calming nursing session. I could only imagine all that Katie was feeling in that moment. It was essentially their last nursing session just the two of them.
Every touch and kiss from Craig seemed to absorb her pain and fill her with strength and peace. Katie moved into her birth tub.
With three boys at home, Katie and Craig decided to wait to find out the gender of this sweet baby. Katie birthed Callum’s head and you could see he was still en-caul. As he made his complete way into the world, the sac filled with meconium. Katie scooped up her brand new baby, and was thrilled to find out they added another sweet boy!
Shortly after birth, their two older boys made their way out, alarms going off for school. Greeted by a new life. Katie moved over to a bed and began nursing. Craig took the older boys to school and Katie got to enjoy her first tandem nursing session.
I witnessed something incredible, like WHO gets so lucky they get to experience a home birth, en caul birth, and water birth for the first time ALL at once?! I can’t believe it was me! Seeing how different births can be, how peaceful, how controlled it could be was empowering. Ladies, you can have the birth you’ve always dreamed of, you have choices and options and you should explore them all to the fullest! 
Katie you were incredible. Your confidence radiated from you from our very first conversation. You rocked Callum’s birth, you’re an incredible mother and an inspiration to all mamas.
Check out Cortnie’s info here: http://www.birthinginstinct.com/
