I am so excited to share this beautiful birth story with permission from both this beautiful family and their surrogate. I am so excited because it is such a beautiful story of hope and love all the way through.

I received an inquiry from Lizi (the surrogate} back in April as she searched for a local photographer to document this birth. I have to say that when she told me it was a surrogate birth, my heart skipped a beat. I have dreamed of documenting one of these because I am so fascinated by the women who are willing to carry for another couple. It is a true selfless act, and brings such hope and joy to the families that hire them.

August has been my busiest birth month to date. I took on more birth clients this month than I ever had in the past because each one was so unique and special ( I still have one more to go at this point).

I limit the number of births I take a month to ensure that I am available when you go into labor, no matter what time of day it is. I don’t book much of anything else while on call for birth for the same reason.

Sarah Beth is local photographer and dear friend. She is an extremely talented newborn and birth photographer (in fact we are each other’s birth back ups!), you need to check out her work! Sarah Beth Chamberlain Photography.

What I really love about documenting birth is that each and every birth story is so unique and different. Even within the same family, you just never know how things are going to go. There is so much story to tell, and so many details to each birth story that make it unique and special. Sometimes when we are in the midst of birth we are so focused on being in that moment that we don’t see just how strong we are or do we have the privilege of seeing all that is going on around us, and that is part of what I strive document. I want you to remember the moments from your birth that will transport you back to that flood of love, those first moments with your baby, and to see the strength and love present around you!

I have known Sheeva for quite some time as we used to work labor and delivery here together in Las Vegas. She moved on to another facility and I have since retired, but was so excited when she reached out to me early in her pregnancy to book her birth session with me. I truly am honored that she chose me to document such a huge moment in her life for her.

Her last baby was taken whisked away and taken to the NICU right after delivery

The story of Rex Robert and his beautiful little family wouldn’t be complete without a newborn session to bring it all full circle! I had the pleasure of documenting this family’s maternity session, birth, Fresh 48, and then newborn session. The original plan was to document their maternity and newborn sessions and it just all unfolded so beautifully.

If you have been following me very long at all, you recognize this family as one of my most loyal and favorite families. I have been documenting them since Max was just a year old and the Luedtke family was new to Las Vegas. I get emotional each year just seeing how much they have grown together as a family, individually, and how God has seen them through another year healthy and happy.

They truly are a family that cherishes every day that they have together.

Throughout my life I have been so blessed in having met so many incredible human beings, people that have been willing to open their hearts and their stories to me, people that I believe undoubtedly were placed in my life for a reason. This is one of those families. I talk some about how we connected when I blogged their maternity session a few months ago, but from the time that Mandy moved to Las Vegas and began looking for a newborn photographer there are just so many cool coincidences.

I have been dying to get this birth up on the blog! There is just so much story and so much love woven throughout it all. If you have been following me over on my social media sites, you may have remembered me talking about this family when I posted her maternity portraits. Chris was deployed for the majority of their pregnancy and it literally was down to the wire, not sure whether he would be able to come home for their delivery. Luckily, he came home just over a week before Susan went into labor which worked out really well in everyone getting settled again and working through all that goes into a household with a deployed spouse.

This beautiful couple came to me through a referral from local photographer that I adore. She has been photographing them for years and because she doesn’t specialize in birth or Fresh 48 sessions, sent them my way for this portion of their journey. I have been blessed by this Jamie Rubeis over and over in my photography career and I am so thankful for her in an industry that can often times feel so competitive and lonely.