A Las Vegas Birth Birth Center Story
I am so excited to share this beautiful Serenity Birth Center birth from May 2021 with you all!
I am about a year behind in my blog posts, but does any of the last two years count? I don’t know about you, but it feels like two years of crazy time warps and so many unknowns, which has kept me on my toes!
Yes! Las Vegas finally has its first free-standing birth center! It has been a long time coming, and so much hard work, blood, sweat, and tears for April Clyde and her amazing birth team. She fought for years for this facility and this gift to our community. Finally, Serenity Birth Center officially opened its doors in the spring of 2021.
I was so excited when asked to document this beautiful birth story. This first-time mama was away from her home country and her partner, which made documenting it all the more important in sharing her birth story with her family. It was another birth story altered by the pandemic. Through our communications, she could share her wishes and the most important moments. Her sister would be her main support, and she also wanted that special relationship documented.
Read through to the end to see their beautiful birth film!
I got the call that it was finally time on an early morning in late May, and I quickly jumped in the car and headed to the birth center where she had just been admitted. Would you believe that in the first image in this blog post, she was in active labor and six cms?
Her partner could join via Facetime and exchange some emotional support and encouragement.
The special bond between these two sisters was so beautiful to watch.
As is common with many first-time mamas, things were moving along quite well, and labor stalled a bit. Physical position changes were made, and the baby continued to be monitored. I believe this is when mamas need that emotional support because they can start to doubt themselves and their bodies. But April’s calm presence and professional care held her during this period.
Once her little guy made that final fetal rotation, things moved pretty quickly, and she was quickly moved from the toilet to the tub, where she quickly gave birth. All with daddy on Facetime!
Look at this healthy boy! Just under 9 lbs!
A Las Vegas birth center birth story.
Wednesday, August 24th, 2022
2018 Family Session
I adore the Jensen family. If you have been following me long, you have seen this family in my blog posts, videos, and images. They have been so loyal and such wonderful clients over the years, and it all began with an answer to a model call!
There is so much to love about them, but what I love most is much they love each other! It truly is so apparent in how they interact with each other and the joy surrounding them when they are together.
I love that they value me and my business so much so that even with price increases, they have remained loyal and, for this past session, budgeted it out over a big chunk of the year to make it work; that truly means so much to me! I know that investing in my services is big, and I don’t take that lightly.
I love that they are just so fun, laid back, and trusting of me and my ideas. It makes their sessions so fun-loving and relaxed.
So, basically, I hope to document their lives forever!
Erin also has a small business where she sells the most beautiful little handmade bows! Be sure to check out her shop!
Here is their family film and some of my favorites from our session together.
Saturday, November 24th, 2018
Landon’s Story
To comfortall who mourn, To sonsole those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Isaiah 61:3 NKJV
I am continually blown away and amazed by the people God has put in my path throughout my life. I have been blessed to walk alongside and rub shoulders with some powerful and resilient people in my lifetime. You know these types of people, the ones that leave a mark on people that surround them often without even knowing it. These people inspire me to be better, live life with more intention and passion, and live in the here and now.
The Ewells are one of those families. I met them in October 2016 when I was their labor nurse for the birth of their third child Landon. I had just come out of a delivery when I received my next assignment. As I learned their prognosis and what they were facing as they came in to deliver Landon, I can honestly say that my heart sank. I quietly tucked myself in the supply room and prayed. My heart just ached for them and what I knew they would be facing, and I just wanted to have the right words, to provide the best care for them, and to have the strength to hold it together through their delivery.
Who would have known then what would unfold through Landon’s story? Well, I know that God did. I know He has a plan for everything, and I believe he does not place heartbreak and pain in our lives, but He will always carry us through. He is always there and knows where it will lead us. This beautiful family has become an important part of my life. I have been blessed to have stayed connected to them outside the hospital and seen them walk through the darkest of life’s valleys. It has not always been beautiful, incredibly raw, and painful for much of the time.
From the moment I met Landon, I wanted to tell his story. I wanted the world to know him and his impact on me and the world around him. I knew that their story would inspire others just as it did me. During a recent film-making workshop, our project-long assignment was to choose a cause or something we cared deeply about and tell its story. Immediately, I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to tell this family’s story. I prayed that they were ready to share their lives with the world. I am so glad that they were.
I hope that their story inspires you as much as it did me.
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2018
