Welcome to my Blog

A Summerlin Hospital Birth Story

The birth of Rubie Karen is a birth story I am so excited to share. After struggling through years of infertility, this family welcomed their sweet baby into their arms at Summerlin Hospital here in Las Vegas.

This beautiful mama sought me out as soon as she reached her second trimester and was able to take a breath after months of infertility treatments. After so many months and years of hoping and praying for a baby, they finally could plan and dream of that day of holding their baby in their arms. After so much planning and anticipation, she knew she wanted it documented. I love when parents see the value in documenting their birth, particularly with their first. I often have parents decide on birth photography and birth story films after they regretted not doing it with their first. I really get those trepidations and fears in allowing someone into such a private time in your life; nothing is more vulnerable and intimate than birth!

We talked off and on in the months and weeks leading up to their due date, and finally, in their last trimester, we set up our face-to-face meeting. I offer this at any point during your pregnancy, but often waiting until closer to your due date gives time for more questions to come up, and parents have a better idea of what their birth plans will look like. Ashlie had planned a homebirth with one of our beautiful local midwives Sherry Hopkins of Well Rounded Mama, so we planned to meet in her home to talk about the areas she planned on using, her birth plan and hopes and expectations. I loved meeting her in person; her home was beautifully decorated. You could feel her excitement above everything, and as we talked through scenarios, I discussed options if she were to be transferred to the hospital during her care as COVID precautions here in Las Vegas were still in place, with most places allowing only one support person and just a small number of hospitals allowing doula support outside the one support persons. At the time, I was actively working on my doula certificate, and having solid connections at Summerlin (I retired after 19 years as a labor nurse there in 2019) would be the only place that her backup doctor went that I would be allowed into. Of course, this scenario would not be ideal, but I like to discuss scenarios to help prepare clients in case things change.

Wouldn’t you know it, less than a week later, I got a call from her midwife and Ashlie informing me that her water had broken prematurely at 35 weeks, and she was headed to Summerlin Hospital because of her preterm gestation. She had chosen to go to Summerlin Hospital to give birth because documenting her birth was so important to her, and luckily my being present as her doulaTog (yes, that is a real thing) was approved. Because she was early, it would be a long process, and so we talked on the phone, and the decision was to call me when things started progressing, and I would head up.

Just after midnight, I heard that things were moving and changing and had begun to do so quickly. She had gotten an epidural and was ready for me to come. When I arrived, she was resting quietly with dimmed lights and her husband Greg at her side. They were exhausted from their long day of excitement, rapid changes, and discomfort before the epidural. Ashlie told me that she had almost wavered on calling me because she was so uncomfortable and wasn’t sure there would be much to capture now that she had the epidural. I have had more than one client share these feelings with me, and let me tell you, there is always SO much story to each birth, no matter how quick, long, medicated, unmedicated, surgical, or any of a million ways it can go. I promise you that!

Another pearl I’ve learned while working with birthing families is that reading the room is vital. Not every moment is meant to be documented, and often stepping back and allowing that space for rest and quiet is so important. Because of COVID, I couldn’t come in and out of the room as I tend to do to give that physical space, so I tucked myself in a corner and patiently waited until they were ready. After some rest, Ashlie’s body began to experience labor signs, even with the epidural. She began to feel nauseous and discomforted, so the nurse was called.

Things were moving pretty quickly by this point, with cervical change happening. The nurse called the on-call physical when Ashlie was complete, and pushing was initiated.

Ashlie pushed so well with the support of her husband but had some pushing to do before her doctor arrived, so she got to work trusting the process and her body.

Because her baby was early, she was quickly taken to the radiant warmer for assessment. Mama had worked so hard to bring her baby earthside finally, and there was so much emotion in the room waiting to hear everything was alright.

This is a period of time I try to capture as much as I can because moms often are busy with repairs and assessments and would otherwise have missed these precious moments between dads and their babies.

Finally, Ashlie could hold her baby in her arms, skin-to-skin. You could feel that release and love.

Because she was early, she needed to be transferred to the newborn nursery for further observation. It was an emotional goodbye for Mama and the baby.

Greg was able to stay with Rubie in her transfer to the nursery, and so after hanging back a bit with Mama, it was time for me to go since I wasn’t allowed in the nursery. We stayed in touch over the next few days and with their transfer to the NICU unit. Because our time was cut short with the nursery transfer (I typically stay 1-2 hours after birth to capture those first moments of skin-to-skin and breastfeeding), I told her that we would bump that time back to whenever we could, even if that were after they got home. Their time in the NICU ended much longer than anticipated, so I was happy I had offered this.

So, once they were home and settled, we planned a date for me to come to their home and capture more details of their sweet baby girl and them together as a family.

I love that each item they incorporated into their session held sentimental meaning, from homemade quilts to items from her namesake.

And of course, their beautiful birth story film. The most beautiful way to tell birth stories well.

Thank you so much, Cowper family, for trusting me with such a life-changing moment from your family and for sharing your beautiful birth story with me.

A COVID Newborn Session

I could write a whole series about the challenges of giving birth and all things newborn during the current COVID-19 pandemic. I have not blogged in months because, quite frankly, it is overwhelming at times to process it all!

This beautiful family booked me last fall, so we had been months in the planning. The original plan was to document a Fresh 48 session in the hospital after their baby was born. Among mom’s priorities were capturing images of big sister meeting the new baby and capturing all those sweet little newborn details. Mom had a previous preterm delivery, so she had hoped that she would make it full-term this pregnancy and avoid the long NICU stay they had experienced last time. Unfortunately, she delivered two months early, in the middle of the early shutdowns. To say it was frightening for them would be an understatement.

This meant there was no documenting either in the hospital or in the NICU and even visits from both parents were tough to navigate for fear of coming and going from the hospital in the middle of our first surge.

Luckily, as this sweet girl was able to come home from the NICU two months later, we had just started to open back up again, and photographers were allowed to operate at limited capacities, so mom reached out to me, and we altered our original plan to an in-home newborn session. I love how it turned out!

I just love that this family has such a positive outlook, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Big sister felt so comfortable at home and much more at ease with her baby sister after having her home for a week before their session.

My COVID precautions include frequent hand washing, sanitizing items between sessions, using new items for items that cannot be properly sanitized, and wearing a mask at all times. I keep my distance as much as possible as well. Your safety is so important to me and something I take very seriously.

This family was so smitten with this little one, and it was so beautiful to watch. I just loved mom’s outfit choices and color palette; they were true perfection.

I am so grateful that this family trusted me in their home during a time of so many unknowns, and I am so happy we captured such beautiful images for them to have forever. Mom is so great at printing her images, and I have no doubt they are already hanging on their beautiful walls.

A Las Vegas Home Birth Story

This beautiful mama found me after they moved to Las Vegas as she began her search for a midwife and birth photographer. I am so happy she found me! They had so much to do while searching for care after moving mid-pregnancy, finding care they felt confident in, and organizing their new home.

I was even more excited that she also wanted to document their pregnancy.

I really love being able to document not only your birth (my true passion), but also more of your journey through maternity, Fresh 48, and newborn sessions. It really tells more of your story, and the story always has my heart.

I have loved having more and more clients this year request in-home maternity and family sessions! I think they have such an intimate feel to them, and I love including the elements of your own home. After all, your home is where your memories together will be made!

Shooting their maternity session in their home was also great because Nicole planned on giving birth at home, so we could have our consult and an opportunity for me to take a look at the areas she would be using for her birth. It really helps me to be visually prepared as far as setting and light. It also makes your birth experience more comfortable because we have already met, and I have more of a feel of your personalities and wishes.

Very rarely do I prefer black and white images over color, but both of their maternity and birth sessions converted so beautifully to black and white, and I adore them.

We also incorporated their Christmas tree into the session since it timed out perfectly with the holidays.

Nicole delivered 3 weeks early with their older daughter and had experienced quite a lot of preterm contractions with this pregnancy. She also had a history of fast delivery with her last baby, so we talked about this quite a bit. Because of her history, I started call for her birth at the 37-week mark, and we talked often to check in with each other so that I would be on high alert when the time came.

She had quite a few moments in the week leading up to the birth that she thought could really be it. She experienced quite a few sleepless nights and uncomfortable cramping, but they always spaced back out and became irregular. It was a bit tricky, but as always, when on call I checked in often and kept my phone right by my head at night. Finally, after her last office appointment, her cervical check did show some cervical change, and her baby was sitting so low, so we amped up our communications. She really wanted to be sure they stayed regular before calling everyone over, and as they became more and more uncomfortable, we finally decided to just be safe and have me head over. Luckily, I live just 20 min away from her.

When I arrived, the door was ajar for me, so I just knew I better book it up the stairs, and sure enough, by the time I got up there, Nicole was in the tub and quite calmly looked over at me and said, “I’m pushing”. The room was dark and calm; her husband, Anthony, was cool as a cucumber. I had beaten the midwife there. As I frantically ran around trying to add enough light to capture some images without being too disruptive and altering the room’s mood, she calmly delivered her baby girl into her arms. Neither one of them got worked up, and it happened so quickly! I could grab one image of her baby emerging and then just started shooting everything as it unfolded.

Her midwives arrived shortly after I did. I always love seeing the Serenity Birth Center birth team, they are such a capable group of midwives.

I was impressed by how well they handled the stress of such a precipitous delivery. They just did what they needed to do, and it unfolded beautifully.

Nicole had really hoped her dad would be in town when she delivered, and he was scheduled to fly out the night she went into labor. It timed out so perfectly. I just love capturing family members meeting their new baby, you could just see the pride all over his face.

Big sister slept through the whole birth, and mom and dad were pretty exhausted, so we decided I would come back the next day to capture more images of them together once everyone rested.

Their daughters are just under a year apart and big sister was so good with her! Documenting siblings meeting is one of my favorite things!

Oh, how I wish I could have captured more of their birth, but I am so happy for them that it was a quick one! And this just goes to show you that there is still so much story surrounding the actual moment of birth. I love the story and the love we were able to capture around it!

A Year in Review

I’m so excited to announce my 2019 favorites as well as a brief recap review of the year.

One of my favorite ways to reflect on 2019 in review is to select favorites from each session, bringing them all together in a collection at the end of the year. It is a beautiful way to wrap up and a reminder of how blessed each year has been.

By reviewing the year and looking at each session with fresh eyes, always leaves me in a place of gratitude. This year… I am still sitting back in awe and feeling incredibly blessed and grateful as I reflect on all that has unfolded. It has been an incredible year! I am usually much more on it and have this post up by New Year’s Day, but honestly am just now catching my breath, having gone non-stop since March. It is a fantastic problem, and as I reflect, I am overwhelmed with emotion at times.

Since the fall of 2018, I have carefully planned a big switch in Little Loo Photography, rebranding from posed newborns and families to birth. I had invested time and finances in hiring an experienced and talented birth mentor Angie Klaus Photography. Angie was so helpful in looking at my brand in general and preparing me for the work it would take to branch into this genre. Birth is unlike anything else. I knew it would be a risk, as I had worked so hard in my first seven years in business building a brand I was known for (posed newborn), and to change that was a bit scary. I had hoped and prayed that it would unfold just as I envisioned and that the clients would come. I worked hard on learning and fine-tuning my filmmaking skills and invested in workshops and online communities to soak up as much information and resources as possible.

My life plan included me retiring as a labor and delivery nurse here in Las Vegas in January 2020, at my 20th anniversary. It was a career that held my identity and much of my heart and soul. Patient care and caring for families during life’s most intimate and life-changing moments were never lost on me. Even up until the end, I was in awe that this was my career, that I got to do this as a living. I had the perfect plan of how the two would unfold; me retiring from L&D as I launched my brand in birth stories. How perfect that I still get to be a part of the incredible miracle of birth, but in a new role?

I am very goal-oriented, and I have plans to follow for almost everything I do, from running marathons to traveling, you name it. But God always has a better plan, and I am always amazed at how much richer and deeper His always is. By March 2019, it was becoming clear that trying to grow my birth business would be difficult while working at the hospital. As changes occurred in the unit, I felt the whisper that it was a time (quite hard for this OCD person who likes to stick to the plan). Still, it just kept nudging and pulling at my heart, and after some deep conversations with my husband and reviewing finances, I made the leap and went out early. Walking off the unit I had walked into for 19 years after resigning was incredibly emotional. I worked alongside the best of the best and was blessed enough to work with incredible nurses, doctors, and staff. I met and cared for so many families over the years.

I spent time hoping and praying that the birth clients would come and I would be able to grow it. And, boy oh boy, grow it did! I honestly struggled to keep up. I got inquiry after inquiry and had the most incredible clients find me, clients willing to open and share their birth spaces with me, trusting me to tell such an intimate and personal part of their lives, their birth story. Trusting me in capturing moments that can’t be relived or redone, it has been the most incredible year in Little Loo’s history. Mind-blowing really!

But let’s get to the favorites part of it- my yearly favorites! I pick an image from each session that speaks the most to my heart. I usually put them together in a slideshow, but I am changing it up this year! (I do have clients that request that I not post their images on my blog or social media sites, and I always honor that, so they are not included in the numbers or favorites). Enjoy!

I had made a goal for 2019 to shoot ten births (double the births I documented in 2018), and I ended up documenting

16 births!

Each birth was so different and so full of emotion and love!

Documenting a surrogate birth story has long been a dream of mine, so I was over the moon when this story found me. It was incredibly touching and even more beautiful than I could have imagined.

I have learned in being a birth photographer that it is unlike any other genre. Being on call for births for an average of 3 weeks at a time means that other types of work can’t be scheduled around it for the risk of rescheduling clients, which isn’t ideal.

In no other genre do you have no idea when it will happen; it could be 2 am, two weeks from today, or tomorrow, and having everything ready to go instantly is crucial. So, as hard as it was, that meant less work I had done in the past and fewer family, newborn, and maternity sessions. It was so hard to say ‘no’ to so many families.

To end 2019, I was allowed to be among the incredibly talented and diverse Birthbound Photographer instructors. I will be presenting a portion of their birth photographer certification course, bringing my experience as an L&D nurse to forge stronger relationships in the hospital setting and elevate the genre of birth photography as a whole. It has been an incredible opportunity and one I am so grateful for!

I documented 5 maternity sessions. Three of my maternity clients were also birth story clients.

I do offer an incentive of discounted maternity, Fresh 48, and newborn sessions for all of my birth clients, as I am so passionate about the story behind each birth, and adding maternity, Fresh 48, or newborn sessions does bring those full stories circle.

In the year ahead, my birth clients will have priority in scheduling these sessions, another decision that has been hard to make, but I want to be sure that I am fully present for each session that I book and available for when births do happen.

I documented 14 newborns in 2019!

Moving away from the posed studio into clients’ homes, I knew I would not be for everyone. I am so grateful for the past clients that stuck with me during this transition and for clients that booked me as a lifestyle in-home newborn!

Five of my newborns were also birth story clients. It was such a beautiful way to honestly tell their story, having followed them through the birth of their baby to a home where so many beautiful memories will be made. Moving forward for newborn sessions, my birth clients will have priority in filling my newborn spaces on the calendar, once again, to ensure that I have availability for them and provide my clients with the best experience possible!

On this year’s blessings side of this year- I had worked hard to keep my nursing and photography careers separate over the years and never talked about my business with patients. I never wanted there to be a conflict of interest or make my patients or staff I worked alongside uncomfortable. Most of the OB/GYNs I worked with had no idea I was a photographer. Right before I retired from the hospital, I was offered the opportunity to bid alongside other talented photographers in hanging my art on the halls that lined the remodel of the new Birth Place hallways. I won the bid and could hang 70 pieces of large prints of my work along the hallways I had worked on for 19 years. It indeed was a dream come true.

The most incredible part of this story is that the last patient I delivered found me this way. Not knowing she was finding me, we were both blown away when we put it together! I documented a part of their NICU journey, and they’re bringing her home! I told you this year was incredible!

I documented 11 Fresh 48 sessions! As a new offering for Little Loo Photography, I am pretty excited about that and hope to add more of these in 2020. They have my heart, everything is still so fresh and new, and it is a beautiful option for families who aren’t able to invest in a birth story.

I was blessed enough to document 19 families this year!

As I said, it was harder to schedule these alongside my birth clients, and as much as I love them, I will have to continue to limit these in 2020, as there is not enough space on the calendar. Be sure to book yours well in advance for this year!

I launched my first ‘The Story ‘ giveaway in 2018 and had the opportunity to document the story of Dan Brite and his road to recovery in 2019. It is a beautiful story of family strength and determination. My life will be forever changed by having the opportunity to tell this story.

To continue sharing my year of incredible blessings, I was offered the opportunity by Focus on the Family to document a beautiful family sharing their story on the redemption and restoration of their marriage in the upcoming Spring issue of their magazine. This ministry has deeply impacted my life, and the opportunity to work on a project with them that is so impactful and intimate was a dream come true!

And lastly, I had a few sessions out of my usual work, but for friends and family that had booked me in advance!

If you made it all the way through, thank you so much! Thank you for following me, trusting me with your stories, and believing in me! I told you it was an incredibly blessed year; it will certainly be hard to follow!

In 2020 I will focus even more on birth and growing in this genre and on giving back to my community, which has given me so much. I am excited about what lies ahead!

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.