Category Archives: Birth Photography

Sweet, Sweet Chloe

austin newborn studio session | sandy allen

She is one of the sweetest little girls I know & I’m happy to say I’ve known her since birth ♥ To share in the arrival of a new life is such an incredible experience. Then to see them a week later at their newborn session I am always amazed at how much they have changed. Each time it reminds me just how precious the time is we have with our little ones. To see them grow — from newborn, to toddler, to kindergarten, and on and on. Thanks Mom & Dad for letting me share in the memories; I look forward to watching Miss Chloe grow!

Welcome Miss Ava ~

Mom & Dad are excited to have all 7 pounds, 10 ounces & 20 inches safely in their arms today.

Austin Area Birthing Center

Getting to know this wonderful family before, during, and after their birthing experience was fantastic. However, a little bit of drama is needed even for the smoothest of deliveries.

I make sure to prepare when the delivery date is near – keeping my bag packed, batteries in the charger, extra memory sticks in my purse. We were pretty sure, when we met up for dinner, that the next day would be “the day.” When dessert came, I noticed that my phone couldn’t connect to any network. Thanks to a wi-fi connection, a quick check of Twitter and forum posts told me Sprint seemed to be going in and out all over town. There are a lot of “just-in-cases” in birth photography, and in this case Mom was still able to reach me when they headed out to the birthing center on the new T-Mobile backup “birth mom” phone I’ve added to my gadget collection.

I really appreciate my new family allowing me to share some of these special moments with everyone. No matter how many phones it takes! Thanks to Miranda for her technical assistance and Walmart for their all-night wireless phone center.

Home Births Becoming More Popular

I just caught this on the news. Home births are becoming more popular – at least according to the National Center for Health Statistics. While only 1 percent of parents choose a home birth, this is an increase of almost 30 percent in the last decade.

The NCHS study reports that home births have a lower risk profile than hospital births, with fewer births to teenagers or unmarried women, and with fewer preterm, low birth weight, and multiple births. Most home births are attended by midwives. If you have no other risk factors, a midwife can help make a home birth a safe and rewarding experience. The news story quotes Eileen Beard from the American College of Midwives: “At home a woman is free to surround herself with the items and people she loves.” My own midwife worked closely with me when my own delivery issues forced me to switch to a hospital birth.

I’ve photographed births at hospitals, birthing centers, and at home. Certainly, the environment at home is less stressful, with mom and dad in familiar surroundings and in control of the what was going on. In all environments, I’ve been consistently impressed with the midwives I’ve been in contact with. A doula, a birth photographer (of course), and well-coached family members can also make home birth a great experience.

But if you’ve thought about a home birth, Austin has great resources for building your home birth team. Get a clean bill of health from your obstetrician. And from my own experience I know how important having a backup plan can be in case your deliver becomes challenging. You would be joining a growing number of parents having their babies at home.

In a matter of moments

Literally, it was only a moment before this little guy entered the world from the time I walked in the door. First-time moms often are not sure of what the “feeling” of labor will be for them. This mom showed the midwife, her family and myself just how a Super Mom would handle giving birth. From the phone call around 8 pm saying she was pretty sure “this was it” to a text message at 10:45 — when they met up with the midwife at the South Austin Area Birthing Center — saying she was at 7 cm!!! After a mad rush for me to get to the birthing center, it was only 20 minutes before she held her son in her arms.

To Mom & Dad, thank you for allowing me to share in your special moment ~

Birth Photographer Austin TX — {Austin Birth Photographer – Labor}

Birth Photography Austin — {Austin Birth Photographer – Arrival}

Birth photography is a joy like no other.

To witness the arrival of a child and see the look on a families face as they welcome this little one for the first time is an incredible honor. Thank you once again for allowing me to share in this special moment.

Happy Birth Day Baby Nick

Join me in welcoming the precious Nick! I love being honored with the opportunity to do birth photography; being with a family when they welcome a new addition to their family is always something I treasure and hold dearly to my heart. And I can tell you for sure that this little guy will have lots of love and support from not only his incredible parents but from friends and family. His grandmother could not wait to share photos of her first grandbaby, and told me of how much she looked forward to showing off her grandson just like all of her friends to do her — she was just so cute. And, mom has some of the best friends that were able to be part of Nick’s birth day as support to her. It really was a blessing to witness and I can’t wait to see little Nick again when we do his newborn session, that is if Dad will put him down. Yes, Daddy, I’m talking to you — this little guy already has his dad head over heals in love with him… loved it!