Marie-Pier Dion
Marie-Pier Dion
Marie-Pier Dion
Crystal Dorothy
"Primal" This image is the perfectly encapsulates the pure primal instincts associated with motherhood. She had sent her team of midwives home around 12:30, saying she knew she wouldn't give birth until the next morning. Both the doula & myself, being close friends of hers, knew that this might not be true, so we decided to stay. Around 4:30 that morning, it became obvious that she was going into active labor and that it was going FAST, leaving almost no time for the midwives to get there before "go time." She retreated into the dark bathroom, and within 10 minutes the baby was crowning. With only the doulas headlamp for a source of light. I had to shoot in the dark, with the occassional use of my flash and pray that I was capturing her story. When baby L finally made his debut. there were zero birthing supplies ready. Knowing that he couldn't breathe and that each second was crucial, she quickly started suctioning his airway using her own mouth. It was so instinctual and raw, but absolutely breathtaking. I was grateful to be able to capture this part of her birth story.
Crystal Dorothy
"Sacred Ceremony" I feel like cord burning is something that isn't seen that often in the birthing world. I love that it honors the special bond between placenta and baby. This image in particular is special to me, not only because of the unique properties, but also because you can see how many people are already surrounding baby L, ready to love him and welcome him into the world.
Crystal Dorothy
"Tranquility" This birth was so fast and furious she didn't get a chance to make it to her birthing tub. Shortly after the babe was born, she decided to utilize the birthing tub for a healing post-partum bath and bonding session, complete with a custom post-partum herbal blend. This bath was was truly a magical experience. While not depicted in this particular image, she was being lovingly massaged by her partner, being taken care of physically & emotionally by her doula, and her two other children also got into the bath with her for a short period of time. This truly was a tranquil time- everyone was able to slowly come of their birthing "high" and relax into the calm after the "storm."