07/20/2026
Birth - no matter how we plan for it, no matter how we prepare, how much we read, how much we exercise, eat right, watch all the videos and listen to all the podcasts - it is, and always will be, unpredictable.
Birth is gonna birth.
The thing is...*so* much of that preparation *should* be learning how to advocate for yourself and your needs, regardless of how that birth actually happens. Leaning into the unpredictability, the unknowns, the "what-ifs" because at the end of the day, even though we can't control the events that are happening, you *do* still have options and a voice, and it's *so* important that you use that voice, and stand up for yourself.
Time and time again, I'm blown away by the strength and mental fortitude of my clients in the face of tough situations and tough decisions. It gives me goosebumps even now thinking about how they use their voices to advocate, ask questions, and collaborate with their providers to make sure their needs are met as much as humanly possible in sometimes tense and scary situations.
After some changes in the plan, this mama opted for a repeat c-section, knowing herself, and her wishes to avoid certain other interventions, and she fully embraced the experience, and advocated *hard* to make sure I was able to be in the OR with her to help document and support her along the way.
She didn't back down, she communicated her needs clearly and strongly, and...her providers listened.
I was invited into the OR for the first time in my career as a doula and birth photographer, and that in and of itself was enough to make me tear up, but the absolute honor it was to be able to witness her birth first hand, to be able to stand next to her and tell her "congratulations" when her baby was born, to be that consistent support for her during the surgery, and to able to provide the photos of this transformational moment in her life for her and her family? Priceless.
