Nicola was referred to me by another doula/photographer who was booked up. We met at her house over tea and decided to work together! She was already in her 3rd trimester so we had a lot of work to do to prepare for her upcoming home birth.

We found out a few days before my prenatal visit that her baby girl was breech (which is another variation of normal!). We continued with the plan for a home birth, hoping baby would flip or that a breech home birth or at minimum a natural delivery at the hospital would still be an option. I referred her to a few care providers to help flip baby, but she did not want to flip, and when Nicola went for a cephalic version, it was unsuccessful. 

The morning after her version at about 3:30am, Nicola’s water broke. Her midwife asker her to come to the hospital to meet with an OB to discuss her options. I came in and met them in the morning after they decided that a C-Section was the safest option as baby girl had turned footling breech from frank breech and a vaginal delivery was too risky. I didn’t arrive until they were already in surgery, and I wasn’t allowed in the OR or in recovery to capture the first moments sadly due to hospital policies. It was heartbreaking for me to not be able to capture those first moments for them.

Nicola’s midwife was incredible and was able to stay with Nicola and baby after her c-section so they could have their first hour together and baby was able to have skin to skin and nurse shortly after. Those first moments together are so important, whether I’m there to make photos of them or not. Her midwife was so kind and took some photos with her cell phone, which we are all so so grateful for!

I went up at met Jeff and their new baby girl in their room while they waited for Nicola to join them. Jeff passed Zoella off to me while he went and got their stuff and moved their car! So tiny!!

I spent a couple hours with them to make sure nursing was going well, got to capture her first weigh-in and some special moments of them together as a family. Nicola was exhausted as she hadn’t slept at all the night before and was coming off the drugs from her surgery, so I told them to get some sleep and that I would come back the following day.

When I came back for their Fresh Baby session, I decided to make a little film for them instead of doing just photos, which was really really special. Everyone was doing so well! They just couldn’t stop staring at their new little baby girl. 💕

As always, story shared with permission from the family.