I got the message from Diana that she thought she was in labor and they were headed to the hospital to confirm she was actually in labor.  I later found out that her husband, Jordan, scoffed at this “confirmation” because she was so CLEARLY in labor and had been having contractions all day.  It’s funny how you spend 9 months waiting for this little bundle of joy and when the time comes there’s almost always some doubt or questioning whether you should go in or prep for it.  Diana didn’t want to inconvenience anyone, so she wanted to be 110% sure she was in labor.  And that’s a little snippet as to how sweet of a person Diana is.  Here she is IN LABOR and she didn’t want to inconvenience people like her husband, her doctor, or her birth photographer.  

When I arrived, Diana was having some serious contractions and decided to get the epidural.  The anesthesiologist arrived at her room pretty quickly and got her all set up with the epidural.  He had a great sense of humor and not only did it ease Diana, but it kept the mood in the room very lighthearted and fun which can be much needed during labor.

Their families — including their firstborn, Little Mr. Lincoln, were patiently camped out in the Family Waiting area ready to meet this new baby.  In the time that passed, Lincoln was able to join Mom and Dad for a little while so they could spend some last moments together as a family of three.  It was so sweet to see them hanging out, nailing down a name for the baby, and just chatting it up.  The thing about labor is that sometimes the reality of it is A LOT of downtime.  Sometimes mom is having intense contractions, and sometimes not.  It can be a waiting game, and it can be a fun time seeing what people do to pass the time.  

When it was time to push, Diana was a CHAMP.  She put her game face on and was so effective with her pushing and in her strength despite the fact that she momentarily doubted herself.  It’s totally normal for a laboring woman to get to the point where they feel like they just can’t do it anymore.  Many people compare it to running a marathon and I can attest to that.  You’re using every muscle in your body and you have to dig down deep for the strength to get through and support is always such a help.  Jordan was right by her side the whole time, coaching, holding her hand, and supporting her.  They have such a great connection between them and you could really feel it in the room.  

There is nothing quite like a mother seeing and holding her baby for the first time.  It’s in that moment that you really feel every ache, every pain, every doctor’s appointment, everything was ALL worth it.  And then there’s the pride in like you see here in Jordan’s face.  And I could just cry big ‘ol happy tears looking at these photos of them beaming with pride and emotion.

Diana chose to do immediate skin to skin and breastfeeding after birth.  It is becoming common practice in hospitals to have mothers do this because it has been found to be SO beneficial to the baby.  The cleaning, weighing, measuring, testing, etc. can all wait and some of it can be done right on mom’s chest.  

In the meantime, the placenta is checked out to make sure all was well in there.  I know not everyone is interested in seeing organs, but the placenta is by far one of the coolest organs around.  Yep, I just said that.  The placenta is a cool, fantastic, amazing life sustaining organ.  And it’s even cooler when the doctor takes the time to educate their patients, family, and let’s be honest, the photographer on the various aspects of it.  So freakin cool.

After a while, little baby boy Isaiah, had his footprints done, his step test, and his first diaper.  And his first official “let’s see how this little dude fit inside mom’s belly” test — performed, of course, by Dad :)

Congratulations, Burnett family, on this sweet baby boy.  Thank you SO much for allowing me in to such a personal, life-changing time in your lives.  I am forever grateful!