And Baby Makes Five

For the past 22 years I have been blessed to have Liz in my life.  We have been through a lot together in our many years of friendship:  first loves, graduations, marriages, and a long list of comedic adventures that our parents still don't know about all these years later.  But for me, our most memorable experiences have been the births of our children.  I have been there for the births of her two boys, and as she says, "Real friends get each other their epidurals!"  (I was the one who suggested that if you are sobbing between contractions, it might be time to think about one.)  This was her third and last pregnancy/delivery.  But this one was extra-special.  After two boys and battles with fertility issues, finally!, she was going to have a girl.  The pink clothes!  The bows!  The mother-daughter bond!  We were all ecstatic! 
The day of the c-section arrived and my job was to 1.)  document it all and 2.) love that baby girl until the end of time.  Unfortunately I could not photograph the birth since it was major surgery and only one person is allowed in the operating room.  Dad was the obvious first choice :)!  He had a camera in one hand, a video camera in another, and a cellphone for instant Facebook uploads tucked in somewhere.  Granny, Papa and I were anxiously biding our time in the waiting room. 
Finally, after two loooooong hours our time had come to meet Miss Bella!  So little, so miraculous, looking so much like big brother Chris.  Such a tender moment for us all!  And what a privilege for me, I got to shoot it all!  The raw emotion was incredibly powerful.  This was an opportunity I hope to repeat again!  Capturing these first moments was such an honor.  I have to admit, five weeks later and I still choked up thinking about it!
This experience came with no shortage of its own unique photography challenges.  Hospital lighting which is kind of green and ugly, not to mention dim.  This meant shooting at high ISO's with my lens wide open.  Fortunately the noise was not horrible and post processing that was minimal.  But it also meant a shallow depth of field which was not ideal for all photos.  During the post-delivery bath only dads are allowed in the room, no other family and crazy photographers friends.  This meant shooting through a window.  Only it was not just any plain ol' window.  That would have been far too easy!  This window had lines on it.  Lines!  Fortunately when I got close enough that my lens was almost touching the window the lines disappeared.  In Liz's post partum room there were seven of us, her bed, the baby bassinet, and all of their luggage in a room the size of a walk-in closet.  Photographing all of this with a 50mm lens turned me into quite the contortionist.  All I can say is being precariously wedged on a sink while dangling over a bassinet with a newborn is not for the faint of heart!
Without further adieu, meet Miss Bella:

Ready for surgery!

She's here!

Granny &  Papa meet their eighth grandchild for the first time.

Out comes Mom ready to rock & roll

Shooting through the dreaded window:



Dad and Bella have their first moment to bond.



I loved watching this nurse (whose name I forgot, sorry!) just take the opportunity to share a tender moment with Bella.  This is why I love the nurses at John Muir Hospital.  A-MAZ-ING!

Steven and Chris meet their new little sister.