Beautiful Mama

There is something so special for me about photographing my close friends or family. Especially my girlfriends or sisters. Because we are so comfortable with each other I feel like I really get to capture them as they are. My beautiful friend here is due to have her 4th baby in August, isn't she looking fantastic. And she still is fun and crazy enough to go swimming fully clothed in the ocean at 8 months pregnant! We had so much fun frolicking in the water. It was one of the most fun photo sessions ever!
And I had to include a self-portrait of the two of us.

What's a Doula???

So most of my fantastic clients are probably unaware of the fact that I am currently preparing to apply to midwifery college, hoping to start next year. I've been working on the prerequisites to do so, and one of them was to take a labor doula workshop that is supposed to help you to get a bit deeper understanding of childbirth and hopefully give you some insight into whether you would like to continue down the path towards becoming a midwife or not. So while I don't intend to practice as a doula, I've been taking this course for the past 3 months. And I was really amazed by the statistics that are out there that show the benefits of mothers having a doula present for their children's births. A doula is a woman who helps women and their families through labor and birth. Here are some of the statistical changes in a birth that a doula makes.
50% reduction in the cesarean rate
25% shorter labor
60% reduction in epidural requests
40% reduction in oxytocin use
30% reduction in analgesia use
40% reduction in forceps delivery
I got this info here.
And just to clarify, most doulas attend births in the hospital, and you don't need to be planning a drug free all natural birth to hire a doula. They can be very helpful to all women regardless of your plans for your birth.

In this class I was able to get to know some absolutely phenomenal ladies. We laughed and bonded, and I really felt like one of the best parts of the class was to meet new friends. So when Lena and Corinne asked me to take some photos of them to use for their new website I was so excited. They are currently still in training and are looking for mamas who would be interested in their services at a very discounted rate. So if you are interested you can call them at 503.307.8614 or e-mail info@cascadiabirth.com .

Family

It's always so much fun to photograph my family members. My cute little nephews are always fun to photograph, and they were really good for me. Thanks for coming to visit you guys!! And of course we had to take some shots of my little guy with his cousin. Look at him lovin on the little guy!!

Pretty in Pink!

I don't think it gets much sweeter than this. Why do all these baby girls make me want to have another baby!!!

A New Favorite

I think I have found a new favorite location!! I took these at Memorial Park in Wilsonville, and I am loving them. We also lucked out with one of the best weather days so far this year. And then you add in a gorgeous family and you can't go wrong. There were so many beautiful shots I had such a hard time narrowing down a few to share!

Big Girl!

I photographed this little sweetie last summer and she was just a cute little baby. Now this summer she is a big girl who is running around, talking, and even showing some attitude here and there! It's just amazing how fast they go from this
to this!