The words always take the longest to come, when I’m working on blogging about a birth. It is such a sacred thing to be invited into a birth space to bear witness to the arrival of not only a precious new baby…but also the transformation of the laboring woman from simply a sister, daughter, wife, friend to *mother*. This past Mother’s Day, when the sweetest, wee, Tillie Rose arrived, was no different. Carly had the most beautifully supported labor. There were so many hands providing for her, so many words of encouragement woven around her and whispered in her ear, so many bodies holding her up while she did the work. She rocked and soaked, walked and squatted, leaned and hung, and then walked some more.  She worked tirelessly and fought so hard, and then surrendering to her body’s natural labor rhythms, did the (mind-blowing) work of pushing her baby out and into the world. 

Each birth is different and remarkable in its own way…and now this Mother’s Day that will always be dear to my heart as it was shared with Carly, her mother, her sister, her husband Jordan’s mother, and my mother, GB, who was the midwife. In her sister Mandy’s words, “witnessing the physical and emotional work that it takes to birth a baby, and watching a baby come into the world will change your life.” It’s so true. I’m truly honored that I was able to capture this life-changing day for this amazing family.