The baby’s name is Annabelle, but as I was photographing this birth the word that kept coming to mind was “grace.” Her mom, who has been featured on my blog before, was committed from the start of her pregnancy to have a birth experience with as little intervention as necessary. Over the almost 42 weeks that she was pregnant, she prepared mentally and emotionally for handling the labor without turning to drugs to numb the feelings. Every delivery is amazing, beautiful and perfect whether the baby gets here through a med-free birth, with the assistance of pain medications or by c-section, but I have to admire the way that Katie fought for the birth experience she wanted.

As I watched her labor hour after hour and even begin to question whether a little bit of pain relief would be such a bad thing, I was awestruck by the strength and beauty with which she (with the aid and encouragement of her fabulously supportive husband and wonderful nurse) worked through the contractions and got all the way to the finish line with nothing more than a little help with nausea. It was without a doubt the most beautiful thing that I have ever had the pleasure of witnessing.

Leave it to Katie to have perfectly applied eye makeup in labor.

Ultimately, after a few rounds of pushing, this birth ended in a c-section due to placental abruption and concerns with baby Annabelle’s heart rate, but Katie fully accomplished her goal of making it all the way through labor with no pain meds and minimal intervention. She has so much to be proud of for that. And the end result was such a beautiful baby girl: