Denver Birth Photography: the Gentle Cesarean Birth of Forest
As a birth photographer, I’m asked to capture big moments - life-changing moments. And sometimes those moments are full of joy, and other times those moments are full of immense sorrow. But in this wide spectrum of emotion, I always find immense, unshakeable love.
Elizabeth and Stephen were asked to walk down an unthinkably hard path. Around 20 weeks, they had discovered that their third child - a baby boy - had multi-cystic dysplastic kidneys, a condition that is incompatible with life. Additionally, Elizabeth had full placenta previa, which means she would need a cesarean to deliver her baby.
I was asked to come and photograph Forest’s birth. We knew that once he was born, he’d only have a few seconds or minutes with his parents, and they wanted all of those fleeting moments captured. I joined them at Presbyterian-St. Lukes on the morning the cesarean was scheduled, and while the room was full of pain and sadness…Elizabeth and Stephen’s love for their child overpowered us all.
I recorded his heartbeat before we went back to the OR. Elizabeth and Stephen both took deep breaths as they processed what was about to happen.
Throughout the weeks leading up to this day, Elizabeth advocated for her baby and her birth, and had arranged for both me and her doula to join them in the OR. She had also asked for a clear drape so that she could see Forest when he made his entrance into the world. She was such a strong woman, and I admired her ability to make Forest’s birth so calm and peaceful. We played music overhead as the doctors began the surgery…and then before long, we heard Forest let out his one perfect and beautiful cry.
And as I’m sitting here writing about this, tears fill my eyes, because sometimes life is like this: completely unfair. But I’m so glad that Forest spent his whole life with his mother holding him, cradling him. I’m so glad that Stephen and Elizabeth were with him every second. And so peacefully and quietly, Forest passed on. Elizabeth and Stephen spent the next few hours holding him and taking in every detail. You can see the beautiful tattoo that Stephen had created for his son. There’s no doubt that he will forever be part of their family, and there is no doubt that his life will impact me as a photographer and a person for the rest of my life.
As a birth photographer, I’m asked to capture big moments - life-changing moments. And sometimes those moments are full of joy, and other times those moments are full of immense sorrow. But in this wide spectrum of emotion, I always find immense, unshakeable love.
Elizabeth received immense support and comfort from two organizations during this journey. She's currently using her Usborne Books & More page to benefit String of Pearls, a perinatal hospice organization providing support to families facing a fatal fetal diagnosis. Their sibling comfort package program supplies the siblings who are dealing with the loss of a baby brother or sister. The books Elizabeth and Stephen received in their package are much loved and helped them to navigate explaining Forests death to their children. She will also be donating a portion of her commission to Dragonflies for Ruby, a doula organization that assists and supports pregnancy and infant loss at any gestation. Please consider buying some books from Elizabeth's page to honor Forest and help other families who are facing a fatal diagnosis. Please choose the event Favors for Forest during checkout.
