adele photography: a rainbow baby, healing hands, and a peaceful mama...June Marie [homebirth]

The text came at approximately 6:09pm on Wednesday, June 12th.

"Things are getting stronger...Andrew stayed home from church, I'm trying to decide if/what to do. Keep you posted."
I responded, telling my friend, Rachel, that if things continued to strengthen to let me know and I'd come right away.

We met a few months before her first daughter was born. I marveled at her strength to deliver her child naturally. I respected her decision to birth in her home in her familiar and safe and comforting surroundings. I joined the bandwagon nine months later with my first unmedicated birth with hospital midwives.

We continued to grow closer. She birthed her second daughter that next year at her home and asked me to be there to record the birth. I gladly agreed. I had never seen a real live birth (other than my own) before. And it was incredible.

I got the call again as I was setting the table for dinner a year ago in March. Rachel was delivering her sweet 10 week old baby. I rushed to her side and witnessed the beauty of birth and the healing hand of God. He was closer to her than ever. He sustained her those hard moments and gave her hope in time to come.

For a long week and a half Rachel had been experiencing podromal labor and was more than ready to have her baby in her arms. After watching me birth my second child as a surprise gender birth, they had decided to do the same.

I arrived at her home and set the chicken that Andrew had asked me to pick up, on the table. I walked into her bedroom and let her know I was here. She hugged me and said she was glad. We talked and laughed and sat quietly. In between contractions we reminisced about similarities and differences we had in labor. How we couldn't wait to find out what this baby would be. What name would be for a boy, for a girl...

I watched her labor gracefully, beautifully, calmly. I witnessed love in the hands of her doula, her husband, midwives, and assistants. As many times as they prayed and asked God for grace, He gave it.

Finally the time came for baby to be born...the waiting was over. the hard work finished. the reward finally held in her hands.