When Catherine first reached out to me for birth photography for her Jackson, Michigan homebirth, I quickly realized that I had photographed her sister-in-laws births (both of them!). My favorite part of all of this is that both of the sister-in-laws talked about how incredibly strong the other person was, during their own births. They are both incredibly strong and rocked their births. It’s always an honor to have clients refer me to their friends and family.

When Catherine texted me to tell me that contractions had started, I packed everything into the car quickly. She has a history of fast births and it was an hour drive, I knew I needed to be ready. Not long after that first text, I got the text to head over. They live outside of Jackson, Michigan, not far from where I grew up, in the Hanover Horton area. I drove the familiar roads, just at sunset - which is very late in Michigan during the summer. When we arrived, Catherine was in early labor, smiling and talking, but preparing for what was to come. She said, ‘I am a little nervous.’ She has a history of really fast and intense births, and knowing what is about to come is…intense. Even though you’ve prepared for 9 months, it can still be a hard reality to face.

It was clear that she needed a little bit of space in her room to see if the contractions were going to pick up, or slow down. Everyone was here, her kids were sleeping, she was safe.
Her midwife, Celeste of Gentle Mama Holistic Midwifery, and I decided to lay down to see if labor would pick up or slow down. Not 30 minutes later, dad came in and said ‘ she needs you’. We ran up to the bathroom and it was clear that baby was coming, soon! Catherine went from talking and breathing through contractions, to intense transition in just a few short minutes. I looked at the clock and it was nearly midnight.

She didn’t want to wake her kids up with the birth noises she made, so she kept a wash cloth in her mouth to help quiet the sound. This was important to her because her toddler woke up during the night and she didn’t want to scare him. Birth noises are totally normal and I personally love when folks find their power during birth. It’s beautiful, primal and powerful all in the same moment.

Catherine did an amazing job working through fast and hard contractions in a very short period of time and then pushing out her 10lb baby! From start to finish, active labor was just under hour long in total.

After Catherine gave birth, Celeste continued to check mom and baby and gave them time to process what had just happened while resting in the tub. When it felt like time, they got out and tucked into bed.

Just as Catherine had predicted, her sweet toddler son woke up and walked down the hallway into their bedroom to find that he was now a big brother and had a baby sister!

Take a minute to watch Catherine’s short video (the longer version is coming soon!) and some of my favorite photos from this incredible birth.

If you’re interested in a birth photographer - contact me to chat more about it!

Fast Homebirth in Jackson, Michigan with Celeste Groenenberg of Gentle Mama Holistic Midwifery and Birth Photographer Jennifer Mason.