Faces of labor

I met with my doula the other week and she gave me a CD of images she took while I was in labor with Gabe.  Some are way to vivid for this family blog, but others capture the emotions of labor so beautifully.  Craig. Me. Gabe.  Such a personal moment and I'm forever grateful she snapped away.  I wasn't in the right frame of mind when I got dressed January 24 and I was wearing a white tank top and then proceeded to get in a tub of water.  You do the math.  I Photoshopped out an obvious body part, but it's not perfect.  Still, this is capturing birth and it's real.

Arriving at the hospital.  Love Craig's cheesy grin while I'm in the middle of the contraction! ha!

 

The belly band was holding on the telemetry device that monitored Gabe wirelessly and while in water! My hospital was the only local one to have that device AND the only hospital to allow a VBAC to labor/deliver in water!

The face of pain, 

determination,

and perseverance.

The face of relaxation.

The face of comfort.

The face of "I'm doing this!"

 

The face of explosive relief

of love,

of togetherness. (The picture below is probably my favorite!)

These are the faces

of

labor.