These pictures are by a photographer local to me here in NB, Heather Wilkinson, of my friends new baby boy Jack. Isn't the one by the river so sweet? Moses incarnate.
Why do you think we find baby's in odd places so fascinating and perfect? In bowls, on bookshelves, hanging in little knitted hammocks. Do you think it's just because it's amazing how small they are? The fact that they are so small they can fit in a bowl?These ones are in the delivery room, straight out of the womb this little guy. This photographer, Pam Tomen, has done a lot of our family photos, including my pregnancy shots from the last post. What do you think of delivery photos? I'm personally all about as few people in the room as possible and really have no desire to have my friends and family capture the whole experience. I think both of my sisters have had my mother there with them, but it's always just been Troy and I, and what seems like a trillion doctors and nurses of course. I've actually put a lot of thought into delivering at home for this reason actually, just Troy and I would suit me just fine. You know what I can't get past? Labor is a messy business, and I totally wouldn't want to have to deal with that at home! Ridiculous, I know. I'm not up for having my kids there either, I'm not convinced that it wouldn't be more scary than amazing for them. What do you think?
I am enjoying this space so much Victoria! Thank you for letting me into your virtual world...and so great and strange to see me on your blog! I love all the photographs and photo ideas you have posted...and the nostalgia of pictures in general, but I have never been organized enough to do the whole photo session thing, although I often wish I had. Maybe this time? I do complain a lot about how there are so few photographs of me in the world--generally I am behind the camera and not in front of it.
ReplyDeleteAs far as birth goes, I have heard from many women that they are deterred from homebirth on account of the potential mess...Such a small aspect of the whole experience, really! Although, I do admit to generally being very easy-going about such things. Waterbirth is very tidy though, as everything is, well, contained.
My oldest son, Cedar (at 2.5 years old), was present while his little brother Kristjan was born. He held my hand, and helped his dad rub my back, and asked questions, and was surprised and a little bit alarmed when Kristjan's head started to emerge, and then when Kristjan was born, Cedar was so thrilled and excited. I remember him, minutes after his little brother was born, throwing his arms out and saying "That was the biggest come-out ever!" Then he snuggled in and kissed Kristjan and said "I love you little brother. I will protect you." Pretty incredible.
Horus will be 22 months when this one arrives, and he is already excited about the tiny baby coming out of my yoni.
I think that kids have a greater capacity for understanding and integrating birth than we give them credit for. In fact, after the experience with my older children (Cedar and Kristjan are now 10 and 7), I really think that being included in the birth of siblings is actually a very positive thing, and that issues of sibling rivalry often stem from the shock and incomprehension of mum leaving for a couple of days, and then returning with a baby out of the blue. Even with thorough explanation, there is often a sense of cognitive dissonance and a feeling of being left out of an intimate family event that effects older siblings as profoundly as it does the parents. There were never even any glimmers of sibling competitiveness between Cedar and Kristjan, and I actually do think this has a lot to do with their "birth" as brothers and their total involvement in the process.
That said, I don't think that including siblings would work very well at all in a hospital setting. The entire approach to birth at the hospital is counter to the kind of intimate event that I'm talking about, and most hospitals probably don't even "allow" younger family members. Every family does things differently--and thats ok.