Melissa Willets
posted in Pregnancy
Crystal, who was pregnant with twin girls, knew she wanted to have a home birth. “For me, nothing can compare to the comfort of my own home when I’m riding the tide of labor, and experiencing all of the emotions that come with meeting my babies for the first time,” she explained to BabyCenter in an email, adding, “Not to mention the freedom and choices that aren’t always afforded to parents in other settings.”
Northern Virginia-based photographer Micah Simmons was on hand to capture Crystal’s twin home birth story in a series of raw images. Simmons shared her favorite photos from Crystal’s birth with BabyCenter, along with behind-the-scenes details about what was going on in each shot.
“I took [this photograph] within 10 minutes of [arriving at Crystal’s home]. You can see her belly hasn’t quite dropped all the way yet. I love [this image] because I think it shows the sheer rawness of pregnancy.”
“[This image] says SO much without even knowing [Crystal’s] story. Her birth team was surrounding her, including her husband and her toddler daughter, with love and support. [She is] sitting back, trusting the process. Trusting her body and her babies.”
“[This is] Crystal in labor. Breathing her babies down. Peaceful. And it shows the midwife sitting back and trusting her.”
“[I love this image] because it shows her belly half submerged in water. Again, trust the process. She actually only sat in water about 20 minutes before feeling the urge to start pushing with ‘Baby A,’ Luna.”
“[This is] a photo of Luna, just seconds after she entered the world. Comforted in her mama’s arms. I love that it shows ‘both sides’ of the girls, as [‘Twin B’] Kalila still had not been born yet.”
“[This photo is] raw and real. [Crystal] had just delivered ‘Baby B,’ Kalila, and was still nursing Luna. Her spouse was sitting next to her as was her daughter, Avily, comforting her and welcoming the twins earthside.”
“[This last image] shows their whole family. Complete with both twin girls earthside and healthy. It shows Avily with them and their dad. And Crystal, just pure bliss.” Simmons also told us, “[Crystal nursed Avily] during labor and after delivering ‘Baby A'( Luna ) and in between delivering ‘Baby B’ ( Kalila ) and after that.”
I asked Crystal why it was important to have her family surrounding her during her home birth. She said, “Despite advice to have someone care for our daughter during the birth of our twins, [my husband] Zachary and I agreed that having her present was very important to both of us. She’s a part of our family and she handled watching our family grow from 3 to 5 very well!”
I love how this mama listened to her instincts in planning, and throughout her labor and delivery. Simmons also shared something pretty incredible about how Crystal’s instincts guided her during her pregnancy: “Crystal and Zachary found out at 37 weeks that they were having twins via an ultrasound. They still didn’t find out genders or anything, just that they were healthy babes.”
Isn’t that incredible; that this couple learned so close to delivery that they were blessed with not one, but two babies? I think I’d be in a panic, trying to get ready for the births. But as Simmons said, Crystal’s twin home birth was completely peaceful. So like the photographer, I stand in awe of this amazing new mom-of-three!
How did your instincts guide you during pregnancy, labor and delivery?