Unmedicated Birth at Beach Cities Midwifery in Long Beach | The Birth of Robin

My first date with Gen and Kendall went the way anyone would hope a first date would go, really really well.

We met at a park in Long Beach to go over our Birth Contract. Covid had already reared its ugly head into all of our lives, so a park bench meeting felt best. After going over the Birth Contract together, the sparks between the three of us were pretty palpable. I remember the three of us texting each other afterward saying that it felt like a first date that went really well. (And it was!)

Which is how it should feel after meeting with your potential Birth Client or Birth Photographer. Both parties are scoping each other out and when it’s the right fit, you just know.

Months passed, and one day I get a text from Gen that Kendall had been experiencing contractions all night. They were at the midwifery but were being sent back home. Kendall was 5cm dilated and they preferred her to be a little farther along before admitting her. So I had my getaway bag ready with snacks and coffee. This was the same night as Saturn and Jupiter’s conjunction. I remember sitting in my side yard in complete darkness, admiring the glow of the two spheres out in space. A couple of neighbors made their way out into the streets in hopes to catch a glance at the globes. “Incredible,” I heard someone say. Thinking of Robin, I thought, it’s going to be.

I get the text, it’s go time. The drive from Pasadena to Long Beach is about 45 minutes with no traffic – I literally don’t know how this happened but I made it there in like 20 minutes. I slip into the midwifery through the back entrance. It’s an empty place. Most lights are off. I find my way to Kendall by following the sounds of her labor. She’s in the tub, focused, alone with Robin.

I sit there in silence for a good five to ten minutes, to introduce my own energy to the space. Once I feel locked in to Kendall, I join the rhythm and dance of the night.

My line of work, as a Birth Photographer, is special for too many reasons to count. But, I’m learning quickly that some memories travel deeper and stay longer within my heart. I’ve come to gather a small collection of these favored memories from the births I’ve attended, a good handful of them being the first words parents say when they meet their children. It’s a moment that I feel undeserving to witness. A moment so holy, it always brings me to my knees with emotion and gratitude. With the permission of the parents, I think I’m going to start sharing what some of these sentiments are.

For the birth of Robin, the midwife tells Gen to look, “look down, look down and reach!” Gen, with tears in her eyes, reaches down and brings her newborn son to the chest of her laboring wife, Kendall. Gen tells Kendall, “we have a baby.” Kendall exhales, “I’ve waited my whole life for you.”