I have had the idea to write a memoir for a few years now, but have put it off for a number of reasons. Primarily though, I would have to revisit, reflect upon, and re-feel my first birth to attend. This birth truly was life impacting, and will be a birth I go back to time and time again as I walk this road of "birth worker".
Almost three years later, I finally am able to bring myself to go there.
*** Information in this blog has been shared with expressed permission from the mother. ***
February 15th, 2016, I found myself rushing to the hospital late at night, to photograph my first birth. I had been so excited about this opportunity. But at this point, I was mostly scared abou...
As many of you already know, October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Month. 1 in 4 women carry the burden of this kind of loss; the only kind of loss that does not have a title to even call it. In honor of this month, I would like to introduce to you Joshua and Amanda Bitterman and their beloved daughter, Charlie Mae.
Charlie Mae was born still February 11th, 2018. The following is her mother's writings through the pregnancy and after, along with pictures from her birth. Please be advised that their story and images may trigger deep emotions for some and care needs to be taken in the viewing and sharing of this blog.
Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to be a mother...
I am super excited and thankful for all of you ladies who participated in my breastfeeding mini sessions August 25! It was a wonderful day and you all are just amazing women. I am happy to announce that I am going to be hosting another breastfeeding mini event!
This event will be held on my personal farm in Blount County*.
Session times will start at 10:00 in the morning and end at 5:00 in the evening. Each session will last roughly 30 minutes but may need to go longer depending on how each baby is feeling. So, please be patient if there is any overlapping.
Each participant will have a private, password protected, on-line viewing gallery of 10 images. You will also receiv...
This part of the Voices of Hope series is written by Teissa McDill. I have been so honored to be a part of their journey.
As a teenager, I was told by a doctor that I would not be able to have children. When my husband and I first got together in September of 2013, we agreed that we both wanted children. So, we never did anything to prevent pregnancy.
In March of 2014 we found out we were pregnant for the first time! We were more than ecstatic. Eleven weeks later, we tragically lost what we had called our "miracle baby". We were both devastated. I went into a deep depression. My husband was my strength through the hardest time of our lives. He was my rock, never giving up hope, ev...
One of the greatest privileges I have had through my career has been the families that I have been made a part of through friendship. This family has been one of those. They have also forever impacted my life.
Over the years, I have seen many memes shared about why professional photography is so important. There are memes, and then there is real life. I will never forget the day. Not long after I did their family pictures, they tragically lost one of their family members. I was so thankful to have been able to capture memories of this family while they could all be together one last time. It has been a reminder of why I am really doing what I am doing.
Picture is screen captured from this Facebook post. Walking In Hope is not affiliated with any of the individuals in this image or who shared this image.
This picture has come through my FB feed several times over the past few days. After a personal encounter with a new mom recently, I felt it was time to write a new blog post. This one is in regards to three specific infant car seat safety issues that we see most every day, and at any given point in time, any of these babies could face severe or even life-threatening injuries.
I try to not be one of those "know-it-all" strangers who wants to tell everyone in passing how to parent their child(ren). We all have...
The following is the personal story of Dawn and David Hill's journey . Just a brief bit about these two amazing people:
Dawn is from Andalusia, Alabama and David from Birmingham. They met, fell in love and were married in December of 2010. Dawn was a music teacher but chose to set that aside to stay home and be a homeschooling mom to her step-daughter, and now along with their younger two children. David has been in pest control most all of his adult life. He started Dave's Pest Controlas a part-time/weekend company that has since gone on to be his full-time job.
Thank you for being willing to open up and share this part of your life with us all. It is so hear...
Everyone has a story. We all carry hurts, baggage, dark places. We spend so much effort hiding these parts of our lives; put on a mask, smile, pretend all is well. Hide it away. We do this in an attempt to protect ourselves. If we show others this dark side of our lives, there will be more pain. Yet, instead of protecting ourselves, we isolate ourselves, along each person we meet. When we are all doing that, masquerading through life, we miss the blessings in the sharing.
I cannot count the times I have stood in a store, tears flowing as hearts are opened and stories are shared and broken hearts are made vulnerable, trusting that they are safe in thei...
