The Birth of Howard
Notice I couldn't put the usual "Nashville Birth Photographer" line because this was not an ordinary Nashville birth. I journeyed all the way to South Carolina to photograph Howard's birth. It was my first time traveling for this line of work and though the only predictable thing about birth is that it's unpredictable, we were able to get the timing just right. I can't tell you enough how much I love this family and how wonderful this experience was for all of us.
From Jessica:
At my 37 week appointment, my doctor and I decided to do an elective induction at 39 weeks if baby Howard hadn’t come by then. I had a feeling he wouldn’t come because I had already been trying everything to get labor started. With a date set, I decided to email Kailee and ask if she would ever think about coming to town to photograph the birth. In the end, she was able to take a detour from a trip to Florida and come to Charleston on her way home and be here. It was totally meant to be.
On June 23rd, Dan and I arrived to the hospital at 6:00 am excited and ready to go. At 7:30 my doctor arrived, broke my water, the nurse started the pitocin and the anesthesiologist was in my room by 8:30 to give me an epidural. Wam bam, thank you ma’am!At 12:18pm we welcomed baby Howard Slim Maddex into this world in about 3 pushes. The second he came out and we saw it was a boy we were overjoyed! It was a very emotional moment for us; new city, new lives, new hospital, and no friends or family present (besides the lovely Kailee). Yet this baby was perfect, healthy, handsome, and everything we could have ever prayed for.God had blessed us with our second baby boy and we were thrilled.
After a couple hours, Dan went home to get Otto and bring him to the hospital to meet his little brother. We have been prepping him over the last several months but with a 22 month old, you never know what you are going to get. He was a little hesitant when he first came into the room, but once he saw that Howard brought him a few presents, he was himself: excited, happy, curious, and loving. Otto acted interested, patted his brother’s head a couple times and gave him a kiss or two. When did he grow up and become such a little man? His interactions with Howard were beautiful and they melted Dan and I’s hearts. The heart is an amazing thing. It’s not only an organ that keeps us alive, but it has the capability to love more than one being and grow with love each day.
