Welcome Morgan David!!

Congratulations to J & M on the birth of their second child on 9/21/2010. They had a cesarean birth for their first and were planning to have a VBAC for their second. After ALOT of hard work on J's part, she was able to VBAC!! This mama worked really hard...I was with her for around 21 hours & she a full day of early labor before I joined her!

Congratulations again!! Pics to be posted soon:)

WELCOME Liam Preston

After a joyful wait, Liam Preston was born at 41 weeks 5 days on Friday, August 20th, 2010! He was 7 pounds 9 ounces, at 4:21 am. Labor was no picnic for this family and after many issues with cord compression, he was cesarean born. I am so proud this family fully educated themselves and made many changes to their care before their son was born. They selected one of the best OB's in the DFW area and felt comfortable with the decisions that had to be made. Congratulations L & B~What an amazing journey you have been on!

WELCOME Phoebe Alexandra

Saturday, July 10th brought us Miss Phoebe Alexandra. She was born at 5:44am , 7 pounds 6.8 ounces and was 20 inches long. After an intense labor, Phoebe was born without medication in the hospital setting! Congratulations S & J!! I still can't believe how much hair she has:)

Welcome Baby Miles

M and A had an absolutely incredible water birth at Inanna Birth Center in Denton. The birth went quickly and amazed everyone who was honored to be a part of their birth team. Here are a few pictures of Miles' birth day...

If you look closely at this picture (below), I swear Miles is smiling at his Daddy & big sister.

Baby Paisley

Here are the long awaited pictures of beautiful Paisley...her birth was amazing and her mama did great!

A gorgeous red headed newborn~

I was called in to photograph a doula friend's 18 day old beautiful baby girl. Baby C was so cooperative for the shoot and barely fussed at all. I can't get over how beautiful this baby is with all that red hair. These are a few of my favorites...

It's a BOY!!!

I attended a beautiful birth on the 9th & 10th of February. S was one strong woman who pushed herself every step of the way during labor. After being 1 cm for days, with being induced two separate times, she finally broke past and made it to 10 in less than 6 hours. Complications arose during pushing & she was allowed to rest and labor down. After an hour and pushing resumed, the complications didn't go away. S had a cesarean birth at 1:04 am, Baby G is 6 pounds 14 ounces & 21 1/2" long...and a really gorgeous baby boy!! Congratulations S & P!!

A baby girl!

I was called in Sunday the 21st to back up another doula, so I was able to attend C & J's birth in Dallas. I arrived at the hospital at 7:25pm and their baby girl was birthed at 10:34pm. C was an amazing woman to watch during labor. She handled everything perfectly and she was a first time mom! Congratulations C & J...your baby E is absolutely gorgeous!

Expanding My Business!

I am expanding my doula business to include birth and newborn photography. I have had success with taking pictures while my doula clients were in labor, but it is much harder when you are trying to doula and take pics.

Since I am building my portfolio, I am looking for up to 3 photography only clients between December and March 2009 for a reduced fee of $100. This includes a driving radius of 35 miles from Denton.

The newborn client (1) will receive a fully edited cd of pictures and a release for them to print where ever they choose. The newborn session will take place in their home and will be between 2 -4 hours. This length of time accommodates breastfeeding, diaper changes and napping.

For birth photography clients (2), they will receive the cd, release and a slideshow dvd set to music of my choice. I will join them in active labor at their desired birth place.

Please feel free to contact me at mary@embracebirth.com for more information or you are more than welcome to pass this information along to your friends.

Luke's newborn pictures

I was able to take a few pictures of my dear friend's newborn the other day. This is Luke and he was 11 days old in these photographs. I am definitely working on my photography skills and I think these turned out nicely for not being fully edited yet. Congratulations again S & R, you have a beautiful family.

An amazing birth

I recently doula'd for a great couple. S and C were planning a Bradley birth and then the unexpected happened. C suffered a life threatening injury at work and landed in the hospital. He was joyously released right before the birth of his first child. S labored hard and then a few complications set in. Baby N was born by cesarean birth due to him being wrapped in his cord several times. He was so twisted up in his cord...he must have been having a blast with it. Congratulations S & C...Baby N is just as handsome as can be!

A beautiful VBAC birth

I had the privledge of attending a hospital VBAC birth on the 2nd of October. It was a delightful birth with the parents fully educating themselves on their birth options. They ended up changing care providers, hospitals and even the city they planned on birthing in so they could have the birth they wanted. Here are a few pictures from their very special day...congratulations L & R! You did it & baby L is gorgeous!