Dayton, Ohio Maternity & Birth Photographer | The "WHY" Behind My Work

Every time a client comes into my studio, its almost inevitable that one of their questions are "What made you begin your work as a Belly to Baby Photographer?" This is something that I think of quite often, and my answer is always the same.

In 2017 I gave birth to my first son, Athazel. I was 20 years old and I found out that I was expecting just 2 short months after getting married to my husband. At the time, we knew that my husband was going to be leaving on his first deployment and it was very unlikely that he would be able to be present during the birth of our son. We both struggled with the thought, but in the Military life there is truly nothing that you can do to avoid these things.

My husband deployed over seas in February, leaving me at 28 weeks pregnant. At 38 weeks, we received word that my husband would soon be boarding a ship and would no longer have phone service on the same week of my due date. I went straight to my Doctors office and pleaded for an induction, so my husband could at least be present with me virtually at the moment our lives change forever. She agreed and I was induced at 39 weeks. Looking back it didn't seem as "important" but to this day I am so thankful that I decided to follow through with a Birth Photographer. I honestly don't remember much from that day, but these photos bring back memories that I can hold onto forever. After that day, I continued to document my son growing up for the next 4 long months without my family together until we were finally reunited. From there, I have come to value photos so much more. We endured another long deployment without my husband 1 year later, and that one was harder on my son. He knew daddy was gone and wanted him home so badly. We relied once again, on photos and video calling to get us through that time also.

My point is, I know how fast these moments happen and I know that sometimes they are easy to take for granted. I know how fast babies can grow in the blink of an eye. I know that we could be here one day and gone the next.

So with that being said ....... Make sure you take the photos.

Invest in your memories to keep them forever.