Welcome Rafael - an unplanned Cesarean birth at St. Joes in Denver

Jenna and Armando became two of my favorite people I came in contact with last year. We first met when we did a beautiful maternity session in Golden on a rainy and windy night. I fell in love with their warmth. They were so open, so excited, so ready to meet their baby boy. 

At their birth, I quickly fell in love with Jenna's family. Her sister kept me updated during Jenna's long induction. Even her simple text messages were so kind and appreciative. Jenna gave birth at St. Joseph's Hospital in downtown Denver. She worked with the Kaiser team and was lucky enough to have a family friend as her OB. After literally days of labor, her care team decided that the very best choice for Rafael and Jenna was a cesarean birth. I was still at home and received the phone call from Jenna's sister in the middle of the night. I knew that the chances I'd make it to St. Joes before they went back to the OR were slim. Often when the decision is made...there isn't time to wait. But I still wanted to try. So I threw on my clothes, grabbed my bags and made the 15-minute drive to the hospital. 

When I arrived, they were about to wheel Jenna back into the OR. They quickly threw me a pair of scrubs, and I managed to take a few images of her family saying goodbye before we headed into the Operating Room. There was some slight hesitation about allowing me back. Even though I've photographed dozens of cesarean births, most medical staff aren't immediately aware of my experience (especially when we're all rushing back to a surgery!) Thankfully, Jenna's OB was kind enough to advocate for me to come back. And so I did. And I was able to capture some of the most beautiful images for Jenna, Armando and Baby Rafael.