03/28/2023
The most adrenaline pinching birth I’ve been to yet.
My client’s doula, Stacey , texted me that I should start heading over to the birthing center, even though I hadn’t been instructed to do so by my client, Rachel. Rachel had taken a caster oil smoothie, which is known to get things going. And since Rachel has given birth before, we anticipated this birth moving faster than most.
While on my way to the birthing center, I started to receive a flood of texts from Stacey saying, “She’s pushing. Get here fast”. I shared my ETA with Stacey so she knew I was still 15 minutes away.
F**k f**k f**k.
I knew as soon as I got there I was going to have to make a run for it. So every opportunity I had at red lights or when my car was stopped, I was assembling my cameras, hooking them to my harness, getting ready to run.
Stacey’s texts continued on, and she was even keen enough to breakdown where I needed to go, “when you get here just park in emergency and turn on your hazard lights,” she said, “you’re going to run through the big wooden doors,
then make an immediate left,
fourth door on your right,
open it,
then run down the hall,
we are in the last room on the right.”
As I pulled up to the birthing center, I was repeating Stacey’s instructions like a mantra.
Last door on the right. Down the hall.
I did exactly as she said, I threw my car in park with the hazards on. I bolted out of my vehicle, strapping my harness onto me with every quick step. I ran through the big wooden doors, turned left, opened the fourth door on my right, sprinted down the hall, and was met with a loud “WE ARE IN HERE!” I followed her voice and ran into the room, with literally only 10 minutes to spare. And then, River was born.
Cristina King Photography l Los Angeles