Birth Story : Judah | Jacksonville Beach Birth Photographer

This birth was so moving and incredibly beautiful. I loved watching Cassandra’s quiet strength as she labored. While she was quiet, this is not to say that what she was experiencing was easy. When I arrived at their Jacksonville Beach home, Cassandra was in the birth pool, with her husband, Josh, and daughter, Makayla, nearby. Midwives Christy & Jenn from Jacksonville Community Midwives were attending to her needs for warm water, while also checking her blood pressure and the baby’s heart rate at the necessary intervals. Josh was by her side through it all.

As the contractions began to intensify, it was not long before their sweet baby was born into the water. Josh helped bring the baby up and into Cassandra’s arms with the assistance of Midwife Christy. Such a powerful moment! This was a gender-surprise birth and they waited a few minutes while soaking in and savoring all that had just happened. Cassandra then handed the baby to Josh and announced with excitement “It’s a boy!”.

The two of them with their newborn son were absolutely precious to watch. The looks they gave each other and the joy they had - you could feel what they were feeling. Their sweet dog was there for all of it and was very interested in the new addition to the family. Later, Makayla joined us all again. She instantly fell in love with her baby brother. She knew the sign for “baby” and was so excited to show us as she moved her arms back and forth as if cradling a baby. Seeing them all together as a family for the first time was so heartwarming!

View this sweet home birth story in the video and photos below.