The Birth Story of Teddy Elin | Jacksonville Birth Photographer

When I met Jerusha and Matt, I could tell that they had the sweetest relationship. As they powered through fertility struggles, their bond was strengthened, and they were getting ready to welcome their first baby - a girl. They told me about their plans to birth at a local birth center, but as the due date grew near, those plans shifted. Jerusha’s blood pressure had increased and she was told an induction would be the best course of action. Although not thrilled with this change in plans, Jerusha and Matt embraced that this was the safest way to bring their daughter into this world and the induction was scheduled.

The induction had been underway for a while, and then things started to progress quite quickly, or so we thought. Her doula, Kahla, and I rushed to the hospital when we heard that things had picked up and Jerusha was needing more support. When we arrived, she was laboring unmedicated, with wireless monitors. With her supportive nurse’s help, she was able to move about the room, change positions, and get into the birth tub to bring some relief and comfort.

As Jerusha labored about the room, they checked her dilation periodically and while her contractions were fairly consistent, her cervix hadn’t dilated much more in over 15 hours. After trying some last-minute position changes to see if that would affect the dilation, there still was no change, so the midwife recommended a cesarean birth. This was the farthest thing from this mama’s plans and there were lots of tears. Once through the initial shock of having their birth plans turned upside down, Jerusha and Matt began to smile again as they realized they were going to get to meet their baby girl very soon.

They headed to the OR and only her doula could go with them, so I set up one of my cameras and sent it in with Kahla. She did an incredible job capturing the emotionally-charged moments surrounding Teddy’s birth. Jerusha and Matt finally got to meet their sweet girl they had waited so long for. Matt came back into the room with Teddy first, and I was able to document the most precious daddy-daughter moments as he sat by the window and admired his little girl.

Jerusha was brought back to the room a short time later, but was struggling to stay alert due to the hemorrhage she experienced in the OR. Matt held Teddy as the nurses worked on Jerusha for a little while. Before long, the color returned to her face and she was smiling again, ready to hold and nurse her baby girl. Kahla assisted her with the first latch and they got Teddy nursing. Jerusha couldn’t stop looking at her. She was finally a mom to a sweet little one and all was well in the world.

One of the most incredible parts of this story is what the doctor explained to us after the birth. He told us that Jerusha had a large cyst on one of her ovaries and if she had delivered vaginally, it could have ruptured and been fatal for mama, baby, or both. This came as such a shock to all of us. There was a reason that God orchestrated Teddy’s birth in this way and we were so grateful. Our plans rarely unfold as we expect, and we don’t often understand the reasons, but this time it was clear.

Sweet Teddy, you were protected from the very start and you are so very loved!