it's time

At about 7:00am on July 12, 2021 (two weeks from today), I received a text from Kia (Jasmyne & Mark's Doula) saying Jasmyne was having contractions and that she (Kia) will call when she would like for us (Double A Photography) to head that way. This was the moment I've been waiting for. I wanted this moment as a photographer. A couple of months prior to this home birth, I reached out to Stormi Harmon, who is the founder of Set Apart Collective, asking if she could connect me with a doula who may possibly have a home birth this summer because I would love to capture the story. I felt a strong desire to spotlight midwifery and doula services. not even 48 hours later, I received a message saying, "I think we have a mommy for you." When I met Jasmyne and Mark, there was such a connection. I felt compelled to highlight their courage and strength as young African American parents.

why a home birth?

When asking Jasmyne and Mark why they chose a home birth, here was their answer:

"When we found out we were pregnant, we immediately knew that we wanted to have a home birth. We weren’t solely influenced to have one due to the pandemic, but also because I had always imagined giving birth my way and I knew that by deciding to have a home birth would give me that freedom to do so. We then began our search for the perfect midwife and the rest was history."

Freedom is exactly what Jasmyne had during her 22 hours of laboring. She spent time roaming the safety of her own home from room to room, to couch to bed, and her birthing pool. Jasmyne's plan was to have a water birth; however, when the time came to push, she had the freedom to change her mind and birth Baby Harmony outside of the birthing pool.

Why A doula?

Jasmyne explains why she hired Kia Martin with Rebirth Her:

"To be honest, before hiring a doula for our journey I believed that having a doula wasn’t necessary for me. I hired Kia a little late into my pregnancy, simply because of procrastination and pregnancy brain (of course). Once we added Kia to our birth team, everything seemed to instantly fall in place. She was very patient, reassuring, and warm hearted throughout the remainder of my pregnancy leading into labor."

For me as the photographer, Kia was my go-to person. Because this was my first birth photography gig, I had a lot of questions and Kia was very patient in answering for me. Her guidance was necessary for everyone in the room.

It takes a village

One of the most magical moments for me, as the photographer, was seeing Jasmyne and Mark have their village surround them. Jasmyne's mother and sister came into town that morning from North Carolina. Mark's mother, who lives locally, took off from work and was by their side as well. There wasn't a moment that these first-time parents weren't surround by their people...their village.

Here is their response when asking about their family:

"I remember us telling our families that we were planning to have a home birth. Their initial reactions were that of some doubt and misunderstanding. We weren’t looking for their approval, but rather their support which we were blessed to have from the beginning. As time got closer to having baby, everyone was completely on board and excited to be apart of this new experience. We feel extremely blessed to be able to break generational curses and return back to our roots in regards to bringing forth life."

the perfect midwife

Here is what the parents had to say about their midwife:

"Two words: Janelle Alier. Our midwife was (and still is) everything we could ask for and more when it comes to being our chosen medical provider. I handpicked her from the beginning of my pregnancy at 12 weeks, and have been closely knitted with her ever since. We chose to hire her as part of our birth team due to her expertise in home birthing and her alertness to the black maternal-fetal death rates. Her knowledge, patience, and open-mindedness made this journey so peaceful and tolerable. She’s amazing at what she does and I wish for everyone to have a provider as great as she was to us."

a home birth in perfect harmony

The last thing I asked Jasmyne was to describe her experience birthing in the freedom and privacy of her own home. Here is her response:

"It was love to be able to labor in my own space. I didn’t feel rushed, bothered, or nervous at all. I was able to eat whatever, whenever I wanted. I could shower, walk around, exercise, and be butt-naked if I truly wanted to. I will not give birth any other way than being at home. It’s such a luxury and honestly, women do so much better during labor when they’re in their own comfortable space. To set the vibe, we even decorated our birth pool with fairy lights and hung affirmation cards on the wall. We had a diffuser going with lavender oil to maintain the calm, and the room was somewhat dim with the perfect amount of sunshine peaking through. It’s safe to say that this experience was nothing short of amazing. I’d do it all over again a million times."