Everything was going wrong & I wanted to call this session off before we even got started. I made a big, expensive mistake – I was mad, sad & embarrassed. I wanted to crawl into my bed and have a good cry. I thought seriously about calling Lauren and telling her I couldn’t shoot so they should turn around go home.

Keep reading to find out what my big mistake was, what else went wrong & how we made it through and got so many beautiful images.

I knew I couldn’t do that to her 8 minutes before our session start time. After all, she & Adam had gotten themselves & their kids ready & would be pulling down my driveway any minute. My husband was nothing but gracious with my mistake and his reassurance gave me the ability to pull up my big girl pants and move forward with the session.

So, I greeted Lauren and her family when they pulled up and told them the whole story about how I had just wrecked my car IN MY OWN DRIVEWAY! You know that saying, “I gotta laugh to keep from crying?” That’s totally where I was. But we had a good laugh at my expense and walked out to the field to start their session. You’ll never guess what happened next.

I get everyone in position & pull my camera up to snap a few test photos… I couldn’t see a thing! How did I break my camera!? Oh, nope it’s not broken – my lens is just fogged completely over. Better than broken but still not great.

In all the chaos of wrecking my car I didn’t even think about how humid it was and that my lens would need time to acclimate (total rookie move). Strike 2 (I was keeping score). While we were waiting on my lens to get with the program, I realized that I also forgot to bring out the bug spray (cue face palm). This might not sound like a big deal, but we live on 100+ acres and if there’s anything there, it’s bugs. So I just knew we were going to be eaten alive. Strike 3 ugh.

At this point I was trying to keep it together, but I was starting to get in my head about all the things that were going wrong.

“Is there a reason all these things are happening!? Are we not supposed to do this session for some reason!? Am I not supposed to be her doula… or anybody’s doula… or even a photographer!?”

Meanwhile, Lauren and Adam were both cool as cucumbers! One thing I love about her is how easily she can roll with the punches. She’s lived enough life to know that it’s ok to not sweat the small stuff. Lauren is one of those women who easily connects with everyone she meets. She’s got that Southern Charm type of sweetness to her – she’s upbeat, encouraging, & she has a deep desire for the people around her to reach their goals. Adam compliments her perfectly. While we waited on my lens to come back to life, he was patiently examining deer beds, kicking down thorns and looking at spiders. (I told you… nature = bugs).

Then, right before my lens cleared and was finally ready to work, I heard that still, small voice say,

“Sometimes the hard things that happen are trying to prevent a good thing from growing.”

Ain’t that the truth. The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Our joy, hope, peace, confidence, creativity, relationships… the list is unending. But as believers we know that all of those things are found in Christ & that because of Him, we may have life abundantly. (John 10:10)

What I love, looking back on this session now, is that my doula client totally doula-d (past tense of the verb form doula, which I totally made up) me! As a doula I work with my clients on protecting their mental space, anticipating the variations of physiological childbirth that they might experience so they’re not caught off guard & helping them focus on why they want the birth they’re planning.

If/when they get worried during pregnancy or labor, I’m there to hold space for them & offer reassurance, protecting them from the fear tension spiral that can rob the joy and peace of childbirth.

I love that Lauren held space for me at the beginning of her maternity session, allowing me to work out the kinks & quickly get to a place of calm so I could tap into my creativity. If this is any indicator (which, yes, it totally is) of how her home birth will be in a few weeks, I can promise you it will be incredible. You can see the love and connection she and Adam have in all these images. I can’t wait to watch their relationship grow even more through the birth of this new sweet baby. And, if you’re interested in watching the rest of her home birth journey & even watching her birth she’ll be sharing it live in her private facebook group: Adam + Lauren’s Birth Experience !