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If there is enough interest, I’ll be offering mini sessions this June. Last time I offered these up I had very little inquiries, so this time around I must have at least 3 booked sessions at each location or those minis will be forfeit. If there is a desire for more, I may add another date in Frisco for you north DFW’ers. I’m very excited to get to offer these this year! For only $75 you get 20 minutes of shoot time and the rights to five digital images! You will also have the option after your session to purchase the entire cd of photos for only $75 more. Shoot me an e-mail for times and more details. ashlee@ashleedawnphotography.com

For the mini sessions I’ve chosen three spots that I’ve shot at a ton and have consistently good light for a range of photos. You have three spots to choose from.

The Grapevine Train Station:

Westlake Fields:

Or Deep Ellum:

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It’s taken me almost a month to write my birth story because I am not a natural writer. My grammar is wrong and I’m the WORST at run-on sentences and repeating myself. I’m just really wordy in general. So for those of you brave enough, you can click on the following link. It will take you to my nine page, highly detailed story. You might have to click the link twice. I’ve never embedded a .pdf before and it’s being annoying, but I have a newborn and I don’t want to spend any more time figuring it out.

{{ Lily’s Birth Story }}

For the rest of you, here are the bullet points. All the photos and video were either taken on my Android or on our dinky point and shoot camera, so they’re not perfect photos. They’re perfect memories though!

*After a weekend of on and off contractions, I went in at 11:30 am Monday morning, January 9th, for a 41 week biophysical appointment. After a slight scare where the baby’s heart was decel’ing on the monitor, Gloria the midwife started talking about getting admitted and starting interventions like Pitocin and breaking my waters. After getting back on the monitor in a different position, turns out the decels were a non issue. Gloria gave me a check, told me I was 3 or 4 centimeters dilated and gave me a membrane sweep to see if we could get my erratic contractions to turn into full blown labor.

*The sweep worked, and my contractions started quickly becoming stronger and closer together. I drove myself home, contracting maybe 5 times on the way, but determined to get home and labor there for as long as possible like I wanted. I got home around 3 or 4pm.

* Labored at home for a few hours before calling my Doula, Tonya, over. Michael and I were convinced it was time to go to the hospital. In fact, by the time Tonya showed up around 7pm, Michael had his keys in hand and had already sent out a mass text to our family saying we were transferring to the hospital. Tonya assessed though and convinced us to labor at home for a while longer.

*Labored in tons of different positions under Tonya’s guidance, but at around 10:30 pm, after vomiting and getting the shakes, I was ready to go to the hospital. A cold, rainy drive to the hospital followed.

*Got to the hospital around 11pm, and Gloria checked me at about 6 or 7 centimeters. I thought for sure I would be further along, but whatever. After a mean man yelled at me to sit down in a wheelchair (I refused) and the nurse forced me to labor on my back while on the heart monitor for 30 minutes, I was able to get into the bathtub.

*The tub made my contractions slow down, so I got back out and labored in the room and on the bed for a while. Got back into the tub at maybe around 1230am?

*After laboring in the tub again for a while, I started panicking and thinking I was SO done with this. I told Tonya I needed to get checked again and I couldn’t do this anymore. I didn’t ask for pain meds, but in my head I was like, “YES! Epidural time! This shit is OLD.” I was exhausted and panicked and had reached my limit. Tonya told me, “Ok, let’s do 3 or 4 more contractions, and if you still feel like that then I’ll call Gloria and she can come check you and we’ll talk about what your options are.”

*Obviously I was in transition, though I didn’t realize it at the time, and within those few contractions I felt the baby’s head drop and felt an unbearable urge to push.

*Pushed for maybe 10 minutes before the baby’s head started to crown, then quickly Tonya and the nurse were telling me to “Stop pushing! Wait for the midwife!”

*Gloria got there and within another 5 or 10 minutes my baby was born! As I started feeling the baby come out, I heard Tonya and Gloria start saying things like “Her water never broke…the baby’s in the caul…wow, can you believe it…” I guess the water did break as the baby came out, but Gloria had to pull the sac off of the baby’s face, which was pretty cool. I remember learning in my Bradley classes that it’s pretty rare for babies to be born in the caul and that it’s considered lucky for babies to be born like that. Click this link {{The Mystery of Being Born in the Caul}} to read some of the myths associated with it.

*For several minutes I just held the baby close. Finally the nurse asked, “Is it a boy or a girl” and I was like, Oh Yeah!, so I looked and the cord was between the baby’s legs so for a split second in my head I was like, “Yup, boy!” then the cord shifted and I said, “Oh my god it’s a girl!!!”  And that’s when I started tearing up and really felt that adrenaline rush/bonding moment and just felt this huge rush of love for her. Michael and I both just kept saying, “I can’t believe it.” And I kept saying, “I never thought I would have a girl!” over and over again. And Michael says, “Lily Bea” and I said, “Lily” and I just loved her so much I couldn’t even begin to express it so I started kissing her head and getting vernix all over my face and it was one of the best moments of my life. Eight days past her due date, Lily was born on January 10th, 2012 at 1:43 am. She was 8 pounds even and 19.25 inches long.

My amazing doula: Tonya Buffington, {{Website}} {{Facebook}}
My awesome Bradley Instructor: Jamie Hinton, {{Website}} {{Facebook}}
My midwives: Gloria Glidewell delivered, {{Website}} {{Facebook}}

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My sweet, beautiful family. I can’t believe I have a daughter. I can’t believe I have kids! As in, more than one. Crazy. Love these guys.

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My sweet baby girl, born January 10th, 2012 at 1:43 a.m. weighing 8 lbs, measuring 19.25 inches long. This was merely her first photo shoot. We’ll work on taking photos with Daddy and big brother later in the week. I’m also working on my birth story, and I’ll be back to share details of that soon!

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