Birth and Fresh 48 Story of Sara and Ulla

Postpartum mom in mesh underwear nurses baby, standing in a window, in the middle of her bedroom in Portland Oregon

This is the Home Birth and Fresh 48 Story of Sara and Ulla.

Sometimes the birth team misses a birth by moments, a baby is so independent and precipitous that they will wait for no-one. I immediately offered to come back in the morning and capture 3 big brothers meeting their little sister, and I am happy to have captured that quiet, intimate first day, and the rambunctiousness of a family on the second day.

Location: At home in Portland, Oregon
Midwives: Unfurling Birth
Photographer: Myself, Meg – Meg Ross Photography

Images shared with love and permission, words by mom, Sara.

Home Birth

the birth of this baby, solo and accidentally unassisted, happened so fast it stunned me. it stunned feldman. neither of us were ready and yet somehow, i was. my hands reached down to catch her, to cradle her as if they already knew the exact size and shape of her and laid her tiny being onto the bathroom floor with grace that came from nowhere i can name. meg had been called but not soon enough. her birth was missed by sheer moments

this was, for us, the year of ulla. it was the year of birthing her. my one and only home birth. it was the year of three little boys with unwavering patience turning overnight into big brothers and embracing their new role with as much grace as they could muster. it was year feldman and i became mom and dad yet again, this time with four mouths to feed, to house, to hold, to love tirelessly. and it was the year i asked a photographer to come and capture moments i had never had captured before. quiet ones. vulnerable ones. ones i get to look at as often as i am moved to do. ones i get to show her, them, us. i have waited a long time to share these. for a while i didn’t think i could, or should. they feel so private, so raw. but i love them and i adore the woman who took them, stepped into these very fresh post partum spaces with me and gave us these images. thank you Meg. you took an already birth photo obsessed mom and made her even more so.

Mom sits on toilet holding baby while 2 Unfurling Birth midwives provide care post home birth in Portland OregonUlla-Fast-Home-Birth-with-Unfurling-Birth-and-Midwifery-in-Portland-Oregon-and-birth-photographer-doula-Meg-RossMom sits on toilet holding baby and looking down while an Unfurling Birth midwife provides care post home birth in Portland Oregon Ulla-Fast-Home-Birth-with-Unfurling-Birth-and-Midwifery-in-Portland-Oregon-and-birth-photographer-doula-Meg-RossClose up of postpartum baby wrapped in a blanket, on mom's lap, and 1 hand sticking outUlla-Fast-Home-Birth-with-Unfurling-Birth-and-Midwifery-in-Portland-Oregon-and-birth-photographer-doula-Meg-RossUlla-Fast-Home-Birth-with-Unfurling-Birth-and-Midwifery-in-Portland-Oregon-and-birth-photographer-doula-Meg-RossUlla-Fast-Home-Birth-with-Unfurling-Birth-and-Midwifery-in-Portland-Oregon-and-birth-photographer-doula-Meg-RossPull back shot of a home birth family's living room Mom on couch with baby, dad on adjoining couch, and Unfurling Midwifery birth team scattered on the floor in Portland OregonSideways shots of a reclining postpartum mom on the couch trying to get her baby to latch with dad's supportive hand on her armUlla-Fast-Home-Birth-with-Unfurling-Birth-and-Midwifery-in-Portland-Oregon-and-birth-photographer-doula-Meg-RossUnfurling Birth midwives perform a newborn exam on the floor post home birth in Portland OregonUlla-Fast-Home-Birth-with-Unfurling-Birth-and-Midwifery-in-Portland-Oregon-and-birth-photographer-doula-Meg-RossUlla-Fast-Home-Birth-with-Unfurling-Birth-and-Midwifery-in-Portland-Oregon-and-birth-photographer-doula-Meg-RossOverhead view of baby being held in mom's lap post home birth in Portland OregonUlla-Fast-Home-Birth-with-Unfurling-Birth-and-Midwifery-in-Portland-Oregon-and-birth-photographer-doula-Meg-RossUlla-Fast-Home-Birth-with-Unfurling-Birth-and-Midwifery-in-Portland-Oregon-and-birth-photographer-doula-Meg-Ross

Fresh 48

the year of ulla. the morning after. my in-laws had graciously taken all the boys to their house for a sleepover so that i could have a quiet house to labor in and they kept them for a second night as well so that leigh and i could have a slice of precious newborn time to just smell her head and sleep.

Closeup of a full head of fresh newborn brunette hair while mom holds baby to chest and nurses in their home in Portland OregonUlla Fresh 48 Newborn and Postpartum in Portland Oregon by Meg Ross, Birth Photographer and Doula Postpartum mom stands and nurses her baby in her bedroom in mesh undewear during their Fresh 48 Newborn session in Portland OregonUlla Fresh 48 Newborn and Postpartum in Portland Oregon by Meg Ross, Birth Photographer and DoulaMom and dad sit side by side on their bed and look down while mom nurses babyUlla Fresh 48 Newborn and Postpartum in Portland Oregon by Meg Ross, Birth Photographer and DoulaMom and dad kiss while mom holds baby and nurses during their Fresh 48 Newborn session in Portland Oregon

my mother in law was kind enough to send each kiddo running up the stairs one at a time and shirtless, as per my request. i remember being nervous, i missed them and they were coming home to a new sibling, a sister. sebe said he didn’t know fingers could be that small. and they swooned in a way i wasn’t even prepared for. will never be fully prepared for, i suppose.

Ulla Fresh 48 Newborn and Postpartum in Portland Oregon by Meg Ross, Birth Photographer and DoulaUlla Fresh 48 Newborn and Postpartum in Portland Oregon by Meg Ross, Birth Photographer and DoulaUlla Fresh 48 Newborn and Postpartum in Portland Oregon by Meg Ross, Birth Photographer and Doula3 big brothers circle up and look down and admire their little baby sister in the middle while mom looks on and supervises during their Fresh 48 newborn session in Portland OregonUlla Fresh 48 Newborn and Postpartum in Portland Oregon by Meg Ross, Birth Photographer and Doula3 big brothers circle up and look down and admire their little baby sister in the middle while mom looks on and supervises during their Fresh 48 newborn session in Portland OregonClose up of child art up on a wall and taped on top are 3 polaroids from the family's Home Birth and Fresh 48 photos in Portland Oregon

the heart is never really ready for monumentally emotional moments, even when you’ve been there before.

Looking to have your home birth and fresh 48 documented? Meg is an award winning, published birth photographer and doula (in training) supporting families and birthing persons in the Portland metro area including Beaverton, Hillsboro, Salem, and Vancouver.

2022 has just a few more openings.
Check to see if your due date is still available.

 

0 comments
Add a comment...

Your email is never<\/em> published or shared. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.

    a bittersweet farewell…

    It is with a heavy heart that I announce the closure of Meg Ross Photography. After much reflection and consideration following the death of my husband and children's father, I have made the difficult decision to close my business. This decision was not made lightly, and it comes after a great deal of contemplation about healing from grief and how to best show up for my children..

     

    I want to express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you for allowing me to be a part of your special moments. It has been an honor and a privilege to capture the beauty and emotion of childbirth for so many families. Your trust and support have meant the world to me, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to have been a part of your lives.

     

    Hugs and oxytocin,
    Meg Ross

    G-5WHHPEXKZR