Boca Raton Birth Photography: An Empowering Journey of Strength & Resilience

In late 2023, I was contacted by a first-time mom named "L," eager to document the birth of her baby boy. As a leading birth photographer in South Florida, I was thrilled to be part of her journey. Though based in Boca Raton, I was more than happy to travel to Memorial Regional Hospital in Pembroke Pines, where she planned to deliver with her OB/GYN team.

Navigating Unexpected Changes: Finding the Right Care Provider

During her pregnancy, "L" faced an unexpected challenge: her chosen OBGYN wouldn't be available for her delivery. This news, especially for a first-time mom, was understandably unsettling. We discussed the difference between midwifery and OB/GYN care, and she decided to explore the personalized support a midwife could provide.

Empowerment Through Choice: Boca Midwifery

I recommended several midwifery practices, and "L" connected with Certified Nurse Midwife Nikki from Boca Midwifery. The rapport they built during prenatal visits reaffirmed that Nikki was the right fit for her birth journey. Together, they discussed various possibilities, from spontaneous labor to potential medical interventions, ensuring "L" felt informed and empowered every step of the way.

A Mother's Strength: Navigating a Medical Induction

Towards the end of her pregnancy, "L" faced complications requiring a medical induction. Midwife Nikki presented all options, empowering "L" to make the best decision for herself and her baby. At Boca Raton Regional Hospital, I joined "L" and her husband during labor, providing support and documenting her unwavering strength.

The Beauty of Birth, No Matter the Path:

"L's" story is a testament to the resilience of mothers and the power of informed choice. Birth, whether through natural labor or medical intervention, is an incredible feat. Her journey reminds us that strength and beauty can be found in every birth experience.

Boca Raton Birth Photography: Capturing the Essence of Your Story

As a sought-after birth photographer in South Florida, I specialize in documenting the transformative power of childbirth. From the peaceful moments to the intense surges of labor, I create timeless images that honor your unique journey.

Serving Expecting Families in 2024 and Beyond

If you're due in 2024 or early 2025 and seeking a birth photographer in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, or surrounding areas, I'd be honored to capture your story. Contact me today to learn more about my services and secure your session.

Boca Raton Birth Photography: A Journey of Empowerment and Peace

My journey with Josefina began unexpectedly. Our initial connection through Boca View Optical, my trusted opticians in Boca Raton, blossomed into something far deeper when she reached out to me about documenting her first birth. Despite my primary focus on birth photography, Josefina's desire for doula-like support resonated with me, and I was honored to be part of her team.

Building Trust and Connection

Throughout her pregnancy, we fostered a close relationship. Josefina kept me updated on her prenatal visits, allowing me to feel like an integral part of her journey. We collaborated on her birth plan, ensuring her preferences were heard and respected. As her due date approached, we openly discussed her evolving concerns and questions, ensuring she felt informed and prepared for the big day.

Empowerment through Informed Choices

I believe in empowering my clients to make informed decisions about their birth experience. Whether you're working with an OB/GYN or a midwife, it's vital to feel heard and supported. If that trust isn't there, exploring alternative providers is perfectly okay.

A Serene Birth at Boca Raton Regional Hospital

Josefina's labor and delivery at Boca Raton Regional Hospital was a testament to the power of a supportive birth team. Midwife Laurie Gibbons provided exceptional care, respecting Josefina's wishes and creating a calm and empowering environment. The hospital staff also played a crucial role in ensuring a positive experience.

Capturing the Essence of Motherhood

As a Boca Raton birth photographer, I'm passionate about documenting the raw beauty and emotions of childbirth. From the first contractions to the tender embrace of a newborn, these images capture the transformative journey into motherhood.

Luxury Birth Photography in South Florida

Whether you're a first-time mom like Josefina or welcoming another addition to your family, I'm here to tell your unique birth story. My services extend beyond Boca Raton to Delray Beach and other South Florida locations. I'm also available for maternity and newborn photography, creating a beautiful visual narrative of your journey into parenthood.

Contact Me Today: Document Your Precious Moments

Let's capture the love, strength, and joy of your birth experience. Reach out today to book your session.

Jupiter Home Birth: First-Time Mom's Dream Realized in Converted School Bus

🚌 SCHOOL BUS CONVERTED HOUSE 🚌

HOME BIRTH

in Jupiter, Florida

I get asked OFTEN what my favorite birth ever was.

While I don't have a favorite, because I have attended a lot of births I really really loved for many different reasons, I am going to start sharing a few of my 'coolest' births that instantly come to mind starting with this one!

First time mama lives in a school bus converted home, when I arrived at her birth, I saw immediately how much heart and time they put into creating a loving home.

When she first hired me to photograph her baby's home birth, I said I would do whatever I could to make it, despite it being a drive for me.

Its really hard for me to choose only 10 of my favorite photos from Katie's home birth, but I did my best narrowing them down for instagram. While on this blog post, I included my favorite 70 birth photos from Katie’s home birth photo gallery of 229!

My Favorite things about this home birth as a Birth Photographer in South Florida:

1. I think this will always be my fav thing every time you ask, I was fed :) One of my love languages is when someone cooks or buys food for me, whether a meal or a snack or a coffee. One of the yummy things I had while at this birth were donuts from Jupiter Donuts. And while memory is escaping me, I am pretty sure I ate most of them lol

2. The Lighting during certain parts of Katie’s labor was the most beautiful lighting I have ever had the honor of capturing in all ten years of my career as a Birth Photographer, particularly because of the window coverings during the highest point of the sun filtered the most magical tones and shadows.

3. Katie didn’t have any off limits photos, and she also didn’t have any expectations. If you’re a photographer, you know there are clients who you try to meet their very specific expectations, and others who trust you 100% to capture their birth through your lens and Katie was the latter.

4. Katie’s labor ended up being one of the coolest births I had ever photographed. Between the location she lives in, her home being a school bus converted house, it being a home birth, her being a first time mom, it was truly an experience of a life time for me.

As with all things, every yin has a yang, and My Least Favorite things about this experience as a Birth Photographer in South Florida:

1. I don’t think I ever had to worry about mosquitoes at work before. Yes, I live in South Florida so we always have mosquitoes, and while I am use to it, I never thought I’d have to swat at mosquitoes for hours and hours and use endless amounts of bug repellant and I don’t think that was my cup of tea (while working).

2. I aim to typically arrive at births during the active labor stage. While if I had done this at Katie’s birth, I would have missed at least 30-40% of the beautiful photos at the beginning of this gallery, so I am glad I did not miss them, it was definitely rough being at this birth for 24 hours. Because it was so far, I did not want to leave. But there was no signal on my phone for most of the birth, and ask any birth photographer in the world, you are not photographing for 24 hours if you’re at a 24 hour long birth. Also, because we did a lot of waiting in between photographing new parts of Katie’s story, I also had to do a lot of sitting around, and my back was killing me for such a long time.

3. Because Katie and Kevin were still working on their house, their bathroom wasn’t complete. So the three times I did use their bathroom, people had to hold up a towel in front of me for privacy, and I did not enjoy that at all and would like to avoid that experience while at work in the future if at all possible, lol

I was asked if I would ever do a home birth in a school bus converted house again, and my answer is, “maybe”

A lot would depend on who the birthing mom is, if this is her first, probably not in order to avoid another long birth, though I have absolutely zero regrets for capturing the most magical and amazing birth for Katie and Kevin, and I would do their birth again and again if I went back in time. It was meant to be.

Other factors that would impact my decision would be: how far away am I going? I am not sure if I would go this far again for a first time mom due to the distance, after being awake for a very long time, I had to call my husband to be on the phone with me on the drive home, as I did not want to fall asleep behind the wheel and that is one thing that makes long births, regardless of where they are, dangerous for the birth workers attending them, and why I am fully behind only attending once my client is in active labor.

And you can’t really control if there is going to be wifi / signal in the area you are going whether its a home birth or a hospital birth, but if I knew ahead of time that I am going to a first time mom’s birth, where there is no signal and it is not a hospital where you can connect to wifi, and there isn’t quick access to a coffee shop, that may affect my decision as well

Do you have a favorite photo of the collection?

Boca Raton Newborn Photography: Excited First-Time Parents Welcome Baby Boy (Hospital Birth Story)

“I was following along with important updates on progress with labor, knowing that most of the time, when it comes to first time moms and first deliveries, things tend to move a little slower. ”

This birth took place at the beautiful Boca Raton Regional Hospital, known for its family-centered approach to maternity care, support of local doulas, midwives, vbacs and unmedicated deliveries. If you're curious about other birth environments, I also photographed a serene water birth at a local birthing center Natural BirthWorks Birth Center Water Birth. Each experience is unique and special in its own way.

It is possible that if you’re in the last few weeks of your pregnancy, nearing full term (37 weeks and more) to find and hire your Birth Photographer Photographer last minute for your birth, although it is so incredibly tricky!

Let me explain:

I usually work with a maximum of two Birth Photography clients in each month (and mainly in Boca Raton).

Yes, I can absolutely take more clients, but rarely do.

If my clients births overlap, I need to call in my backup photographer. And while my backup has been vetted by myself, it isn’t me. And then my Birth Photography client would need to add a stranger (stranger to them) to their birth team at the last minute.

Most of my Birth Photography clients hire me during their first trimester (between 6 weeks to 12 weeks of pregnancy) or second trimester (13 weeks to 28 weeks of pregnancy) because it matters to them who is part of their birth team during their baby’s delivery.

While there’s many pregnancy and newborn photographers in south Florida, there’s only one of me, and often, that’s enough reason for my clients to want to invest in On-Call time with me and appreciate that I limit my monthly Birth clients to two, which reduces the risk of overlapping births.

And that’s why I absolutely enjoy working with two Birth Photography clients each month, I get to know my Birth clients well, and the closer I am to a Birth Photography client and her family, the more part of her birth team I feel, and in turn, the better her Birth Photos are.

Birth Photography is an art form, and just like all artists, I am driven by emotions and emotional connections with people. I love what I do!

This first time mom and dad did not get the opportunity to hire me earlier in their pregnancy, but we were so glad that the stars aligned and I was able to attend the birth of their first baby, a sweet newborn baby boy.

This little one was born just four days after my 2023 January Birth Photography client gave birth to her twins and one week before my 2023 February Birth Photography client gave birth to her daughter.

That kind of star alignment happens for an Aquarius baby, I’m telling you! :)

If you love Birth Stories, Thanks for hanging out!

Scroll Down to get started and read more of Baby Boy Layton’s Birth Story at Baptist Boca Raton Regional Hospital with his parents, grandmother and Midwives from Boca Midwifery below!

My client and I had been texting and emailing and even did a quick-prenatal visit on the phone during the last few weeks of her pregnancy with her first baby.

Ever since she and her husband decided they wanted to have me as a part of their Birth team for their first birth, along with her mom, Midwives and Labor and Delivery Nurses. She was planning to give birth to her first baby at Baptist Boca Raton Regional Hospital (the East Boca Hospital near Glades Road, east of I-95 *please note the two Boca Raton Hospitals are not in anyway connected, it’s two completely different companies — One Hospital is owned by Baptist, (while the other hospital out west on 441 is Tenet owned).

Even though everything was super last minute with this family, when it works out so well and the stars align, it was clearly meant to be.

I was super excited for my client and her husband having their very first baby, and at one of my favorite hospitals in south Florida and with one of my favorite Midwifery teams.

The morning that my client went into labor with her first baby (January 20th around 430am), we were texting back and forth the way I do with all my laboring clients.

I was following along with important updates on progress with labor, knowing that most of the time, when it comes to first time moms and first deliveries, things tend to move a little slower.

My client saw her Certified Nurse Midwife at Boca Midwifery later that morning while contractions were 30-40 seconds in length, occurring every 4-6 minutes. Typically, to be in the ‘active’ stage of labor, your contractions should ideally be around 60 seconds in length, every 3-5 minutes.

If you love my client’s green labor and delivery gown, you can find it here https://amzn.to/3Zmzmne my affiliate link and a percent goes to me :)

My Birth client let me know she was about 2-3cm and that her Midwife did a membrane sweep to help kick things into gear.

Contractions definitely got more intense as labor moved on for my client and she headed into the hospital around 3pm. She was still about 2-3cm but hopeful.

530pm they let me know her water broke.

Once my client got an epidural around 7pm, I waited to hear if there were any updates. I expected to get called into join them in person sometime in the next few hours and was ready with my uniform and gear for the better part of the day waiting on that notification.

At 849pm I was informed that my client was feeling pressure.

I right away asked if they had any updates. Sometimes women who are even not yet in active labor can sometimes feel pressure as contractions are putting pressure on baby.

I really wanted to join them, but I also knew that going in too soon (since the last update she was 2-3cm only a couple of hours ago) could mean I may be there for way too many hours. So I continued to wait patiently to hear from the parents and when they would like me to join them.

But then suddenly they texted 20 minutes later to say she was 10cm! Out of nowhere!

I asked them right away if they would like me to head in (I was already on my way out the door) and at first they worried if I would make it, but after talking to their nurse, she reassured them that even if you are 10cm, baby still needs to work its way down, so more confidently they said yes.

They were worried I wouldn’t make it.

I walked into Baptist Boca Raton Regional Hospital at 945pm

Baby wasn’t here yet!

My client was all smiles. Her husband and mom sat calmly as they were all super excited to meet baby boy very soon.

Her Midwife Courtney McMillian from Boca Midwifery came in and sat at the edge of her bed.

I am glad for all the years of attending births, that even though this first time mom was already 10cm dilated, it didn’t mean baby was coming. I often explain to my Birth Photography clients, once you get to 10cm, you also have to bring your baby down a bit into the birth canal.

Babies usually start out being high, with a station of -3 and they aren’t crowning until +3 station when the head is beginning to crown.

Shortly after I arrived, it was time to start pushing

My Birth Photography client’s husband and her mom both joined at the bedside to help with pushing, everyone was so excited that it was finally time & that everyone was here!

The Labor and Delivery Nurse wheels in the delivery table, covered in a blue drape to protect all the sterile tools beneath it that aid my client’s midwife in the delivery as well as postpartum.

My client holds her pregnant belly for the last time, connecting with her baby boy, before she gets to see and meet him! If you LOVE her green labor and delivery gown, it is super affordable from amazon, and works well with epidurals, belly monitors and even buttons down for breastfeeding. They have so many colors so you pick what you love, here is my affiliate link if you want to send some love my way: GREEN LABOR & DELIVERY GOWN

Mom was a very determined pusher and even asked for a mirror, which while some moms won’t ask for, she knew it would give her the guidance to push more effectively - smart move mama!

Mirror for use in Labor and Delivery for pushing

I know it can be scary & vulnerable and even intimidating to use a mirror when pushing. You’re scared of what you’ll see, you feel vulnerable being even more exposed. But trust me and give yourself permission to surrender and use this super effective tool to help you meet your baby sooner!

Super focused pushing. Amazing work on the part of this first time mom!

She pushed so well it was time to catch a baby!

My client’s other midwife Nikki was able to join just in time for my client to give birth to her baby so my client had both her midwives from Boca Midwifery at her delivery, Courtney and Nikki!

And with one last push….

He was here! Welcome Baby Boy Layton!

Love this moment of dad cutting the cord, you can see how happy mom is and Midwife’s eyes smiling behind her mask.

Excited Midwives!

This moment, right after birth, is so fleeting.

That's why I'm passionate about capturing these precious memories for families. (link to your About Me page)

If you're interested in learning more about my birth photography services, you can find all the details here:

https://www.paulinasplechta.com/contact