A Glimpse Into
My Story
I’m Mackenzie. Let me start by letting you know the “why” behind the reason I love birth photography.
Like most women, I grew up fearful of birth, almost resenting the fact that I needed to do it in order to grow the family that my heart desired.
I dreaded it as a little girl, avoided thinking about it in my youth, and grew increasingly anxious about it after falling in love and getting married.
But when I saw those two faint lines on the first pregnancy test I’d ever taken, I was suddenly overwhelmed with peace. I felt the Lord’s hand in it all, and I knew that He was in control and that He was with me.
Flash forward 9 months of listening to all of the birth story podcasts, vlogs and information I could get my hands on, and I was ready for my own story to unfold.
Albeit it long and hard, I had an extremely positive birth experience in the hospital with my husband, midwife and doula. I was blessed to have a vaginal delivery with no complications or interventions like I had prayed for, and a healthy baby boy which I fully credit to the amazing support I had with me, and the confidence they had in me, my body, and my baby.
However, because of the long pushing phase towards the end (3 hours), my oxygen was dropping, I was exhausted, and with that I wasn’t in the clearest state of mind. I felt like I was coming in and out of consciousness. But my lovely doula snapped some photos when my baby was born and because of this, I have the gift of these memories to look back on, and boy do I cherish them.
The sad part is, positive birth stories aren’t always the case. Especially in the modern medical model of maternity care. In fact, 1 in 3 women in who give birth in a hospital setting would describe their birth as traumatic. Needless to say I am very fortunate, but I’m also a believer that you can have the birth that you want to have, wherever you want to have it. And especially with the right tools: knowledge and support. Which is exactly what why I am currently working on my doula certification, to better support and advocate for women in labor so that they can have the birth that they desire. And I’m also a huge believer in an undisturbed birth, since birth at its roots is simply a natural, physiological process that was perfectly designed by an intelligent Creator. But I’m not blind to the fact that depending on the circumstances interventions can be necessary and beneficial at times.
On the other side, I have confidence in my body to do what it was made to do, birth. And you should too. Birth is without a doubt the most raw, happy, hard, and beautiful thing that we as humans get to experience in our lifetime. And although I know that every woman’s story is vastly different, no matter the outcome, you are entitled to an empowering and birth. And with that, to be able to cherish and relive that birth forever through stroytelling photos forever.
Holding space for, empowering, and giving lasting memories to women in birth through pictures is the biggest passion of my life, and I hope to serve as many women as I can with this mission.