Summer Bell Marie Johnson's Birth 6-28-2013

The day finally came we were all waiting for!

Shannon went into labor and I was gonna be an auntie again!

I was really worried my mom wouldn't call me so that I could be there, but she did and I hurried off to the hospital to witness my niece come into this world.

When I got there I realized how unprepared Shannon was to have her baby. She hadn't done any childbirth classes and it showed. She was yelling and crying. For some reason the medication they had given her to help calm her down and help not feel the contractions so much wasn't helping as much as she wanted it to, but she was also completely against getting any extra help, despite how she was feeling. I snapped this picture during a brief moment of calm. Within what seemed like mere seconds, she was moving around all over and crying a screaming again as her contractions came and went. (and these weren't even very strong ones considering how much stronger they needed to be to have the baby)

After a couple of hours, I finally stepped in and firmly explained that if she didn't calm down and do her best to breath through the pain and try to rest when she wasn't having contractions that they would end up having to take her by c-section. She was in so much distress that it started effecting the baby. The baby wasn't dropping down where she needed to be to cause further dilation and her heart rate was all over the place. Finally I talked Shannon into a calmer state and we were able to order an epidural. I had to leave the room while they put it in (my mom stayed with her), but could hear her scream out in pain as they inserted it from down the hall.

 This was the scene within minutes of having the epidural into her system. Not the prettiest shot of my baby sister, but I had to capture how different she was from before. I wanted to show her how stubborn she was and how she could have rested like this all along...She was grateful I convinced her to go ahead and get the epidural (although I think all of the pain she went through before getting it worked as a good birth control for later)

 A few hours after getting her epidural we discovered she dilated to almost a 10 and was ready to get that baby girl out. After about an hour, Summer was born.

I, of course, couldn't get enough of her. Her little wrinkly hands and smushy face. I fell in love the moment I saw her. 

And so did Shannon.
Summer Bell Marie Johnson
Born June 28, 2013
10:23pm
7 lbs. 11 oz.
20 1/2 inches long