MY JOURNEY

For most of my adult life I’d consider myself a ‘birth nerd’. I have found myself becoming consistently drawn to exploring the incredible journey that mothers (and fathers) take & their transformation through birth & early parenthood. While working as a family & newborn photographer for 12 years, I have met and heard the stories of hundreds of families. They have inspired me but often made me question the birth culture in Australia. It leaves experiences widely varied, and sometimes far from what birthing couples truly long for & deserve.

During my own pregnancy in 2018 my husband & I researched, attended the Positive Birth Program, breastfeeding classes & learnt a lot to equip ourselves for our birth journey and post partum - and oh what I’ve learnt in the time since! (Breastfeeding for 4 years straight gave me lot of time to watch birth videos and research ;)) 

Stellan’s birth was a rollercoaster of choices & emotions - by diving into my toolkit for birth, I birthed him after a 35 hour journey. My passion for this program comes from seeing how much it helped - and knowing without those techniques things could have been very different.

In September 2022, I travelled to train with the incredible Melissa alongside other practitioners in Cairns. I shifted my photography business in a slightly new direction, closing the doors to weddings and starting to photograph births for a few close friends and clients which further cemented my desire to be immersed in this world of positive birth. I arrive in this practitioner role with such a joy and fire in my soul, to support you to have the best birth experience you can - regardless of the path it takes. 

Birth image at top by me! (Grace Ploetz Photography)

Image of myself & my son by Kristy Staatz Photography.