Robin Baker, a Temecula, California-based birth photographer and doula, snapped the images of the anonymous couple in a moving photo shoot on February 24 that captured every step of the water birth process, which happened so quickly that his birth team couldn’t make it on time.
Although C-sections are believed to account for 75% of twin deliveries in the US, a couple decided to have their children at home and things happened so fast that their gynecologist couldn’t make it on time.
Baker said she arrived just 20 minutes after initially receiving the call from the couple, but immediately realized it wasn’t going to be a long labor.
“Between contractions and taking pictures, I focused on helping them prepare a space for the birth,” Baker said. “I also have experience with home births, so I knew what to do.”
As soon as Baker heated up the water and the giving birth mother got into the bathtub, she immediately felt the urge to push. With everything happening so quickly, Baker and the dad-to-be spoke to his doctor over the phone to update him on his progress. The unnamed father joined his wife in the bathtub and helped deliver her twins, a boy and a girl.
The happy couple had 30 minutes of bonding with baby A before baby B found its way into his father’s hands while still in captivity.
“The mom reached down and removed the [amniotic] sac and the dad turned the baby around to free the nuchal cord and then handed him over to the mom,” Baker described.
“The parents were calm, at peace, and brought their babies into the world effortlessly!”
According to the mother, it was a planned home birth that “went perfectly as she expected.”
Although Baker has witnessed more than 70 births, he said this was one of the most incredible moments of his career.
“Since so many twins are born in the operating room, this birth was very special,” added Baker. “Women are amazing when they follow their body’s natural instincts!”
This post was originally published on March 15, 2016.