I had always planned to do my own newborn session. I loved the idea of coming at this with a mama's heart and a photographer's eye. And I loved knowing that years from now, Oliver would look at these images and know that his mom and dad took them. 

I can't wait to compile these images with his Fresh 48 hospital session into one my heirloom albums! It's so important to me that my kids have special photo heirlooms of our life together, especially the parts they aren't able to remember themselves — I think it's the most important (tangible) gift I can give them!

As many of you know, my second baby boy — Oliver Lee Richards — was born Feb. 3, making him just 5 days old today. His birth story is almost the complete opposite of my firstborn, so I wanted to share!

Like his big brother, though, Oliver was late — by a full seven days! My husband and I arrived at Martha Jefferson Hospital at 10 a.m. on the 3rd for an induction. I was super nervous, because I really wanted another natural, low-intervention birth.

After we got checked in, I was given 25mg of Cytotec, a pill that's used to soften the cervix. Because I was already having small contractions (I couldn't feel them), one dose was all I needed to move things along.

I had to be monitored for about two hours after being given the pill, so while we waited, Tyler and I watched TV and ate lunch. At the end of monitoring, I was 4 centimeters and 80 percent effaced (at my last doctor's appointment, I was 3 and 70). We were in for a long night, I thought.

Once I was unhooked, we walked a few laps around the Labor & Delivery floor. Even at this point, contractions were completely manageable.  

Then 4:30 p.m. came around, and contractions turned super painful. To manage, I got into the shower and the jacuzzi tub. When I needed something, I could only point to it and hope Tyler knew what I meant. 

By about 5:45, I started to feel the need to push. I was whisked out of the tub and brought over to the bed for another quick check. I thought for sure there was no way I'd progressed that quickly (my labor with Tucker was over 24 hours!). But I was 9 centimeters and 100 percent and was given the OK to start pushing. 

Pushing Oliver was the hardest 10 minutes of my life. I screamed (a lot) and told Tyler multiple times I couldn't do it anymore. But finally, at 6:02 p.m., there he was — all 8 pounds, 9 ounces of him. We are all so in love!

*All photos by Tyler and me :)

Shortly after I arrived at the hospital.

Before his first bath.

I always want to remember when he was this small!