The day before beautiful baby River arrived was Easter Monday. I spoke to Claire and asked her how she would feel about me traveling to the Hunter Valley to spend an impromptu night away with my 5 sisters, since she was not quite due yet. Claire is one of the loveliest people you could ever meet and of course she said “Go Kate! Have fun. If I need you, I’ll call.” I assured her that I would only be an hour away, I would have all my camera gear with me and would be ready to drop everything the second she called. As I had dinner with my sisters and sat around until well after midnight chatting, I had a feeling. I found myself checking my phone every 5 minutes. Sure enough, just as I was closing my eyes for the night, the phone beeped, and I was up and out the door.

I arrived at Claire and Nath’s house to find Claire well into established labour. The beautiful Belmont midwives were being amazing and attentive as always and little Orlando was helping support his mum with gentle pats on the arm and soft words. Claire’s mind was so focused on that baby, she didn’t show a moment of hesitation or doubt and it wasn’t long before baby River was delivered in the birth pool and thrust up into his mother’s waiting arms. The beauty and peace of that moment took my breath away.

The moments after River’s birth, when two brothers met for the first time, when a father embraced his two sons and when a mother put her new babe to her breast as the first rays of sunlight crept in through the windows…blissful, fleeting moments that I will never forget.