I met mama J through a mutual mommy friend when she was first coming to Florida and it was such an honor to be asked who I recommend for her prenatal care and birth. A brand new mama to me was asking my feedback. I think that is the greatest compliment I could receive, someone having trust in me.
I knew the mama was looking for a doctor, an OBGYN to do her prenatal care and delivery. I of course recommended my favorite hospital where I can feel incredibly safe with moms I know delivering, which is Toppel Family Place at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital in Boca. But when it came to the recommendation for a specific doctor, the first name that came to mind was Dr. David Lubetkin at Boca Midwifery. He had after all been there for so many of my clients and friends over the years, where I knew he always came through for their birth plans and wishes. Just before I had made this referral to mama J I had attended a birth alongside of him where he said to my client “reach down and catch your baby” and that honestly meant the world to me to hear an obstetrician say after years of attending births at other hospitals here in South Florida with other OBs and providers, where in those other experiences I felt like my client was just present physically to their doctor, but her mind and heart almost did not matter, and in this moment with Dr. Lubetkin, my client’s mind and heart mattered so much when he wanted her to catch her own baby, her to step into her own power and just like she was the one who birthed her child, she would be the one to catch her own child. These things may sound trivial when you don’t take a moment to realize what it really means, but a lot of doctors deliver babies. And while delivering babies is an honor and truly takes a committed and talented medical professional, Dr. Lubetkin doesn’t just deliver babies. He transcends the physical plane to actually care about the mama-baby spiritual connection that birth offers. That is not something you find every day at every obstetrical practice in Florida. A lot of practices are about the doctor walking in to deliver the baby and leaves just as quickly.
To enter a birthing space and acknowledge it as sacred is being more than a medical care provider, it is truly being a birth keeper. A quick thank you to Dr. L for being this to my clients. A Birth Keeper. I step beyond photography when I work with my birth photography clients. I love my clients as if they were family. So it means absolutely everything to me to see Dr. Lubetkin caring for them in this special way.
Fast forward a few years and mama J welcomed her third baby with Dr. Lubetkin and his team, little baby boy Decker. Isn’t he so so cute?
It was so much fun to capture this newborn family session in their home in Boynton Beach. I love mama J and her entire family so much and was so incredibly eager to share some of my favorite photos from their in-home newborn, family-centered photo session with you.
While I went a little overboard and their entire photo session includes 183 newborn photos, because that’s kind of the love that beams through my work when I’ve known a family for so long, I had to try to limit myself to my favorites for this blog post. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
