Carlie Ann Photography

I was born and raised in Southern Minnesota and attended Calvary Chapel Bible College in Southern California for an associate degree in theology. My husband and I got married in 2009 and live in Owatonna, Minnesota, along with our three children. Photography has always been a hobby for me, and I enjoy capturing people in their natural beauty.

Fred and I found out I was pregnant three weeks after we got married; I know... quite the surprise! To be honest, I cried for a few days. It wasn't until I started reading about what was happening in my body that I realized there was an undeniable miracle taking place. I quickly became overjoyed with the prospect of motherhood, but I knew the delivery would be a hurtle. I started devouring anything I could get my hands on about natural childbirth. From the stories I heard about labor, I heard more positive outcomes from women who had natural births rather than medicated. I saw my pregnancy as a natural occurrence, not a disease to be treated, and trusted my body. My husband and I attended a 10 week Bradley Method birthing course which gave me many helpful coping strategies and information about my body and my baby. Fred learned to be my labor coach and we felt unified in our birthing decisions. He has been my unwavering rock through three natural births and I could not have done it without him.

I knew if I was going to have a peaceful birth, I would need as much support as possible. We had doulas at all of our births and wouldn't do it any other way! Both women provided beautiful support for my husband and me. Having a doula present made it possible for Fred to be at my side the whole labor and his presence was exactly what I needed to relax and let my body labor. Their presence was calming for both of us.

After my first son was born, I experienced the happiest time of my life. I felt strong and confident, and after experiencing natural birth I felt that I could do anything! I knew I had found my niche as a mother, and I watched my whole world open up. I had experienced a peaceful birth and wanted all women to know it was attainable for them, too. I decided I wanted to help women and started working toward my doula certification.

I am still early in my journey but my passion for pregnancy, and laboring women is unwavering! I love to encourage women in natural childbirth but, I support labor no matter what direction it goes! Sometimes medication is just what a mother needs to relax and allow birth to proceed; my goal is to support and encourage women so she can make the choices she wants. My desire is for a laboring woman to have the support and encouragement she needs where ever she is giving birth and how ever she chooses!

My first two children, my boys, were both born in hospitals with midwives. I had excellent experiences there, but homebirth has always been my dream. With my third birth, my girl, we decided to do a homebirth with a midwife. It was better than I could have imagined! I loved that we didn't have to pack or go anywhere when labor started. We didn't have to share our birth with nurses and midwives we had never met before, instead we were surrounded by friends and family. I felt so safe and cared for at home. It was a dream come true. My friend, Laura DeMars, was able to be there to photograph / video the birth. I am happy to share it and hope it brings you as much joy as it does me!

(click here to view my homebirth)