Most people know that childbirth can be emotional — especially when you get to meet that new life the moment he or she is brought into the world. Just like blood and screams are expected, so are tears of joy in the delivery room. But when Wesley Call's baby was born, his happy sobs weren't directed at his newborn like everyone assumed.
Photographer Kirstie Perez captured Wesley tear up with emotion but later learned the truth behind his reaction.
Speaking with CafeMom, Kirstie, who owns KPPhoto Inc., explained that Samantha is her sister and she had an incredibly difficult pregnancy. "She had severe hyperemesis gravidarum and preeclampsia," she tells us. "There were no indications [before pregnancy] that [these conditions] would be how her pregnancy would go."
As her condition became life-threatening, Wesley had to helplessly watch Samantha suffer as they waited the agonizing 10 months for their baby to be born.
"Throughout her pregnancy I watched both her and her husband go through hell for their first child."
"We all were powerless to help her," Kristie says. "This wasn't the typical 'morning sickness' that some people can ignorantly claim it to be."
Kirstie explains that her sister's conditions took a massive toll on her body and put her in serious danger throughout her entire pregnancy. "She was hospitalized four times for dehydration and had to be induced for her safety and the safety of her child."
The entire time, Wesley was left feeling "helpless" as his wife suffered carrying their child.
When the photographer shared her sister's story on Facebook, she explained that Wesley "helplessly watched his wife vomit profusely for 285+ days. He witnessed her lose 30 pounds in pregnancy not being able to nourish herself due to Hyperemesis Gravidarum & preeclampsia."
Day after day, Kirstie says that her sister basically lived by the toilet vomiting and that Wesley couldn't do a thing to help her. "She lost her job due to not being able to function. Her husband ate outside every day because the scent of any food made her ill," she says. "This wasn't the typical 'morning sickness.' She was in a very dangerous pregnancy."
Which is why when Wesley saw his wife smile for the first time in 10
In her Facebook post, Kirstie described the exact moment when Wesley felt the relief of seeing his wife out of danger for the first time in almost a year.
"I told him I captured him crying seeing his son and he said, 'That's not why I was crying.'
Puzzled, I asked what he meant.
He teared up again and said,
'This is the first time I have seen her smile in ten months.'"
And there's no wonder she hadn't smiled for so long.
According to American Pregnancy, hyperemesis gravidarum is "a condition characterized by severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and electrolyte disturbance" and is believed to be caused by the hormonal imbalance that comes with pregnancy. Although some cases are mild, as Kate Middleton knows, cases of hyperemesis gravidarum can be serious enough to send an expecting mother to the hospital.
Preecampsia can also be life threatening. According to Mayo Clinic explained that "Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system, most often the liver and kidneys." But the clinic warns that without treatment the condition can be fatal.
Kirstie says that she wanted to share this story because her clients who have complicated births tend to feel alone.
"Over the years, I have had very few clients have a calm birth. It is possible but with so many different women/births/birth experiences I have seen across the board the one common denominator in my clients was that they felt alone afterwards," she says. "With birth being as traumatic as it is, I think it is crucial for women to SEE that other women go through similar situations. That they are not alone."
Luckily for Samantha, she and her new baby boy made it through the delivery safe and healthy.
Kirstie tells us that her sister has "healed well" but is still concerned about hyperemesis gravidarum affecting future pregnancies.
However, Kirstie adds that they aren't letting the fear of the future get them down. "Honestly, she is as great as she possibly could be given the circumstances," she says.
In the end, Kirstie says this is a story of one man's empathy and love for his wife.
"[Wesley] did everything in his power to help her," she says. "[He] stayed up most nights with her too while she was ill."
She also ends her Facebook post with an important message she learned from watching her sister and her husband. "Men, please understand how powerful your empathy can be," she wrote.
