about me

I’m unapologetically raw and honest. No bullshitting or beating around the bush.

Parenthood is messy and so beautifully difficult. It’s the most rewarding and yet the scariest thing I’ve ever fucking done. And I’ve tried my hardest to take all of it in: the cracked nipples, the postpartum body and hair loss, the blowouts and 2 am cry sessions, everything. It’s a season, and seasons pass. And although in the midst of it, it can be daunting and feel like you’re drowning (shit, I still feel like that most of the time) I can’t imagine being on the other side. I don’t want to be there yet. UGH, I begin to cry thinking about my kids going off to college or leaving the house already which my first is six and my second is one (I know, I know, everyone totally laughs at me for it).

Speaking of my first, my biggest regret from the day he was born was not hiring a doula (and then not hiring a birth photographer because let’s be honest, cell phone pics just don’t do it justice). No matter how many books I read, how many times I studied the hospital childbirth class curriculum, or check lists I finished from Pinterest, I was not ready for the journey, intensity, and transformation that is birth.

You will never forget how you are treated on the day you give birth.

It becomes a part of your soul, of who you become as a parent. And the way I was treated, is the reason I became a birth worker.

For my second, I hired everyone I could: a midwife, a doula and birth photographer, and a sibling doula. And my daughter’s birth was beautifully intense. Moments from her birth are some of the most empowering, visceral, memories and photographs I have.

As for photography, I want everything documented. I want my children in 20 years to be able to look back at this crazy life. I don’t have many pictures of my childhood so taking and having pictures is something that I am determined to provide to my children and those around me. Sometimes it’s those small details that we forget after a while and being able to sit down, and hold a picture in your hand while remembering the sights/smells/feelings from that day is inspiring and oftentimes the most comforting feeling in the world.

It’s so cliche but pictures speak a thousand words. They stir up forgotten emotions, and trigger a waterfall of tears in an instant, both positively and negatively.

But that’s life and I love the chaos of life. It’s fucking beautiful.

If you’re interested in my trainings, current certifications, or workshops I’ve attended, you can take a peek here.

Warmly,
Jelina Sonnenberg, SBD, CD(DONA), CD, CBP, CPD, HBHD, CCE
She/They
Certified Birth Photographer, Certified Birth & Bereavement Doula, & Certified Postpartum Doula
760-917-7303