I am Danica, your guide in celebrating the difficult.

Difficult things make us stronger, they make us more resilient, they give us perspective and appreciation, they foster a deeper connection with our loved ones.

In our American culture we are taught to avoid pain and discomfort. We cover up our pain with medications and avoid our feelings with Netflix and comfort foods. As soon as we put our kids to bed we grab a bowl of ice cream, a glass of wine and turn on a show. After all, we deserve it. Don't we?

When I was preparing for the birth of my first child I took birthing classes and yoga classes where they taught us not to resist pain. Instead, we should relax INTO it. Move TOWARDS it. How counter-cultural! I had two unmedicated water births (one to a 10 pound baby I might add!) and I found that accepting the discomfort of contractions and relaxing into the pain was truly the mindset that allowed me to have two wonderful birth experiences.

It is when we come to the end of ourselves that we find what we are made of. It is when we withstand hardships that we discover our true strength. It is when we are broken that we can be rebuilt and reborn.

Motherhood will take you on a journey that breaks all your expectations. It will bring you to your knees. Letting go of who you thought you would be as a mother is painful. But the reality of your motherhood in the making will be even better than you imagined.

Let me shepherd you to this place of healing and rebirth.


danica donnelly maternity birth newborn photographer

Ways to work with me:

“Again and again motherhood demands that we break through our limitations, that we split our hearts open to make room for something that may be more than we thought we could bear. In that sense, the labor with which we give birth is simply a rehearsal for something mothers must do over and over: turn ourselves inside out, and then let go.”