Winston-Salem Birth Photographer & Sacred Birthkeeper ~ CordeliaGrey Oriana Allen

I like to think I grew up with a little bit of everywhere in my blood. Living in multiple states, and traveling often, I never did have a home town, but all the earth fills my soul. Right now, I am calling North Carolina home, and it claims a huge slice of my heart. I adore the seasons here, the way the leaves turn green overnight in spring, and shock us with colors so vibrant in fall. I love the beach most, but also the mountains and forests and rivers and falls. Water calls to me.
I share this home with my own little family; My husband, Justin, steady and strong and incredibly fun to be around, a good man everyone adores. He is the backbone of my support, the sounding board for all of my ideas and passions, my constant steady anchor. He holds space for me. My son, Despin, whose main goal in life is to make everyone laugh. He is hilarious, and kind. Both he and I are autistic, he is such a strong echo of my own beautiful soul. 
I am also mother to a little girl named Elsie, who gained her wings too soon. She had a spirit of gold, and whispers to me in every sunset.

The two births of my children were polar opposites, and both fuel my passion for this work. I have a couple photos from each one, that I cherish with all of my heart. My sons birth was long and traumatic and terribly unsupported. Doctors made mistakes, nurses broke my heart, and the separation between my child and myself after birth sent us all into a long hard journey of postpartum depression and PTSD that would take years to climb out of. There are still ripples from that event, that affect my life today. It changed our story forever, threw me into the world of birth rights. I clung to my birth photos while we were separated. They showed me small moments of joy within this story that I could not recall for myself.
When Elsie was born, my sweet girl, everything was different. I was educated, I was supported to the point of feeling cherished. I felt safe during her birth. Despite proper education and support, nothing could have prepared me for her loss. I experienced a long journey through grief, one I still walk to this day. Despite the loss of her life, her birth story was SO full of grace and love and divine timing. It was magical, and healing. I trusted my body, I birthed on my terms, and it is simply a story that you have to ask me about one day. I still love to share and talk about everything she taught me. I have this one photo from her birth, that is just miraculous, she was born in her waters, and fit in my hand. I treasure it with all my heart. She is with me in every golden hour. We honor her every November with a special ceremony at the beach. She taught me more about birth then any book or training ever did.

Birth is unpredictable. Wild. Ethereal. It can take us to indescribable places. It is also vulnerable. We must protect it and prepare ourselves to be active participants within its turns. Giving into the flow, being open to where it takes us. No matter how or where you birth, you deserve support and education and light, you deserve someone that will hold space for YOU, for your unique birth. That is what I am passionate about- giving the space that others take away.