It’s one thing to invite a stranger into your living room, and quite another to invite that stranger to witness the birth of your child, in your living room, with a camera.

But that is Anne Hurlbut’s specialty. A Marion resident, Hurlbut recently started her own business, Poppy Oakley Photography, specializing in home births as well as newborn photography.

“It’s definitely a growing trend,” she said. “I didn’t get pictures for my births, and I wish I had. You don’t remember it. It’s such a blur.”

A mother of four, Hurlbut was an English teacher before deciding to stay at home to raise her kids.

“Having had my children with my midwife was a really empowering experience. It definitely changed me,” said Hurbut. “I started thinking about being a labor delivery nurse. Being an English teacher, that would have been completely starting over.”

Instead, she became a certified lactation consultant, helping mothers master breastfeeding. She is also working to become a certified doula, a nonmedical professional who supports mothers before, during, and after childbirth.

Hurlbut sees her photography business as another way to help families.

“That’s my idea – to bring it all together to support moms and babies,” said Hurlbut, who also photographs pregnant moms, hospital births, nature, and food. “It’s neat to look back on that as a memory and as a piece of art that they have forever.”

With her photography, Hurlbut said she is “a quiet presence” capturing each moment of a birth, “the support of the husband, hopefully capturing the baby during the first moments of bonding, those things that are so special.”

Since a birth can happen at any time, Hurlbut admits being on call can be tricky with four kids. Hurlbut’s husband, Matthew, a teacher, has been very supportive as her photography career gets going.

“It’s one of those sacrifices you make because you believe in what you’re doing,” she said.

And for Hurlbut, Poppy Oakley Photography is almost another child. Poppy and Oakley were on the list of potential names for two of her children, who were given the names Natalie and Teddy, respectively.

“This business is my last baby,” said Hurlbut.

See more of Hurlbut's work poppyoakleyphotography.com.