If a photo is worth a thousand words…
As a doula and birth photographer, there is something so magical and spiritual about getting to bear witness to a whole life coming into existence. Moments - big and small - from birth are filled with an entire spectrum of emotion. So as a birth photographer, my biggest hope with each photo I take is that I capture even a fraction of the emotion of that moment. When I received word that my photo was selected as first place for the cover of The Everyday Birth Magazine, I was so shocked. It felt validating that the emotion from that moment of a client’s birth spoke to a panel of judges thousands of miles away and hundreds of hours removed from that moment. I’m still in shock that the first birth I documented has gone on to make me an award-winning and published birth photographer.
The story behind the photo:
This was actually the first birth I had ever professionally photographed. This first-time mom had chosen a low-intervention birth at a local birth center. Her doula called me one night to let me know that contractions had started and were intense, so I went to meet them at the birth center. She went on to labor and make (slow) progress for more than 12 hours. She spent those 12 hours listening to Christian hypnobirthing, getting into the shower, laying down, and trying different positions to help baby rotate and descend. As a birth worker, it was rare to see someone experiencing such intense contractions for so long. I’ve been to plenty of long births, but this seemed like transition-level contractions for so many hours. As her contractions started to lose their intensity and progress seemed to stop, her midwives started talking about transferring to the hospital for an epidural and pitocin. For a mom who had planned a physiological, unmedicated birth, this was a huge shift in plans. I took this photo a few hours before the decision was ultimately made to transfer to the hospital. I remember wanting to get this photo right. There was so much emotion in the room, and I wanted to do it justice. I felt that the water was such a visual representation of the extreme contractions that were relentlessly washing over her. When I look at this photo, I see a mom’s unwavering love for her daughter. I see strength and endurance. I see surrender and release. I see fatigue and patience. I see the hand of a doula reaching out to comfort. I see a mom giving her all as she takes the final steps of her journey from maiden to mother. This client went on to have a vaginal birth in the hospital!
Ultimately this is why birth photography is so important. It captures the emotions of labor and birth that are fleeting and fade so quickly. It’s a way for your children to look back and see their origin story. How special to have an intimate understanding of where you began and the emotions of everyone in the room as you took your first breath. And as special as it is for a child to see their birth story, I believe its even more important for a parent to be able to look back and see their strength and capability to be what they need for their family.
