What do 𝙲𝚊𝚎𝚜𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚗 deliveries look like in real life? This is seen in these amazing photos from members of the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers (IAPBP).
Lyndsay Stradtner of Life in Motion Photography, who resides in Texas with her husband and four children, started the organization in 2010. It now has over 1,400 members from 37 countries.
“There is much more to birth photography than the actual moment of birth,” she wrote. “So much more. It’s the birth environment, the light in the room, the details, the comings and goings of those who are there. It’s mom holding on to dad in pain, the doula offering a supportive hand, the midwife making suggestions for pain relief, and the OB preparing and helping mom push. It’s the baby placed on mom’s chest for the first time, the tears of joy, pure adrenaline, the cutting of the cord, and the baby’s little toes and fingers. It’s the first time a sibling meets a new baby brother or sister with a look of wonder and apprehension. It’s all of those things put together. It’s the journey of a birthday. It’s the making of a family. It’s special. And if a family chooses so, it deserves to be captured.”
“Despite the f𝚎𝚊𝚛 and uncertainty flooding this mama as she is wheeled into an 𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚢 C-section, she couldn’t help but smile as she realizes she’s about to meet her baby.”
“It saddens my heart to hear that people are ashamed of their cesarean birth. When they internalize the message that their body failed them or that they chose the “easy way out,” they become depressed. Cesarean birth is a difficult procedure. It’s not a setback. Cesarean birth, like any other type of delivery, needs bravery, fortitude, release, and strength.
“This mom had 20 blissful minutes of snuggles and eye contact before the nurses took her baby to be diapered, weighed, and measured. Then the baby was immediately returned to mom so they could travel to the recovery room together.”
“After a long hard labor and an 𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚢 C-section, this mom was finally holding her baby, looking into her partner’s eyes, and realizing … she did it.”
“It is so incredibly empowering to look back and see yourself [giving birth] and see how truly amazing your body is.”
“The look of excitement after meeting your baby after seven years of trying, and a three-day-long induction and cesarean birth.”
Cesarean deliveries are incredibly dramatic, emotive experiences, as these images demonstrate, whether or not the technique was the mother’s first choice.
