A few months ago I had the privilege of photographing my first c-section. It was not my first time to attend a cesarean birth; I have documented births that ended as a c-section a few times now. But I usually have to give a quick camera tutorial and then leave it to Dad or a nurse to capture those precious moments for me to tie into the birth story. Â The reasons why I am not allowed to accompany the parents into the OR are not usually clear. âHospital policyâ, âsterile environmentâ, âsafety of the patientâ are some examples of what Iâve been told. Â This time however was different! I have earned the trust of an Austin area OB (Dr. Seeker) over time, and he pulled some serious strings for me so that I would be allowed back into the OR to document Sterling and Dustyâs baby girlâs entrance into the world. This was such an incredible moment for us all. Why?
- All birth stories are worth documenting and preserving. Not just vaginal births. This is especially important to a c-section mama once she realizes she canât see anything thatâs happening as her baby is delivered. Neither can Dad if heâs comforting her.
- Birth photography helps the mother see the big picture. It details every stage of birth â labor, delivery and post partum. But without the visual reference, c-section mamas are often stuck on that moment they lost the opportunity to have a vaginal birth. It can be depressing and preventative of them enjoying the outcome of their healthy baby. Because âthings didnât go as plannedâ.
- Birth â all birth â is beautiful. Moms often tell me during our consultations that they arenât very âprettyâ during labor. Or that theyâre worried about bloody pictures. And ugly expressions. And the sterile environment of a hospital or OR. Their cluttered house. Losing control of their emotions. The list goes on. Bottom line is â thatâs not what birth is about!  Yes birth is as real as you can get⊠Mamaâs beads of sweat, furrowed brow, clenched fists, fighter-like expression, vulnerability, even the moment she is actually birthing her baby (whether vaginally or by c-section) are all raw, real, but BEAUTIFUL and  MIRACULOUS moments. As for the difference between a vaginal birth and a cesarean birth, the anticipation and emotion you feel about meeting your baby for the first time is all the same.
- Seeing the beauty in a cesarean birth image is encouraging because c-section moms often feel like their birth experience has been diminished, reduced, or voided out, quite simply, by unavoidable circumstances (in most cases).
These are the reasons why I chose to enter my big cesarean moment (shown above) in birthphotographers.comâs recent âImage of the Yearâ competition. Â I felt an allegiance to c-section mamas everywhere who feel like their birth was somehow not picture-worthy. Amongst all the images of peaceful water births and mothers catching their own babies and bringing them immediately to their chest, I can see why they feel this way! 90% of what I share looks like that. And that kind of moment is typically what I would enter in a competition like this. But I am so glad I didnât. Even though I didnât so much as place this year (I happened to win the Peopleâs Choice Award last year) I feel like I made a statement. The picture I entered says loud and clear that âthis too is birthâ, âthis too is beautifulâ, âthis too is a miracleâ.
Here is what Sterling has to say about her experience with an emergency c-section. It sums up perfectly the emotions that nearly every mama in this situation goes through: âThroughout my pregnancy, the one thing I was both terrified of and adamant about not wanting was a c-section. When I found out that my body wasnât doing what was necessary to bring our baby into this world, I was heartbroken. I felt like my body itself was broken, that it wasnât doing something that should come naturally and just happen. And when we found out her heart rate was low, I felt like my body was failing her, too. My fear was becoming my reality. Luckily, though, weâd decided to hire someone to photograph our daughter coming into the world. We were also lucky enough to have a physician who understands and values birth photography, allowing our photographer to come into the operating room to document such an important moment in our lives.â
She went on to say, about those first images of her daughter: âThese arenât typical birth photos. Seeing these pictures, seeing our daughter take her first breath in a situation in which I normally wouldnât have, however, showed me that my body didnât fail. I grew and nourished this beautiful little girl who has blessed our lives in ways we didnât even realize were possible.â
And when I announced that Iâd decided to enter her babyâs picture into the contest she said: âToday, I found out that this is the photo our birth photographer will submit to birthphotographers.com for their âImage of the Yearâ competition. I hope this image is shared and embraced for all of us mothers who didnât get the âidealâ birth, who thought that our bodies were broken, who didnât get to see our child take his or her first breath. Thank you, Leilani. Thank you for showing me the beauty of a caesarian.â
My heart is full knowing that birth photography serves so many purposes! Itâs not only beautiful and intriguing, but in some cases, healing as well. Mothers see their pictures and are better able to process their births. This image reassures this mama that she did indeed âgive birthâ. The disconnect she felt during the cesarean procedure is taken away because she has this happy moment captured and preserved, forever.Â
To see more images from Sterlingâs birth:
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I love pure love photosâŠâŠamazing photos
Beautiful
As always, such beautiful work! You do an amazing job of capturing the perfect moments.
Thank you so much!
Me too. And thanks!
Thank you Ivy đ
This is just so very beautiful.