Photographing Birth for the First Time
Lana’s Story:
I was so nervous to photograph this birth. I had never seen a live birth before. I started to prepare by watching live births on instagram on some amazing feeds like empoweredbirthproject and birthwithoutfear. It struck me that I managed to make it to 31 years old without ever seeing images of birth - the most natural thing there is. Every human came via some form of birth and after I witnessed this miracle live, I felt committed to sharing these powerful images to destigmatize birth as gross or as something better not seen or spoken about.
I barely slept the night that I knew she was in labor. I kept waking up to check my phone for news. It didn’t come until about 5:30am and I grabbed my pre-packed gear and drove like a crazy person to the birth center. The room had a comfortable, homelike feel with low lights a tub for water birthing and a bed. Jana was in so much pain, but she was also smiling and surprisingly present. I was terrified I’d miss the moment the baby came out, but it was a gradual process: first a little bit of head, and then a little bit more, and a wee bit more and then all of the sudden she was officially arriving. It was insane to see a human emerge from inside of a woman’s body! I remember telling Jana that I had never seen a woman more beautiful than she was when giving birth, so much raw emotion, pain and power - it was incredibly visceral to witness. Continued below..
Jana’s Birth Story
My husband and I were both late to arrive in this world, at least according to our “due dates”, both of us being more than 2 weeks “late”. This made me certain little bebe would not show up until at least 2 weeks pose “due date”. /// I was busy implementing all the tips of midwives & google & requesting my chiropractor to work magic and kick start labor. Even still, the day after she was “due” to arrive, as I relaxed in the pool surrounded by family and eating delicious steak, I was certain the new crampy pains that started, were *not* labor. After all, she would be at least 2 weeks late... /// Well several hours later I was no longer able to convince myself it was not labor. Several calls to midwives, and a visit to the birth center the next morning confirmed that I was in fact in labor, but not far enough along to be admitted. /// At this point I decided to call out of work - my intention of trying to relax that day disappeared, as the contractions progressively increased in intensity. Bebe’s dad kept me hydrated and fed all day. /// We made several trips to the birth center that day, each time bebe was not quite ready to make her appearance. We were sent home with instructions on how to labor through contractions, go for short walks, and to maintain hydration and strength by continuing to eat and drink. We did all of these things and finally ended up being admitted to the birth center in the early morning hours. /// Bebe’s dad and the midwives helped me through all the contractions and got ready for her appearance. We made a move to the birthing tub within a couple hours. Somewhere in the 6 am hour, I made a joke about bebe making her appearance by 7 am, everyone laughed. /// A few big contractions later the midwife asked if I wanted to see bebe - I looked down and she was starting to arrive! I will never forget seeing her big eyes the first time as she started to come out. /// Several more pushes and her dad was there to catch her. Bebe was here. Life was never going to be the same again. It wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t particularly easy, but everything leading to her was incredibly worth it. /// The three of us rested for several hours, and then went home as a new family. /// I am so thankful to have been surrounded by family and friends to support our little family growing. Having Lana (Wild Thing Photography) here to document and capture some of these moments was such a blessing.
Lana’s Story Continued
The euphoria, after the little one was resting on mama’s chest, of watching them together as a new family of three for the first time was lovely to witness! But the journey wasn’t quite done yet because then there was more discomfort to confront as the afterbirth came, and before they moved out of the birthing pool the cord had to be cut so I watched the process of them first clamp the umbilical cord, and eventually Chris cutting it. I didn’t want to intrude on their special moment much longer after they moved to the bed so I left them to snuggle and enjoy their own tiny miracle. The feeling of absolute wonder at the epicness of life announcing itself in this world stayed with me for so many weeks to come as I edited the images and relived the experience through the photographs I captured. I am so grateful and honored to have had this experience and I hope there are many more to come!
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