Why Birth Photography Is Worth The Investment
Let’s talk about birth photography. Did you just cringe a little? Thinking about why on earth someone would want to bring a professional with a camera into a moment when you’re barely dressed, likely pretty exhausted, and totally vulnerable? Listen, I totally get it. When I gave birth to my daughter at 15, I really wasn’t thinking about who would take photos in the hospital or if I even wanted photos of anything but the baby.
One of the only photos from the birth of my oldest daughter, Siiri. Birth photography wasn’t really a thing that I was aware of, nor that I could have afforded when I had my daughter in 2011.
But here’s the thing, I have about 4 photos of me and my daughter immediately after she was born. And I absolutely fell in love with those images. I was able to see myself, the mother that was born simultaneously, for the very first time. My labor and delivery after it was all said and done was almost 24 hours in the hospital alone and I barely slept, I barely ate, I was so exhausted by the time my daughter was born that her whole birth is mostly foggy now. And over time, that’s just how memories work, especially when you consider that your body kicks-in all those post-delivery hormones to intentionally fuzzy the intensity over time. Your memories and recollections of an important day become a little less colorful and real.
I don’t know about you, but the birth of my children is one of the most important days of my life and one that I never, ever want to forget. It’s their first breath of air, the moment that you get to take in their fresh new little bodies into your arms, holding them for the first time. It’s when you get to finally look at who this little person is that you’ve been dreaming of for months; trying to memorize every inch of their face at this very moment. It’s your partners reaction when they witness their child being born, it’s the moment they look at you amazed at what you’re capable of. It’s the reaction you both share when the doctor announces the sex of the baby. It’s the first feeding. It’s the tiny details, the way they grasp your hand as they’re being weighed, the way their little legs kick and their wrinkled, tiny feet. It’s everything.
Due to my daughter Lucia being born during COVID, I couldn’t have a birth photographer present, but my husband Joe thankfully captured quite a few treasured photos of our family right after she was born.
I will always, always, always get the tiny toes.
We capture engagements and weddings, birthdays and anniversaries… if you consider the birth of a child to be one of those moments, why leave it out?
Not to mention, birthing my own daughter was an insanely empowering experience that lit a fire somewhere in me. I became so interested in labor and birth, postpartum care, and I LOVE babies. I care deeply about ensuring that families, mothers especially, are able to reflect on their labor and birth experience feeling empowered no matter what type of birth they have. I believe fiercely that birth is beautiful and that knowledge is power.
Which is what lead me to pursue my DONA doula training in 2016. I left that experience feeling incredibly empowered and I know that that information has only deepened my appreciation and dedication to this specific experience. I believe that in order to show up and participate or capture a birth story for a family, you must be well-versed in that experience and atmosphere.
Here’s the thing. If you’re on the fence about birth photography, let me just say this: this is experience is nobody else’s but yours. You decide who you allow into the room, you decide how you want to birth, it is your right to create an experience that you want and I will always support you in that. Birth should be an opportunity to claim agency. If you choose to hire a birth photographer, you decide what you want to be captured, you decide when you want them there and you decide how to use those photos. They are proof of a life-changing moment, they are proof of your experience, they preserve all those “firsts”, every precious moment and these images act as a window into your absolute power and love.
Not one birth is the same, if you want to see one of my favorite non-traditional births (yes, even a cesarean birth can be documented), take a peek here.
