Ten Years of Documenting Births!

{birth stories}

Two days ago I celebrated 10 years of documenting births!! And honestly, never ever in a million years did I think that I would go on to be a birth photographer/videographer who is getting close to documenting 100 births! After all, 10 years ago I was just heading to India to continue documenting the relationship between wildlife and humans which I had been doing on my travels around the world (I am slowly working on getting those photos up here: Projects).
However, after our trip to India, I learned that we were going to have a baby. So naturally the whole experience of having a baby of my own opened up a whole new world to me with new passions. These passions led me down a path to the birth world where I knew women were in need of a voice, and support, and sometimes healing. So here I am, 10 years later still working hard to help normalize birth and heal wounds. With the help of these wonderful families who invite me in to their sacred spaces, who allow me to share their stories with you, I can assure you there has been change!
When I first started doing this, it was unheard of! Other than midwives being super supportive and excited about what I was doing, there was mostly confusion as to why anyone would want this experience documented, and a lot of concerned staff that were not that welcoming towards me as they were worried I was documenting them working. But after building relationships with hospital staff, and with some education from all sides, here we are 10 years later and now birth photography has become quite popular! I’m even welcomed in the O.R for c-sections most of the time!!
We still have a long way to go to make sure pregnant, birthing, and postpartum folks are respected and heard, so I don’t imagine I will be quitting this type of photography any time soon. But in celebration of this milestone, let me share with you, some gorgeous loving births to watch! Maybe check the flyers of your local stores for sales on boxes of tissue before you start pressing play, ha ha ha! Enjoy! And feel free to share this with all the expecting parents you know!

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The Birth of Attis

{birth story}

Sometimes birth doesn't go as planned, like this mama's natural birth. Everything was perfect and normal through her pregnancy until the end when she learned that baby was not in the ideal position. Baby was bum down head up and legs by his head. But, hope wasn't lost, there was chiropractics, and acupuncture and of course there was still a chance he'd turn on his own and if he didn't they could do an ECV. 
Well, meet Attis. He was born at 36 weeks via c-section in frank breech position before being wheeled off to the NICU where he would he stayed for a few days. Luckily his mama got to go in to labour on her own which helps the body postpartum. Having the natural hormones in her body will help with milk production along with giving her a better chance of avoiding PPD which is more common in cesarean sections, especially when mom and baby are separated right away. She also had her placenta encapsulated which is another way to help your body postpartum. So when a natural birth was no longer an option for her, she took control of the situation by listening to her body and focusing on the things she did have control over instead of the things she didn't. 

And now after 3 weeks, Attis is doing very well and so is she! As of a couple days ago, he is exclusively breastfed! Perfect timing for his first growth spurt! All that pumping and determination paid off! Go mama!! 

***   now press play to watch this beautiful powerful birth story   ***

Sometimes birth doesn't go as we planned, like this mama's natural birth. Meet Attis. He was born at 36 weeks via c-section in frank breech position. Luckily his mama got to go in to labour on her own helping her body postpartum. Having the natural hormones in her body will help with milk production along with giving her a better chance against PPD. She also had her placenta encapsulated which in another way to help your body postpartum. So when her natural birth was no longer an option, she took control of the situation by listening to her body and focusing on the things she did have control over. So now after 3 weeks, Attis is doing very well and so is his mama! As of a couple days ago, he is now exclusively breastfed! All that pumping and determination paid off! Go mama!! Your child's birth day is the biggest day of your life. It's such an intimate time. To witness and photograph the birth of a baby is one of the most special things in the whole world. So magical. Such real raw tender emotional moments are captured. The images are breathtaking. And the first hours after birth are so euphoric. The most overwhelming amount of love. It's hard to have clear memories because it's a whirlwind of new life. To have these moments documented is unbelievably precious. The joy they will bring you every time you look at them! Very special photos for the new parents to have. And what an incredible thing for your child to see. Imagine being able to see images of the day you were born? So cool. Photography by Heather Bays Music by Sigor Ros