Why I wish I’d hired a birth photographer, from a mama & birth photographer perspective ::
As I consider the births of my two children and their respective labor and deliveries, I don’t have any regrets about either experience. And I’m fortunate in this, I know. My daughter I delivered in a traditional hospital setting and I gave birth to my son at home. The only thing I’d change in both instances? I’d have hired a birth photographer.
The births of my babes & no birth photographer
At the time, the idea never occurred to me: Pinterest and Instagram weren’t really a thing when my babies were born, and I adamantly refused to use Facebook. And really, why would any woman want any reminders of labor? The pain, the pain, the pain. Birth seemed like an event that I’d want to forget as readily as possible.
My labors were fast and intense {and officially designated “precipitous” for their rapidity} And like most women in labor, my eyes were closed during labor, the inky blackness a requirement to help me focus and breathe through each contraction. When I remember the births of my children, I remember relief so complete it made me weak and joy so sharp it hurt.
Today, I wish I could revisit the fleeting, more minute details of each labor and delivery. Thad next to me and letting me squeeze his hand so tightly his knuckles squished together. My mom, a member of my birth team, supporting me with her presence. A birth photography session would have offered the perspective of me seeing my child {my child!} for the first time. The expression that must have washed over my face when I saw each baby. The smiles I must have smiled. The looks I must have shared with Thad.
Don’t make the same mistake I did
Not hiring a birth photographer is a regret. Not one that utterly breaks my heart, but if I could change just one thing about the births of both my babies, that would be it. I recently attended a local Birth and Baby Fair and collaborated with another local BP to present a workshop on birth story sessions. Developing the presentation required me to more fully hone my “why,” the reason why I’m willing to drop everything at a moment’s notice, day or night and attend a birth. It boiled down to this.
Birth photography pulls back the curtain for a woman, so she can see her stunning beauty and strength.
When I was pregnant, I didn’t feel beautiful. I felt like a stranger in my own body, a body that was misshapen, swollen and ungainly. But the truth? I was stunning. . .I just couldn’t see it at the time.
Preparing the workshop also forced me to go through the birth images I did have. While I didn’t hire a birth photographer, my mom–present at the birth of both babies–did document the birth of my son. I hadn’t looked at the images in years. I cried. And cried. And cried. I needed the time, the distance to see today, what I didn’t and couldn’t see then: how beautiful I was {and am}. These images, while while not photographically outstanding, are precious to me. I share them with you.
