What do Cᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀɪᴇs look like in real life? This is demonstrated in these magnificent photographs from members of the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers (IAPBP). Lyndsay Stradtner of Life in Motion Photography, who resides in Tᴇxᴀs with her husband and four children, launched the organization in 2010. It now has over 1,400 members from 37 countries. After the family’s things were ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴏʏᴇᴅ by Hᴜʀʀɪᴄᴀɴᴇ Kᴀᴛʀɪɴᴀ, Stradtner began snapping images with a DSLR camera to ensure that their priceless memories were preserved.
She began documenting births in 2007 and formed the IAPBP to facilitate communication between customers and photographers. Stradtner discussed how birth photography is sometimes misconstrued in a blog post on the IAPBP website. She deBunked popular notions that birth photography is “ɢʀᴏss,” “ʏᴜᴄᴋʏ,” or “ᴅɪsɢᴜsᴛɪɴɢ,” By explaining why some families engage a ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀʏ photographer and what the end result entails.
She stated: “Birth photography is about much more than the actual moment of birth. There’s a lot more. It’s the birthing atmosphere, the lighting in the room, the small nuances, and the arrivals and departures of people there.” The doula lends a helping hand, the ᴍɪᴅᴡɪꜰᴇ makes ᴘᴀɪɴ-ʀᴇʟɪᴇᴠɪɴɢ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅᴀᴛɪᴏɴs, and the OB prepares and assists the mom in ᴘᴜsʜɪɴɢ. It’s the first time the baby is placed on the mom’s ᴄʜᴇsᴛ, the joyous tears, the rush of ᴀᴅʀᴇɴᴀʟɪɴᴇ, the ᴄᴜᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏʀᴅ, and the infant’s little toes and fingers. It’s the first time a sibling sees a new baby brother or sister, and they’re both excited and nervous.
It’s a combination of all of those things. It’s the story of a birthday’s trip. It’s the process of forming a family. It’s unique. And if a family decides to do so, it is worthy of being photographed.” SELF was able to contact the IAPBP group and request that they contribute some of their most emotional photographs. The end result was very amazing, depicting a wide spectrum of birth experiences. Many of the photos provided depicted children being born through Sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ.
According to the CDC, 32.2 percent of women will have a Sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, whether planned or unplanned. This figure is greater than the Wᴏʀʟᴅ Hᴇᴀʟᴛʜ Oʀɢᴀɴɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ’s suggested rate of 10 to 15% for “ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ required”Sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. The high number of sᴜʀɢɪᴄᴀʟ ʙɪʀᴛʜs in the United States has sparked debate, with some expectant mothers feeling coerced by ᴍᴇᴅɪᴄᴀʟ personnel to undertake the sᴜʀɢᴇʀʏ, and others ᴄʀɪᴛɪᴄɪᴢɪɴɢ women who opt to have elective Cᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀɪᴇs. However, these operations are ʟɪꜰᴇ-sᴀᴠɪɴɢ, and women should not be ᴀsʜᴀᴍᴇᴅ of undergoing them. Cᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀɪᴇs are tremendously dramatic, moving experiences, as these photographs demonstrate, whether or not the technique was the mother’s first choice. Here are 21 Cᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀɪᴇs photographed by the excellent IAPBP photographers.
