Favourite birth photos of 2015
2015 was a very different year, because I was the one who was pregnant! I had a baby girl, and became a mother. A lifelong wish which came true. The first months were all about the extreme nausea, which meant I could hardly work at all, and once I felt better my maternity leave arrived so quickly. 🙂 I made a conscious decision to take a long period of maternity leave so that I could really enjoy being with Liv.
So this year I photographed ‘only’ 9 births. Usually I do 4 per month, so this was a very quiet year. Strangely enough, 4 of the 9 births were c-sections. You can almost call it the year of c-sections, because that is also how my own daughter, Liv, was born. And 3 of the 9 babies were called Roos! 🙂
To close off the year, I’ve made a top 10 (in no particular order) of my favourite photos which I took in 2015, and a top 3 of photos taken during Liv’s birth (by Lobke Koppens).
It was a fantastic year!
Tears of happiness
Roos was born via c-section, because at nearly 42 weeks gestation she still wasn’t giving any signs of wanting to come out. Her mama and papa joked that she couldn’t find the exit, because she was a breech baby. They didn’t know whether they were expecting a boy or a girl. When Manon heard it was a girl she shed tears of happiness. It was a beautiful moment.
A boy!
They didn’t know what they were having, and the plan was to have the baby in the hospital. However, everything went so fast that there was no time to go to the hospital. She gave birth at home, on a birthing stool without even having time to take off her jacket. In this photo their baby is 1 minute old, and they’ve just heard that it’s a boy, when they both thought they were having a girl.
Relief
This is my favourite photo of 2015. Everything about it is right. The mama’s relief, dad’s pride, the midwife who helped them achieve the birth they wanted also in the picture, and the newborn baby. Just perfect.
Tension
Linda’s oldest baby was born via emergency c-section, because she went into premature labour. This time she had a scheduled c-section. It’s always so tense when you have to report to the hospital in the early hours of the morning, knowing that in a few hours you will be lying in an OR, and a short while later you’ll be holding your baby in your arms. The tension just keeps building. This usually means that tears come during the tense moments, and that was the case with Linda. 15 minutes after this photo, she had her baby in her arms.
A girl!
After 2 boys, this dad has just heard that his newborn baby is a girl.
Proud granny
This granny has just seen that her granddaughter has a lot of hair. The look on her face is fantastic!
Catching your own baby
What could be better than catching your own baby which you’ve worked so hard for?! It’s so beautiful when a midwife gives you this opportunity.
How they fit in the belly
If I get the chance, I always take a photo showing how the baby fitted in mama’s belly. It’s not always possible. The baby has to have a stable body temperature, and the midwife needs to be willing and have the time (unless you have a brave papa around). At a home birth you almost always get the chance to take this photo, and it’s always lovely to see! (And it was awesome seeing the whole serie go viral this year!)
Alert
A newborn baby sleeps for most of the day, but just after their birth they are very alert. During the first hour they look so wise as they stare at the world around them.
Big sister
The moment when big brothers and sisters come to take a look is always special. You never know how they will react. Some children find it very exciting, or don’t enjoy it at all, but others are very proud. This big sister was so happy with her baby brother. She couldn’t get enough of him!
Photographing the first births after Liv’s birth was different. I know how it feels now, and I have even more respect for women who can give birth calmly. I’m also a little jealous (in a positive way), because I really wanted a natural birth so much. The first weeks after her birth I had no problem with the fact that I had a c-section, but now that I’m working again I sometimes find it difficult to deal with the idea that I didn’t ‘succeed’. Luckily I’m good at dealing with that feeling, and moving on.
My favourite photos of the birth of Liv are these:
Photos by Lobke Koppens Geboortefotografie
I am so glad that I could deal with most of the contractions in the tub. I think that this is a wonderful photo in terms of composition. I was so proud of my pregnant body.
The moment that she is born, and I see her for the first time. Priceless ♥
No words needed for this photo ♥
With a c-section you can never really take a ‘how baby fitted in the belly’ photo, because all the newborn checks have already been done, in the OR. Unless you have a brave papa, and Denny – my partner – had no problem with it. I am so pleased with this photo. My two great loves ♥