Extraordinary strength of a mother is shown through 29 realistic moments of giving birth: Strong and fierce but touching people’s hearts
The 2023 winners are part of the slideshow, ahead, along with other stunning images captured by extremely talented birth photographers.
And because there’s so much childbirth photography can teach people about the utter beauty of birth, whether it happens drug-free in a bathtub or while medicated in operating room during a cesarean section, we’re also including photos SheKnows has previously gathered, along with some great quotes from the photographers who took them.
“Birth photography is such an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to mothers processing their birth stories,” Lauren Jolly, a birth photographer in Winston-Salem, NC, tells SheKnows. “I think my favorite part of my job is delivering a gallery of images to a mom so they can see their strength, support and love — it’s magical to be able to see that in photo form. I also love being able to share birth, in all its forms, with the world.” Why? Because “normalizing birth for women in our society is so important,” Jolly adds.
“I Did It!”
Sometimes after birth, the strongest emotion is sheer disbelief that it actually happened. Of this candid shot, birth photographer Lauren Bennett of Nourished Birth & Beyond says, “After some difficulty with fertility and birth, this healthy baby was born. Moments after, she started crying, ‘He’s here! I did it!’”
Her End & Her Beginning
Portland birth photographer Natalie Broders captured the effort and emotion of this new mom as she gives birth. “After the final push, the mother cries out with joy as her baby is scooped up by her husband,” she says. “This photo marks the end of her pregnancy and the beginning of her new life as a mother.”
nception
Photographer Sara Ávila proves with this amazing snap that no matter how babies come into the world, each birth is equally captivating. “Giving birth by Cesarean can be as beautiful as a vaginal birth,” she says of the photo.