Alberta, Canada-based photographer Vannessa Brown says it has always been a dream of hers to photograph an outdoor birth.
So when a mom, Kati, was up for the idea of giving birth on the backyard lookout of a midwife, Heidi, Vannessa was thrilled. “I was so excited,” she wrote on her blog. “I crossed my fingers tightly for the next few months as I hoped for one thing, that it didn’t happen in the middle of the night like most births do. It was June, the month with the most sunlight, so our odds were in our favor.”
The call came at 5:00 a.m. one morning. Kati was ready to go. “YES YES YES! It was happening,” Vannessa wrote. And so it was.
Scroll through the images that capture baby Lincoln’s birth, at just past 7:30 a.m., in full sunlight, and completely outdoors, on a lookout overlooking a duck pond.
Can we just talk about THIS photograph for a moment?
I see amazing birth photography every day. And I have never seen such an incredible view of a baby being born, ever.
Another image that made me just go “whoa,” is this one.
When I saw this photograph, is the moment I got it. It’s why this mom wanted to give birth outside. Because birthing a baby is a natural experience. Why wouldn’t you want to do that, in a natural setting? With the breeze and sunlight on your face. With the sounds of birds, and branches swaying in the wind, intermingling with your own breathing, and grunting, as you work to welcome your baby.
It’s such a different setting from a hospital, where I gave birth three times. There aren’t any machines, or tubes, or electric lights blaring. No. Just trees, fresh air, and the exquisite smells, tastes, and touch of your newborn. What a peaceful, beautiful, special way to welcome a baby.
Learn more about Vannessa Brown’s powerful photography on her website and Facebook page. And see another recent post about the beauty of the postpartum body, breastfeeding, that features her work here!
Would you ever consider giving birth outside?
Share here