The birth of a child is a very special moment for new parents. The feeling of having your newborn in your hands cannot be described. So, when a California based photograher, Lisa Robinson-Ward, learned that she was pregnant, she decided to capture the priceless moment of the birth of her child, herself. When she went into labour, Lisa photographed every moment of the experience, from entering the hospital up until the delivery of her baby, documenting the entire process in a series of poignant pictures.
Here’s the entire story in her own words, as reported by Today, a news outlet in Singapore:
“I had been having contractions on and off for a week, then my water broke at 3 a.m. We grabbed our things, and the camera, and got into the car to go to the hospital — thankfully it wasn’t a long drive. When we got there, I was shaking with every single contraction and at one point I thought to myself, There’s no way I’m going to be able to hold the camera.”
“In between contractions, I was able to take photos of what I saw around me — the IV, the monitors, stuff like that. But it was intense.”
“I got an epidural, and once I did I felt like I had so much more control. I was so lucky. I was in labor for 14 hours, but it didn’t seem like it at all. Time really flew, partly because I had really good pain management.”
“And partly because my husband was so supportive.”
“I asked my doctor early on, “Do you have a problem with me photographing my birth?” He was all for it. But when he came into the room and saw that I had a camera right in my face, I think he was kind of amazed.”
“I took pictures while I pushed! When I was ready to push, I’d bring my hands and the camera up to my face. I didn’t know what I was getting at the time, and I didn’t know if anything was going to be in focus. But it helped me focus.”
“Part of me worried that if I was taking photos, I was not going to really be there. But I was totally there. I was so present when she was coming out of me.”
“When I look back at these photos, I can remember exactly how I felt. I can relive the moment my daughter was born.”
“I loved seeing my husband’s face the moment he saw our daughter for the first time. He was crying. He was just so happy.”
“I know that I’m lucky. I had a really easy labor and delivery.”
“Our daughter is really easy going. She’s mellow. She sleeps! She’s a happy baby.”
“We had immediate skin-to-skin, and I breastfed her right away.”
“My mother took this one. I gave her the camera right after Anora was delivered and she started snapping away!”
Priceless!
All the images are the property of Lisa Robinson.