Miriam planned for a home water birth with minimal midwife assistance, and had arranged for the grandparents to take big sister Noemie during the delivery. The only problem was that the childcare plan didn’t work out because grandparents fell ill, so Noemie was unexpectedly joining Miriam and Shawn during the birth.
Max’s birth was the perfect reminder that a change of plan can sometimes be the best gift – and not just because the change of plan resulted in this being an award-winning Ottawa birth photography story. The resulting birth was so far beyond anything I had imagined and I reveled in the details of a beautifully lit, peaceful, and empowering water birth that truly showcased how women can take charge of their own birth experience. Miriam and Shawn were so calm throughout the delivery that it felt almost surreal and it made it easy to sense the flow and progression of Miriam’s labour. Shawn was so tuned into Miriam that it was if he knew exactly what she needed throughout the process.
When processing the images for their gallery, I had a chance to reflect on the ways that Noemie added to Max’s birth story. Noemie’s involvement ended up being a shining and unexpected subnarrative because she was a constant presence throughout. Instead of being concerned or disturbed by the flow of Miriam’s labour, she was attentive, interested, gentle and even occasionally entertaining (that water break at the end of it all just cracked me up). The moments of her stroking Miriam’s back or smoothing her hair made my heart lurch, as did seeing the urge she felt to make her mom feel better after the labour contractions caused a vomiting episode. This birth story was a shining example of how children can be so perceptive to the true nature of situations if we step back and allow them to process their feelings. It was so fascinating to witness!
When I was pulling together submissions for the latest round of This is Reportage: Family‘s competition, I knew that I needed to find the narrative in this birth story. The butterflies I had when I put the final sequence together told me that I was on to something, so it was especially satisfying to wake up to some awards news this morning! Here’s a look at how Noemie experienced Max joining her family:
I’m Ang – a photographer with a passion for capturing light and photographing natural moments in life as they happen. My goal for birth photography is to document moments with sensitivity and compassion so that you can feel empowered by your birth choices and see the strength, grit, and beauty in labour and delivery. I want you to have a record of moments that you’ll cherish once your children are too grown up to curl into your lap for cuddles and the house seems oddly quiet at night. Home births are a passion of mine because they allow me to meet families in their own space and tell truly personal stories about the perfectly imperfect nature of bringing a new life into the world. Whether you’re looking for award-winning Ottawa birth photography or you’re planning a Cornwall or SD&G home birth, I’d love to speak with you about how photography may enhance your birth experience. If you’d like to see more examples of my documentary birth photography, start here.
