When we think of the miracle of childbirth, we don’t often think of C-section births. But that’s changing. A lot of people in the world today celebrate a mother’s bravery by capturing C-section birth images. And they are truly memorable.
Giving birth is a risky sort of miracle. My elders used to say that a mother has one foot in the realm of the living and one foot in the realm of the dead when giving birth. Without doubt, they just meant it’s really risky. And it’s even more so when a mother goes through a Ceasarian section procedure.
A recent study found that 18.6% of all births from 1990 to 2014 were Caesarian section. That’s 1 in 5 mothers. The World Health Organization stated that the recommended C-section rate worldwide should be at 10%-15%.
Though the procedure has saved numerous lives, a higher worldwide C-section rate is a heightened mortality risk because of the procedure’s possible complications.
C-section birth images
In spite of this risk, the option to have a C-section is a godsend when natural birth is not possible. That’s why there are photographers like Jessica Bender who choose to immortalise C-section birth images.
Jessica was used to taking photos kids during their birthdays but not during their births. When she was chosen by her friend to take C-section birth images during her delivery, she said yes.
“It was an odd feeling to be so excited that someone needed to have emergency surgery,” the Canadian photographer writes in her blog. “I felt guilty for about 39 seconds.”
She had to wait for her friend’s baby to come out while stooped on a stool, camera pressed against her face. Jessica noticed that her friend remained calm, cool, and collected as she watched the doctors “cut open the midsection, layer by layer.”
“She has forever reframed what a C-section means to me,” Jessica says of her friend. “In the past, it was presented as something to fear, but seeing Carly meet her baby . . . there was zero fear.”
Remembering a child’s birth through C-section birth images
Huffington Post ran a series of photos submitted by members of the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers for Cesarean Awareness Month last April.
So we thought it would inspire mums-to-be about the beauty of a mom’s bravery in childbirth. It’s a celebration of the complexity of birth, and the joy that comes along with it.
Some of these photos are from birth photographers, while some of them are from the parents themselves. A few photos are from our community.
A series of miracles
You can also read Easy and effective tips to relieve post childbirth pain.