I’ll never forget when Steven got a frantic text from our photographer (and our family, for that matter, haha) asking if she had missed it, if she was too late. Luckily for her and us, I hadn’t progressed any further in the eight hours since I was admitted, so we told her to slow down, take her time and get there safely. The night before we had texted back and forth and she sent me a text saying “My phone is almost dead, but this is where I am. Call them if you go into labor and let them know it’s an emergency!” I wrote back “haha, I don’t think anything is happening tonight.” A few hours later we were on our way to the hospital.
Jenn arrived a little after 8am and other than the one time she sat and held my hand while Steven stepped out (to which I apologized for it taking so long) I hardly remember Jenn being there. Granted, I was super focused on the pain and just getting through labor, but she was also very discreet and didn’t get in the way of the doctors. Afterwards, she had the most amazing photos to show us from our labor and delivery and I will never ever be able to fully express what that means to me. I didn’t really know what to expect going into this experience, but she photographed with integrity and respect (especially considering I was naked 100% of the time). I couldn’t imagine having anyone else there with us. To this day, I still get emotional looking at these photos.
I don’t know if anyone else ever notices things like this, but I’m always drawn to this photo above because of the tears you can see running down my face. 
A few months ago, I got photograph sweet little Harrison coming into this world. Being a part of their birth experience was amazing and so life-changing. I tried to follow suit to what Jenn did and stayed out of the way as much as possible until it was time for Emily to push (don’t get me wrong, I still stayed out of the way then, haha). I read a book in between taking photos, because I didn’t shoot 100% of the time, because, well, you don’t need to as a photographer. Labors take a long time and though it felt weird to sometimes be taking photos when she was so clearly in pain, I know it’s part of my job to do that because that’s part of the story. Honestly, I think those photos for me and for her are probably some of the most important ones because it shows us just how much our bodies can handle and what we go through to bring life into the world.
I wanted to share this today because I know the idea of having a photographer in the room while you’re doing one of the hardest things you’ll ever do physically is really weird. It’s super intimate, personal, and private and it’s SO important to have someone that you trust and feel comfortable with because they’re going to see a lot!
But, despite how weird it may seem, having these photos are my most cherished photos. I literally have them backed up in five different places because if I ever lose them I’ll be absolutely heartbroken.
If you’re even entertaining the idea of having a birth photographer, I encourage you to look into more, because I don’t think you’d regret it.
Linda is a Boston-based photographer specializing in weddings and creating family legacies. You can see more of her work online at lindabarryphotography.com, on Instagram, or on Facebook. If you want to reach out directly: linda@lindabarryphotography.com. To sign up for the monthly newsletter full of encouragement and real life, click here!
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[…] life. But, there’s nothing quite as intimate as being a part of a birth story. I photographed the birth of Emily and Nick’s first son, Harrison, and it is an absolute honor to have been able to […]