If you’re expecting and trying to decide whether you want a birth photographer present when you deliver, these pictures will totally make up your mind for you to absolutely, most definitely hire that photographer. When a baby is born, it’s often described as “the ᴍɪʀᴀᴄʟᴇ of life.” But it’s fair to say that some births are a little more ᴍɪʀᴀᴄᴜʟᴏᴜs than others. Photographer Robin Baker has attended 70+ births in her six years as a professional birth photographer and ᴅᴏᴜʟᴀ, so she was definitely well-prepared to document the home birth of twins. Looks like her hard work paid off.
Robin Baker, a Temecula, California-based birth photographer and ᴅᴏᴜʟᴀ, snapped the images of the unnamed couple in a poignant photo shoot on February 24th that captured every step of the ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ ʙɪʀᴛʜ process – which happened so quickly that their ʙɪʀᴛʜ ᴛᴇᴀᴍ couldn’t get there in time.
The photographer calls the moment ‘truly one of the most ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟᴇ moments of my career’ and one of the shots was even a winner of the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers’ 2016 Image of the Year Competition. She said: “These parents are experienced home birthers as they had their first child at home just two years prior to the twins. In between ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs and taking photographs I was focused on helping them prepare a space to birth. I am also an experienced home birther so I knew what needed to be done.”
While snapping photos and helping the mother deal with ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs, ᴅᴏᴜʟᴀ Robin was helping to prepare the space as the birth sped along so rapidly that the ʙɪʀᴛʜ ᴛᴇᴀᴍ didn’t even have time to come for the process. However, the group were able to speak to the doctor on the phone and in the end: “The parents were calm and peaceful and brought their babies into the world effortlessly.”
Robin filled the tub at the ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛ ᴛᴇᴍᴘᴇʀᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ, and the mother climbed in and immediately began to ᴘᴜsʜ. What’s even more ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟᴇ is that nothing was unusual when the first baby boy came out, but his brother was born “ᴇɴ ᴄᴀᴜʟ ” meaning he was born still inside his ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴀᴄ, which only happens in about 1 in 80,000 births. Robin: “They had 30 minutes of bonding time with Baby A before Baby B made his way into his fathers hands still en-caul (covered in the ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴀᴄ).”
The photo Robin took at this moment is the award-winning shot, showing the father cradling the ᴇᴍᴇʀɢɪɴɢ ᴄʜɪʟᴅ in the ʀᴇᴅ-ᴛɪɴᴛᴇᴅ ᴡᴀᴛᴇʀ while his wife holds their first child, a baby girl, in her arms. The mom reached down and removed the sᴀᴄ and dad turned the baby to ʀᴇʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴛʜᴇ Nᴜᴄʜᴀʟ ᴄᴏʀᴅ and then handed him to mom. According to the mother, this was a planned home birth that ‘went perfectly just the way I had hoped’. Shortly after, the ʙɪʀᴛʜ ᴛᴇᴀᴍ finally arrived to deliver the second ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇɴᴛᴀ.
The resulting images, both in color and black and white show the mother with her hair tied up in a bun looking alternatively ᴘᴀɪɴᴇᴅ and delighted as she and her tattooed partner welcome their new baby boys. Robin said: “Everyone was truly grateful for such a wonderful ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟ ʙɪʀᴛʜ experience. Women are ɪɴᴄʀᴇᴅɪʙʟᴇ when they follow their body’s natural instincts!”
Sources:babiesadorable.com
