Birth photographer, Monet Nicole Moutrie from Denver, Colorardo in the U.S. has been photographing child birth for the last eight years. She beautifully depicts the excitement, happiness, love, and weariness that mothers experience when holding their newborns for the first time in this amazing collection of potent pictures.
Each photo is meaningful and displays so many different emotions. Anticipation, relief, pain, love, wonder, excitement, joy, determination – it’s all there.
Explaining how she began photographing childbirth Monet explains it was seeing her nephew enter the world. “Taking photos of my sweet nephew’s first few hours of life was immensely rewarding. From that point forward, I knew I wanted to move into the realm of birth photography.
In these mere seconds, everything changes. Not only is it an incredible physical transformation, but a spiritual and emotional one as well.
When asked to descibe childbirth, Monet sums it up best with three simple words. “Transformative, Empowering, Beautiful.”
And what does Monet think about women after seeing so many bring life into the world? “Women during childbirth are goddesses! They are connected to a power greater than us. It’s a wonder to behold.”
Many of us take part in giving birth to their own children rather than witnessing it. We questioned Monet about what it was like to stand back and take in this miracle without bias.
“The moment a child is born is electrifying. I can feel the energy dramatically shift in the room the moment that child comes up or out and into his or her mother’s arms.”
Not every woman is able to have the birth experience that she hoped or planned for, and this can be disappointing for some mums. Monet’s arresting images are able to show how each of these deliveries, whether they occur vaginally or through a C-section, results in an emotional and joyful outcome.
When asked which of her incredible birth photos is her favourite, Monet explained this is her pick.
“This one is very special to me. I think it captures what birth is like for many women…exhausting, rewarding, and beautiful. I love the way the cord rests on her belly and the look of relief on her face.”
These images capture a wide range of emotions: joy, pain, but ultimately, they capture the love that accompanies the birth of a new baby.
The relief, exhaustion, joy and instant love parents feel at our children’s birth is an absolute life highlight. And to have that moment captured and treasured for a lifetime is a wonderful gift.
But Monet was quick to point out that hospital births are a wonderful experience to watch and capture also.
“Hospital births are beautiful too. Some of my most dramatic images are taken at hospital births. The crowning shots you can get at a hospital birth are often spectacular.
