Knoxville Hospital Birth Photos During Covid-19

Every birth story is different & every birth is beautiful.

If you know me, you know I love a good birth story! And while it’s true to say that every birth is different, having a baby in the middle of a global pandemic takes “different” to an entirely new level! Even before she was pregnant, my dear friend Laura Caroline had talked with me about being there to photograph her labor and delivery for sweet baby Evalyn. She did not have a photographer the first time around with her son Henry, and wanted to be sure to capture the experience this time.

When COVID hit, all of her birth plans went up in the air. For a while, we weren’t sure even her husband could be in the room, but as things progressed, some of the hospital restrictions changed and she was able to have not only her husband, but one additional person as well! Yay! Both LC’s husband Clay and I wore masks in the room.

Laura delivered with the incredible team of University Midwives at UT Medical Center and had a wonderful experience. I absolutely loved being there for my sweet friend and watching her bravely and beautifully bring her girl into the world!

The beauty of a birth photographer

Birth is the most amazing thing EVER! I feel like a huge nerd about it, and have become even more of one after having both of my girls. It is always amazing to me to think about what women’s body’s are capable of. Regardless of how you give birth, we are strong and made for such incredible things. Birth is such a miracle, and I love both experiencing it myself and being able to watch other women walk through the experience as well.

In labor, especially without an epidural, you are so focused on one thing—getting that baby OUT! What I love about shooting birth photography is that unlike any other type of shoot, my subjects are completely unaware of what they look like and what they are doing. This leads to some incredibly raw and authentic images, which, to me, is just beautiful and amazing.

I approach a labor and delivery in a much different manner than any other type of session I do. While usually I love to bring lots of energy to my shoots, as I enter the delivery room, I move into a very calm and reverent head space. This experience is about mama, birth partner, and baby, and my goal is to be a fly on the wall and capture these moments out of the way of the family and medical professionals. I am very strategic of where I am in the room to still get beautiful shots but also give space for the husband or birth partner to be the one engaging with the mama.

While I’m there to capture whatever you want me to capture (and whatever I am legally allowed to capture according to hospital protocol), here are the things I really focus on capturing each time I do a birth shoot:

• The few minutes leading up to delivery. There is struggle and pain to get a baby into the world, and it deserves to be documents. In these images, Mama is pushing, right at the end of the strength she has left, and the hustle and bustle of doctors and nurses is in full swing.

• Mom meeting baby for the first time. All the hard work has paid off, and baby is here! There is nothing like those first few images of mom seeing her sweet baby for the first time. Awe and wonder, joy, relief, tears, and overwhelming love are pouring out of mom and dad’s faces. I could cry thinking about it. Clay & Laura didn’t know the gender prior to delivery, so it was absolutely epic seeing Laura discover that Evalyn was a girl! Her facial expression was priceless!

• Important people who are there. The doctor who delivers the baby, husbands, birth partners, grandparents meeting their new grandchild for the first time. It literally takes a village and I want to capture the love that surrounds each family in this special time.

• Settling in with each other. Once mama and baby have been assessed and cleaned up, I love to capture the first few moments of quiet as each family gets to know their child. Laura was in awe of baby Eva and Clay was in awe of Laura. (I’m trying not to cry writing this.) This is also the perfect moment for me to capture those little details of baby like their tiny toes and button noses. It’s a miracle every time!

While birth is an incredibly beautiful thing, the process of getting your little one out into the world really isn’t. I mean it when I saw there is literal blood, sweat, and tears! A lot of times, moms will joke about the fact that their hair is a mess and their make up is smudged, but one thing I love about this kind of shoot is how moms feel looking at their photos a few weeks after the fact. I could cry thinking of the responses I’ve gotten of moms realizing how beautiful and strong they are, and how they love the photos more than they thought they would! Every mom deserves to see herself in that light at least once in her life.

Is hiring a birth photographer right for me?

Quite possibly, yes! If you want images to look back on this experience but want to stay fully present in the moment, not having to worry about snapping photos of your sweet bundle right after labor, birth photography is right for you. If you want to see an outside perspective of how beautiful, strong, and capable you are as a woman and mother, birth photography is right for you. If you want one of the most significant moments of your life captured beautifully for you to enjoy forever, birth photography is right for you. You can go into the experience knowing that you have another person in the room holding space for this sacred moment, cheering you on, and making sure you remember these moments for the rest of your life. I consider birth photography probably the most significant and meaningful type of photography that I shoot.

I love photographing births.

If you are interested in having me present for your labor & delivery, and to document your first moments meeting your little one- let’s chat! Want to bring some editing magic to the photos you take on your phone or digital camera- grab my presets! And lastly, if you’re hoping to grow your own photography skills - take my course!

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