Lauren Chenault is a mom and photographer. She specializes in taking photos of landscapes, events, and small weddings, and also does maternity and newborn shoots. And, of course, she takes photos of her daughter, Kailah.
When she was pregnant with Kailah, Lauren planned on photographing her own labor and delivery. However, she didn't know exactly how it would go as she had never given birth before.
Although she wanted to take pictures of her labor and birth, things in the delivery room got too hectic, so she ended up not taking any photos. You never know what to expect when you go into labor, and that was definitely true with Lauren's first birth.
When Lauren got pregnant with her second child, she knew she could actually do it this time. Although she could have hired a birth photographer to guarantee perfect shots, Lauren knew it would be even more special if she took the pictures herself.
Since she now understood what her experience in the delivery room would be like, she was excited to capture her son's first moments in the world herself.
[H/T: Huffington Post]
When she went into labor at 41 and a half weeks, photographer Lauren Chenault knew she wanted to photograph her own birth. And on January 31, 2017, she did just that.
She brought her friend Wendy with her to the delivery room to help hold her leg while she was pushing, and she rested her camera on her chest.
Lauren knew she wouldn't be able to take any pictures while she was pushing, so she planned to take them right afterward, as doctors brought her son into the world.
When she was finished pushing, Wendy told her to get her camera ready. She could see his head and knew he was coming.
So Lauren set her camera on her chest and started clicking away. She took a ton of pictures, knowing she could look through afterward and find the perfect shot.
Lauren, who thinks the process of growing a child inside yourself is a beautiful process, wanted to capture the incredible moment her son came into the world.
Documenting the experience herself would allow Lauren to look back at the photos and remember how it felt to give birth — from her own perspective as the mother.
The resulting photographs are stunning. Lauren was able to snap a picture of her son taking his first breaths and beginning to cry.
After her son was cleaned up, Lauren also photographed him meeting his big sister.
While it's always special to have a birth photographer capture the incredible moment of delivery, it's even more special that Lauren was able to photograph it herself.
This is an experience Lauren definitely won't be able to forget.
Did you have a photographer attend your delivery? Would you consider taking pictures yourself while in labor?
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