Sarah with her daughter Naomi, only a few minutes old
October 6, 2009
I’m excited to share one of the most beautiful events I’ve ever photographed. My good friends Sarah and Brad Walters invited me to photograph the birth of their daughter. I was deeply honored to have been asked. When I got the call early Tuesday morning, I rushed to their home to document the stages of labor and the delivery. I had never seen a birth before, and it was a profoundly beautiful and emotional experience to witness.
Baby Naomi was born at her family’s home, in a water birth that was assisted by Laura Luckett of Baby’s Breath Midwifery and her assistant, Dana. Sarah chose not to use pain medicine, instead opting for the comfort of a pool of water. Brad comforted her throughout her labor, and monitored her contractions with the help of an iPhone app. Sarah and Brad’s parents were there for support and to take care of almost-two-year-old big brother Isaac. I observed quietly and documented events as they occurred around me.
I have been documenting Sarah’s pregnancy since her first ultrasound. You can see my previous photos here:
First ultrasound
Second ultrasound
Third ultrasound
I am grateful to Sarah and Brad for inviting me into such a private moment, and for introducing me to the miracles of childbirth. I would love to be able to photograph more births in the future, so if you or someone you know would be interested, please let me know.
I present these photos here on my blog with permission from Sarah. I will let the photos speak for themselves.
For the complete story, view their slideshow:
Your photos are beautiful and I’m glad the birth turned out well!
I just have to add that I am personally very against the practice of homebirth. I am an RN, and of my four children, one passed away as an infant and another has severe disabilities from lack of oxygen during delivery. Problems in childbirth can and do happen. It is risky. Home birth is just an added risk that is totally unnecessary. I know two people who’s children have died because they chose home birth. My disabled child would be dead if I had her at home. Emergency services are just not available quickly enough at home. It sounds like a wonderful and beautiful thing until something goes wrong. And a baby cannot be properly monitored in the water – or with an iphone. Proper monitoring is very precise, and improper monitoring can miss signs of infant distress – and future cerebral palsy, learning disorders, death, etc. In the end what matters more – how special the one day a child was born was, or how special the years that they were alive and healthy are?? People just don’t think “it can happen to them”, but I promise you, it can.
For the reality of it – put even more harshly and bluntly – check out skepticalob.blogspot.com.
Very eloquently put, thank you.
You haven’t popped yet?? I’ve been thinking about it recently. Hopefully, it’ll happen soon! 😀
O, che bello!!! è un bambino dolce!
thanks for great feelings !!
hi,im from Russia,,and just veiwed this fotos abour born baby of your friend!!!i cried of happiness!!im mon too and it tema so close to me!!u did great things ,u gave memories to this family fot whole life!!
fotos is so beautiful and unique!!!!!!
ps.sorry for y bad level of english and i so excited and under big impression!!
its all so great… natural, full of emotions, beatufull!!!
its all so great… natural, full of emotions, beatufull!!!
[…] Isaac is like a nephew to me, and baby Naomi will always have a special place in my heart, because I was there when she was born. The kids wore their new hiking boots for a family outing at Red Rock Canyon, one of my favorite […]
Charlotte, these are beautiful photos – I had goosebumps looking at them and tears in my eyes by the end. Congratulations on capturing such an intimate act with such stunning photographs. Lizzie x
So, wonderful!
Thank you!!!
Katerina Perkhova
Editor In Chief
Domashniy Rebenok (Home Child) magazine
7-495-7679936
I%u0421Q: 471357595
Skype: domrebenok.ru
http://domrebenok.ru/?page_id=2021
So, wonderful!
Thank you!!!
Katerina Perkhova
Editor In Chief
Domashniy Rebenok (Home Child) magazine
7-495-7679936
I%u0421Q: 471357595
Skype: domrebenok.ru
http://domrebenok.ru/?page_id=2021
how sweet!
thank you!
how sweet!
thank you!
simply amazing!
Charlotte these are amazing! I love how excited big brother is in all the pics. I think my fave might be the one of all 4 of them in bed and that cute little naked baby bum!
I wish I didn’t have complications – I would LOVE to do this!
xo
Amy
best!
very beautiful photos!
best!
very beautiful photos!
Thank you so much for sharing these precious, great moments with us!
The pictures are awesome, an absolute respect to photographer – his eye, his flawless taste and kind personality.
This is happiness. I’ve been crying of it looking at the pictures.
Thank you so much for sharing these precious, great moments with us!
The pictures are awesome, an absolute respect to photographer – his eye, his flawless taste and kind personality.
This is happiness. I’ve been crying of it looking at the pictures.
beautiful! what a spectacular moment to have WONDERFUL pictures taken… nice job on the pics. wonderful memories! i cried looking at them. truely talented mrs geary
Charlotte, you capture the essence of homebirth with your exquisite photos. The “miracle” of it all is etched in every shade of these black and whites.
It was so wonderful having you there…come to more births!
What a wonderful birth so beautifully photographed. These are breathtaking. Thank you for portraying how natural and wonderful childbirth can be. I cried just looking through these. Amazing.
These are beautiful….I think what struck me the most is how classy, tasteful and discreet these photos are. I’ve got tears running down my cheeks…the family will cherish these photos forever.
Re: %u0421 %u0420%u041E%u0416%u0414%u0415%u041D%u0418%u0415%u041C!!!
Thanks for the translation, Anserin!
What a beautiful story so beautifully photographed. With words or music or even any emotional attachment to these people I’ve never met, I was moved to tears by your respectful and real images. It looked so peaceful.
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Re: %u0421 %u0420%u041E%u0416%u0414%u0415%u041D%u0418%u0415%u041C!!!
%u042D%u0442%u043E – %u0431%u043B%u043E%u0433 %u0430%u043C%u0435%u0440%u0438%u043A%u0430%u043D%u0441%u043A%u043E%u0433%u043E %u0444%u043E%u0442%u043E%u0433%u0440%u0430%u0444%u0430. This is an American photographer’s blog.
—
To Charlotte: the comment says “It’s amazing!!! For me the most amazing part of it is that ALL the relatives are there and don’t hinder the process!!! :)”
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you’ve seriously outdone yourself Charlotte!! i mean, i love all of your work and your wedding work especially, but this? maybe i’m already in an extra sappy mood, but i don’t know these people, have never been pregnant or birthed a baby, and they brought me to tears. so beautiful.
Oh my gosh, this is so neat! They’ll cherish this moment forever. I watched “The Business of Being Born” and since then have been really interested in home births. I think it’s so neat and important that women know this is a great option if they’re pregnant. Congratulations to the family on their new addition!
you’ve seriously outdone yourself Charlotte!! i mean, i love all of your work and your wedding work especially, but this? maybe i’m already in an extra sappy mood, but i don’t know these people, have never been pregnant or birthed a baby, and they brought me to tears. so beautiful.
Wow! Those are soooo beautiful!
Wow! Those are soooo beautiful!
Wow! Those are soooo beautiful!
Wow!!!.. These are wonderful… amazing… no, it’s a real miracle! How do you do this?..
Dear Charlotte, I’ve seen many pictures of births, and many pictures of homebirths among them, but yours are the best of all. They are really breathtaking.
How breathtakingly beautiful and powerful these pictures are, Charlotte.
Thanks!
Very touching and wonderful photos!
Do you mind if I share this link?
Wow, photos just beautiful, I really like!
How breathtakingly beautiful and powerful these pictures are, Charlotte.
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!!!!
Va bene!!!
Thanks!
Very touching and wonderful photos!
Do you mind if I share this link?
big thanks for such delicate photos. i post link here:
http://filonova-olga.livejournal.com/1678126.html
Wow, photos just beautiful, I really like!
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!!!!
Va bene!!!
big thanks for such delicate photos. i post link here:
http://filonova-olga.livejournal.com/1678126.html
AMAZING!!! These are so gorgeous–I knew would be an absolutely perfect fit with birth photography–you did such an incredible job! I cannot wait for January!!! 😀
Just beautiful. If you lived in Australia, I’d have you over to photograph our baby journeys in a heartbeat!
these are great! beautiful, tasteful, classy, capturing a wonderful moment in time many camera don’t get to capture.
Holy crap…
YOU MADE ME CRY! These are a beautiful documentation! I am going to show them to Fawn tomorrow… since we are contemplating having a child.
Wow. That’s all I can say to end my gushing here.
WOW.
Oh wow! That is amazing! I’ve never actually seen a water birth before. Just amazing. I love the picture of the little boy with the “pregnant” belly. Hee! Too cute! Beautiful, beautiful photos.
I always love to come to NYC. 🙂
Sure, you’re welcome to share it. 🙂
Actually I’m heading to Virginia later this month!
These are unspeakably wonderful. Just amazing. Do you mind if I share this link?
Holy crap…
YOU MADE ME CRY! These are a beautiful documentation! I am going to show them to Fawn tomorrow… since we are contemplating having a child.
Wow. That’s all I can say to end my gushing here.
WOW.
These are unspeakably wonderful. Just amazing. Do you mind if I share this link?
Wow. I am speechless. Beautiful, beautiful photos.
I “awww’ed” out loud at that! Definitely the cutest thing ever.
Thats so neat that they chose you to help document thier experience. What a great way to maintain the memory of that joyous day.
Wow. I am speechless. Beautiful, beautiful photos.
I “awww’ed” out loud at that! Definitely the cutest thing ever.
Wow, your photos are breathtaking! How cool that you got to be part of such a special moment! I’d love to have photographs like these. Want to come to NYC in a few years?
How cute was the little boy with his “pregnant” belly?!?
Oh Charlotte – I am crying. These are so wonderful. And, funny enough, Ben and I joked that we wished there was an iPhone app to help him with my contractions while I was in Labor! I would have loved LOVED LOVED something like this – though, as I think back, I am 100% certain I did not look as nice as she does in these pictures. I mean, I threw up. A Lot. 😀
But I whole-heartedly advocate water births!!!! It was a wonderful experience that I would do over or again in a minute. I’m so glad you got to witness it and hey – if we’re ever again in the position to need a birth photographed, maybe we can afford to fly you out! LOL
Wow.
That is so awesome!
Wow. I’m waiting to go into birth as we speak and I am so jealous she has photos like this to document the experience! Fly to VA stat! 🙂
Wow. I’m waiting to go into birth as we speak and I am so jealous she has photos like this to document the experience! Fly to VA stat! 🙂
These are amazing. So beautiful. Thank you.
Thank you so much to you and the Walters family for sharing such an AMAZING thing. Your pictures are fantastic!
Awww, these are so wonderful! I cried! Congrats to Brad and Sarah. What a beautiful baby 🙂
Wow – these are beautiful. What an amazing experience for everyone involved. Thank you for sharing, Charlotte – congratulations to the family!
These are some of the most beautiful photos I have ever seen.