I stumbled upon a birth photo session from a local photographer (Keri Duckett Photography) posted on Facebook yesterday. The preview pictures looked beautiful, but I wasn’t compelled to click through (really was doing my best to not waste too much time while trying to work on a deadline) until I saw the description below them.
the birth of Josephine. (surrogate)
These are two best friends. One mama was too high risk to carry another baby and she had just about given up the dream of more children. Her best friend made the offer of a lifetime by carrying and birthing her beautiful little girl for her! Grab your kleenex!
Yeah. I had to click through after that.
Birth photography is always inspirational and fills my heart to begin with. There’s something very magical happening under the surface. A family is forming, a bond is sparking. But, these pictures tell a story that is so much more complex.
Can you even imagine the love in the room as baby Josephine’s mom caught her as she was born, after growing in her mother’s best friend’s womb?
And as if this miracle of birth isn’t enough to be just absolutely, well…. miraculous, the mother was able to nurse Josephine. Yes! She was able to take some supplements and pump so that she had a milk supply when Josephine arrived! (I read in the comments that the surrogate will also be pumping to help out.)
Best friend overjoyed at the sight of mama nursing her baby! Mama didn’t think this could happen!
I reached out to Keri to ask if I could share this story here and link back to her album on Facebook. She doesn’t have a blog right now, so that’s the place to go to see the rest of them. I also asked her some questions about her experience with all of this, as it had to be very special to be on the other side of that camera lens.
How long have you been doing birth photography, and what got you into it?
I started birth photography in the spring of 2009. My mother has been a midwife my entire life, so it was natural for me to be involved somehow in the birth community. She owns two birth centers, Gentle Beginnings Birth Center. I worked in the office when they first opened so I was able to photograph some of her clients to start my portfolio.
How did you meet these women, and have you ever photographed a surrogate birth before?
This was my first surrogate birth, though I hope it to not be my last! They are clients of Gentle Beginnings Birth Center and T contacted me to photograph their birth.
What was it like to witness this bond, and what was the atmosphere like after Josephine entered the world?
It was such an honor to be trusted enough to capture one of the most intimate and joyous times in their life. I feel this way about every client I have. The mood after Josephine’s arrival was that of accomplishment and celebration. These couples had worked together for so long for this very moment, and it had finally arrived. It was very touching to see L so happy for her best friend who finally had her baby in her arms. I’m sure the reward for her was beyond words. It was also incredible to see Josephine’s mom and dad get to know her and fall in love with her, something they weren’t sure they would ever get to do again. It was a truly emotional and inspiring experience.
Keri is unsure if and when the mother and surrogate will publish a public birth story, as they are both busy healing and nursing a very special baby girl right now. If they do, though, I’ll be sure to link it up (with their permission) and let you all know.
I really hope we can learn more about their story. It reminds me that the heart of life is good.
Keri is a DFW area birth photographer. You can visit her website here.
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18 comments
I love this!! I so wish I had thought of hiring a photographer for the triplets birth.
She does such amazing birth photos. My biggest regret about my birth was that I didn’t get birth photography. Keri’s mom is my midwife so I knew about it and didn’t because it was expensive. But now I really wish we had captured those moments. Next time I definitely will.
What a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing it with us! I love the additional background info from the photographer, and the pictures are just stunning. I can only imagine all the love in that room. :o)
I love these photos. Keri does beautiful work and this an amazing story. I choose not to hire a birth photographer and sometimes when I see others photos I wish I had. However, I usually stand by my original decision since I did not look pretty. I knew about Keri’s work while I was pregnant because used a midwife at her mother’s birth center. I love those women!
This is amazing! What a special and selfless gift. Absolutely beautiful pictures, too.
Ok yes. I’m totally crying. Beautiful!
In the comments of those pictures- there was something about a birth story being published somewhere… It linked to a birthing type blog, but not to a specific post and I didnt have time to search yesterday. I dont know if the reply actually referred to this specific story (i thought it did, but maybe I was wrong) or not.
That is BEAUTIFUL!
WOW, absolutely beautiful! ! I went and checked out the FB page. Those are some stunning birth pictures!
The photographs are absolutely stunning and so full of emotion! And the story behind it even more beautiful. There is a lot of good in this world and this is just one example. Thanks for sharing this.
I LOVE that these two women sat side by side after the birth. The look on the surrogate’s face is priceless and proud and full of love. And the birth mother looks as if she’s staring at an angel. I just couldn’t stop looking at those black and white shots. Beautiful.
p.s. Like your new header up there.
wait, so the MOM not the surrogate is nursing? Awesome — how is that possible?
Yes! She took supplements and stimulated her body to produce by using a pump. So cool, right?
Such a beautiful story and beautiful pictures!!!!! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, this is really beautiful. That is so awesome she was able to lactate.
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I was looking through your blog for something you posted a long time ago and came across this post. It peaked my interest and I did a search to see if a birth story was every posted anywhere and I found a little bit of one. What an incredible journey. Just thought I would share. 🙂
http://www.parenting.com/gallery/surrogate-mother?page=0
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