Hesitant to get Birth Pictures? {A Testimonial} - Quad Cities Birth Photographer

I am excited to share this testimonial from Samantha.  She was extremely hesitant until the DAY she gave birth about having me there.  She is like most pregnant mamas...wasn't feeling great about herself, nervous about having someone else in the room, afraid she would look terrible in the pictures, thinking of all of the 'what if's'.  I asked her to write down her thoughts after the process so I could share them with other mothers who were unsure about getting birth photography.  I have photographed several births now and one thing that each of the mothers says once they see their images is how so incredibly happy they are to have them, how getting them was so much better than they expected!

Here is Sam's testimonial...

"One year ago I was one of those people that thought they would never have birth photography for the birth of my children although, I have seen other mother’s birth pictures and thought they were wonderful. Upon looking at those photos, I always thought they were such a special memory for that family to share and look back on. While it was nice for others, I just didn’t see myself doing it. I couldn’t imagine anyone else in the room with me during labor and delivery, other than my husband. Even family members were out of the question. I certainly wouldn’t want someone I didn’t know to see me in pain and have to see things they might rather not see. Plus, I didn’t think I was one of those “model” moms that look good in pictures. Sometimes seeing pictures of yourself isn’t pleasant. Most of the time, I don’t like normal pictures of myself, let alone would I like pictures of myself GIVING BIRTH!

When I told Jennie I was pregnant with my second child, she immediately brought up having my birth photographed. Quickly, I told her there was no way that was happening! I appreciated that she thought I would be a good subject for birth photography, but there wasn’t a chance in…you know what! As the months went on and my due date came closer, Jennie continued to mention what a great treasure the pictures would be if she were there to photograph the birth of our second daughter. She continued to discuss my options about the process. She let me know that if at any time, I didn’t want her in the room, she would leave. She also made sure I knew that I would barely notice she was there if that was how I wanted it. It just seemed so foreign to me, but I have to admit that I was curious about how the photos would turn out.

Three weeks before my due date, I was scheduled to go in to the hospital to be induced. Since I had time to plan our hospital arrival and the arrival of our daughter, Monroe, I decided to give birth photography some serious thought. I finally called Jennie and talked to her about it. She eagerly answered all the questions I had. After I thought about it and discussed it with my husband, Adam, I asked her to be there the day we went in. She was more than happy and excited, and I was too. (My plan was that if my labor became unbearable or something I didn’t want anyone else to witness since I was so much pain, I would ask her to step out anyway.)

Shortly after Adam and I arrived at the hospital, Jennie came in to greet us. The hospital staff started my labor right away, but the process ended up going very slowly. Throughout the day, Jennie was there occasionally snapping pictures, but also she became a good distraction for me and my husband. We had someone else to talk to and laugh with when things were going slowly. We could be distracted in a way we couldn’t have been if Jennie wouldn’t have been there. Although my labor was slow and at times very painful, Jennie was in the room almost the entire time. 19 hours later, Monroe was born and labor was over. I was so overjoyed and relieved that she had entered this world, a healthy, seven pound little girl, but I was also exhausted. It was time for some rest. Later that morning, Jennie also captured pictures of our oldest daughter, Eden, meeting her little sister for the first time. I was so happy she could be there in those wonderful moments because I wanted to keep that precious, sweet memory in my mind forever.


When I received our birth pictures and our birth story, I cried my eyes out…repeatedly. I cried tears of happiness, relief, and gratitude. Looking back at those pictures put such a smile on my face. I was so thrilled that we had captured the memories of our family becoming a family of four for the first time. Those were some of the happiest moments I have ever experienced and thankfully, I have them as photographs for years to come. I know Adam and I will look back on them fondly and I hope my children do too. My only regret through the entire process is that I did not have birth photography when I gave birth to Eden. So, my advice to anyone thinking about getting birth pictures, is to 100% GO FOR IT! You won’t regret capturing every beautiful, exhausting, tearful, happy, painful, and blissful moment you are going through at that very moment."

Here is Sam's birth slideshow video I created for her...