Once again this year, the Birth Becomes Her photo contest has awarded the best birth photos of the year. Be careful with your eyes, you will not remain unmoved by seeing them.
Giving life is a unique, frightening and extraordinary experience. Some women choose to do it at home, without an epidural, to be as close as possible of their body, their sensations and their emotions. This is when birth photographers hit the ground running. Come to immortalize these precious moments, they freeze in time fear, stress, pain, apprehension … then love.
Before giving birth, a woman will go through a multitude of steps. Work can last for long hours, a time during which the contractions are powerful and unbearable. The photographs taken on this occasion reflect this indescribable inner pain. The companion or companion is generally present alongside the mother-to-be to support her. And finally, the long-awaited moment arrives: the expulsion of the baby. The woman pushes, screams, grabs, cries, her relatives are with her, sympathize. Baby is there and there is joy on the faces, tears of happiness flow and smiles fill the room. Birth photographers have the huge task of capturing all of these emotions.
The annual competition of the International Association of Birth Photographers aims to reward the most beautiful photos. In 2020 and due to the pandemic, home births have exploded. For the judges of the competition, we imagine that deciding all these magnificent pictures should not have been easy. Judge for yourselves.
The big winner
This beautiful photo comes straight from Canada. Entitled "Daddy's Girls", it was taken by photographer Ashley Marston.
Read also: Discover the most beautiful birth photos awarded in 2020
In the category "Details of birth"
This incredible photo was taken by German photographer Charlene Förster. It is called "The Origin of Life".
In the "Delivery" category
Moment filled with emotions captured by Brazilian Anne Lucy Silva Barbosa. It is called purely and simply "The best love in the world".
In the "Work" category
This live photo comes from the United States. It is the work of photographer Dana Jacobs and is entitled "Pousse. He is soon here".
Read also: Here are the most beautiful photos of births awarded in 2019
In the "Fresh 48" category
During the 48 hours following childbirth, the mother does not leave her baby, whether she is bottle-feeding or breast-feeding. This photo was taken by Jami Edgard in the United States and is titled "Feeding".
In the "Post-partum" category
This intriguing photo was taken by American photographer Hanna Hill and is titled "My Body, My Childbirth".
Discover the rest of the photos on the website of the International Association of Birth Photographers.