“The strength in this photo is ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ and ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ. It’s immeasurable.”
Photographer Meredith Westin recently captured an image that is the ᴇᴘɪᴛᴏᴍᴇ of everything a woman’s body goes through during birth. Her photo caught a ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ at a ʙᴏᴅʏ-ᴡʀᴀᴄᴋɪɴɢ ᴄʀᴇsᴛ, while the ʟᴀʙᴏʀɪɴɢ mom-to-be is coached by a ᴅᴏᴜʟᴀ.
“Look at this birthing body at work. A good doula knows how to help birth keep moving (like suggesting the always amazing toilet position), but also knows when to sᴛᴀɴᴅ ʙᴀᴄᴋ, let you get in the ᴢᴏɴᴇ and ʀᴏᴄᴋ your birth,” she posted on Instagram. “The ʜᴀʀᴅᴇsᴛ part of birth can be ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ of our body’s way.”
“The strength in this photo is ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟ and ᴍᴇɴᴛᴀʟ. It’s immeasurable,” read the Instagram post. “A doula is there to help remind you of your strength when it feels impossible. We know you can do it. You are doing it.”
Westin’s business, Gather Birth, based in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a collaboration between birth photography and ᴅᴏᴜʟᴀ sᴇʀᴠɪᴄᴇs. The original photo got the attention on Instagram, but the other photos in the series are also incredible. Westin photographed the mom ʙʀᴇᴀᴛʜɪɴɢ through ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴs while in a tub preparing for a water birth.
And she photographed the mom-to-be with her partner supporting her through ʟᴀʙᴏʀ. And after hours of ʟᴀʙᴏʀ, the mom gave birth to a baby boy named Roman. The proud new family took a moment after all the ᴘᴜsʜɪɴɢ to pose for a first family portrait.
Congrats, mom and dad. P.S. Mom, you’re ꜰʀᴇᴀᴋɪɴɢ Superwoman.
