20 Video Game Inspired Baby Names Even Non-Gamers Will Love
Midwives Get Real About Labor Pooping & Grooming -- & the Honesty...
Pushy MIL Refuses to Let Pregnant Mom Find Out Her Baby's Gender &...
Doctor Husband Rants About His Wife Getting 'Lazy' Since Becoming...
20 Pets Who Love Snuggling Their Human Mom's Baby Bump
Giving birth to a child in the comfort of home, surrounded by loved ones can make for an unforgettable experience. Abbey is a Maryland mom who made this decision more than once (she and her husband welcomed both their daughters at home) and was eager to do the same with her son on the way. Little did Mom know that her home birth, and the images a local photographer took, would showcase the miracle of childbirth in such an incredible way.
More from CafeMom: 13 Birth Photos That Capture the True Connection Between Mom & Baby
Lindsey Welch, a trained duola and owner of Lindsey Welch Photography, captured Abbey's home birth photos -- including an amazing photo of baby Nash nursing just above the placenta, the very lifeline that once united the pair. These photos show the raw power and connection between mother and child, not to mention the intimate journey of giving birth at home. The imagery of this water birth touched our hearts and, no doubt, changed the lives of Abbey and her family forever. After all, it's the day her family of 4 became a family of 5.
More from CafeMom: 17 Home Birth Photos That Show the Beauty of Having Your Children by Your Side
These photos of Abbey's home birth are mesmerizing and show raw emotion. Anyone considering giving birth at home will definitely want to take a look.
-
Abbey experienced a couple days of prelabor that resulted in a spurt of contractions. It wasn't until Mom and her family finished decorating their Christmas tree that Abbey's water broke. Talk about Christmas coming early!
-
Moms might have to endure the emotional and physical demands of childbirth, but that doesn't mean there isn't a community of love and support to help them along the way. Abbey's husband, a certified nurse midwife, along with an assistant midwife -- who happens to be a dear friend of Abbey -- were with Mom every step. Abbey's mother-in-law was also present to look after mom's sleeping daughters.
More from CafeMom: 'I Gave Birth Under the Stars': One Mom's Story
-
Childbirth can be excruciating, uncomfortable, and everything in between. Yet, through it all, a laboring mother will find ways to manage the pain of giving birth and stay focused on what's to come. "...The power that women exude during childbirth is like nothing else you ever experienced," Lindsey tells CafeMom.
-
"Labor and birth are so focused and intense. Mom doesn't [often] have a great memory of how things unfolded," Welch adds. Every mother who has ever endured the ebbs and flows of childbirth can relate to this photo.
-
"[Abbey] showed so much love, humor, and inner strength during Nash's birth," Lindsey tells CafeMom. "I was so honored to be a part of it all!"
More from CafeMom: 3 Tips for a Successful Home Birth
-
There's a reason why some expectant mothers opt to experience childbirth in the water. Water births are extremely soothing and give Mom the calm she needs to labor on. And as Lindsey tells CafeMom, "Water births ROCK. If you have the chance to labor in a birth pool or tub, do!"
-
After three hours of labor, baby Nash was born a little after midnight on a frosty Monday morning. Awesome job, Mom!
-
Abbey and her husband exchange smiles and a moment of gratitude as Mom holds their sweet bundle of joy. Y'all did it!
More from CafeMom: 11 Moms Reveal What They Regret the Most About Their Home Births
-
Since sharing this breathtaking photo of Abbey breastfeeding her baby above the placenta, Lindsey has received a ton of feedback. "I knew when I took [this] photograph that it was something special, but I honestly didn't expect to get the amount of interest that it did!" she tells CafeMom. "We had both seen images of the placenta on the mom's belly -- so we decided to give it a go and see how it looked .... It never occurred to me that people would be so enchanted," she adds.
-
"Every baby that comes into this world is special, and every baby that I witness being born captures a piece of my heart," Welch says to CafeMom. "As a mother myself, I love to see the beauty of birth."
-
"Abbey had always planned to keep the placenta and cord attached until the placenta had been delivered," Welch reveals to CafeMom. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released new guidelines that support delayed cord clamping for a variety of health reasons. "Babies deserve to have all of the blood from their placentas, so please talk to your providers about delayed cord clamping. It's so beneficial to the babies in so many ways," mentions Welch.
More from CafeMom: 17 Astonishing Photos That Show the Beauty of Delayed Cord Umbilical Cord Clamping
-
'I [felt] incredibly honored to be trusted to capture those first moments of a family bringing a new life into the world," Lindsey reveals to CafeMom. "Birth photography is so different [than] the other work that I do. You capture real [and] raw emotion, the quiet moments, the birth, the postpartum happiness, and [the] glow," she adds."
-
One can only imagine the range of emotions this family -- including Abbey's two daughters -- felt when little Nash was born. Thanks to Lindsey's photos, Abbey and her loved ones can relive all of these touching moments. "As a photographer, I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of these families' lives," Welch says to CafeMom. "My job as the photographer is to be the storyteller; to remind the family of how the events unfolded, and to give them the memories that last a lifetime."
