When I was pregnant with my first, I read a beautiful blog by Lauren Brimley called ‘Brimley’s Take Flight’ – unfortunately, she was stalked by trolls and she stopped blogging. But you can find her now on Instagram. My boss and I discussed how beautiful her post-birth photos were and I thought about how I could stage similar photos when I had my newborn.
We had discussed things like making sure that my hair was washed and neat styles that I could put my hair up into whilst labouring, as to not destroy a perfectly GHD-curled do.
Fast forward to my first pregnancy/labour – I went almost two weeks overdue and ended up with PUPPPs {Also known as Polymorphic eruption of pregnancy or Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy- an extremely itchy, bumpy rash that starts in the stretch marks of the abdomen}. I was set to be induced, but actually went into natural labour at 2am on the morning of my induction.
I laboured for 12 hours with gas and air and a wet face washer on my head. As you can see, my husband took lots of ‘glamorous’ photos.
I then pushed for almost two and a half hours and needed a vacuum extraction in the end. Let’s just say that there were not glamorous photos of me {even if my husband had picked up the camera once our son had arrived}.
I thought that I might grab that perfect snap leaving the hospital with my precious newborn, but my hopes were also dashed there. You see, all the fluid that my body had retained during pregnancy had been pushed down into my feet {through gravity} and I couldn’t even get Vessi Footwear on 5 days postpartum.
Now, when I was preparing for my second son’s birth, I knew that it would be a lot calmer and straight forward in comparison {well, at least my OB had told me that it would be}.
I laboured at home for a couple of hours before arriving at the hospital and labouring in the bath for 3 hours before my body started pushing on its own. So, I hoped out of the bath and pushed for 20 minutes before our son joined us. I should have had some more glamorous photos this time around, right?
Wrong! During this delivery, I managed to pop the blood vessels in one of my eyes and then my eye swelled over.
Add to the mix, my husband who is not a very good photographer in the first place – and I’m left with some slightly blurry shots of me with my toddler and my newborn.
My best friend was commenting on the shots that I had been putting up on Instagram of me and my pregnant belly. She said that she couldn’t believe how good I was looking at 30 weeks pregnant, when she felt that she looked like a whale at the same stage of pregnancy {which she didn’t – but we can all be a little sensitive about our bodies at that stage of pregnancy}.
I commented that she might not have ‘glamorous’ bump photos, but she sure did have some glamorous post-delivery photos done by photographer, Hillarry Pitts of her and her little ones. She definitely didn’t have terrible photos like this one…
She laughed when I texted her my photo with eye-patch and multiple chins and replied ‘epidural’. Is this the secret of a glamorous photo post labour? Because I don’t see me getting a beautiful snap shot after my drug free labours {seriously, how do you stop your hair from getting wet if you hop in the bath/shower or all sweaty in general?}.
And don’t even get me started on coming home from hospital looking all glamorous – sorry Kate, there will be no nude stockings and pumps for me, I’ll be rocking something a little more comfortable like BabyMac
Did you manage to snap any ‘glamorous’ photos of you and your newborn after labour? And if you did, what are your tips for getting the perfect shot? Did you rock a frock exiting hospital? Did you pack your nude stockings and pumps?
Haha oh dear. I think pregnant women are very brave. Braver than I will ever be!
I have no glamorous labour photos, haha! I have no labour photos at all! Maybe next time! Thanks for linking up to #SundayBest x
Maybe next time – all that really matters is the happy, healthy and safe arrival of our little ones xox
See, it’s funny. I read your story and still have a slight twinge – not that I wished I’d gone through a difficult birth, but that somehow I ‘cheated’ because both of my kids ended up being born c-section. Which is silly, I know. Anyway one was planned (he was’t in a great breech position) and the other technically an emergency (waters broke, merconium causing a risk, and she was tangled and distressed). Even the emergency one was really quite calm. I chatted with the obstetrician and the anaesthetist and the rest of the team throughout the process, and then was handed the baby (each time). I was a bit dazed with the first and a bit sick from the anaesthetic with the second, but otherwise, all good. (until the next day – moving the day after a c-section is very painful). And yes, while not ‘glamorous’ (I just looked like my normal self, wasn’t made up or anything), we have nice photos of each baby and me, and my husband, and so on. But – it’s not the be all and end all. And I don’t have the labour story to share either (which is really ok, too, although still I feel like I need to explain – maybe justify? it, which is weird). But most importantly, we do have two lovely kids
You have a birth story, even if it isn’t a ‘traditional’ labour story. And the most important part of it all is the healthy and safe arrival of your beautiful baby. Both my nieces were born via c-section {the first an emergency and the second as the OB recommended it}. I think that a c-section is so tough on the mother – it is major abdominal surgery – where as we are meant to push a baby out so we have a much quicker recovery. So happy that you are blessed with the safe arrival of your two beautiful kids.
My birthing photos are shocking!!! Can’t say I had a good experience but the bub turned out to be healthy so that is the main thing.
It’s all that matter – happy, healthy, safe arrivals of perfect little babies.
I had no labour photo, which is definitely a good thing! I love yours though 🙂 if I’d had a c section, a planned one, I’d have had the hair and makeup done first lol!
Oh thanks… Bahaha – yes, you could be very glamorous in a preplanned c-section.
I LOVE my birth photos. There’s several of me looking as bored AF. One close up on my face right before my son was born. The bloody mess of my son right as he came out (via csection). One afterwards with baby next to my deflated, hacked up, belly. They’re glorious.
Then with my daughter the photos aren’t nearly so nice because they were taken in a darkened room and with the excitement of pushing etc my partner forgot to take any pictures in labour DESPITE IT BEING POINT ONE ON MY BIRTH PLAN (not joking. And in bold. Use CAMERA not YOUR PHONE! – guess what he used? yup. His phone. He literally had ONE JOB. lol. I’m kidding. Kind of.)
But even the couple of grainy dark unfocuses pictures of me stark naked, kneeling on the floor, in a puddle of blood, holding our freshly born baby girl, are precious to me.
(And to be fair, I completely forgot about it too, it was a week later I even thought to ask if he took any pictures, and I was relieved there was anything at all, because I don’t even remember seeing him do it)
My sister does have excellent photos from her c-sections. I love a photo of my niece being lifted out of her belly.
Oh I have no labour photos, just baby in hospital photos and even then they are selfies. Man, we sucked at hospital photos!
Don’t worry – I think we suck at hospital photos too. Fingers crossed for round three.
A lovely post, child birth certainly isn’t very glamorous that’s for sure! I don’t have many (ok, any!) ‘nice’ post birth shots of me and the boys, but this time I made sure my husband took a semi decent photo of Oliver and I the morning we were leaving hospital. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy x
I think I am going to work on getting a better shot {even if it isn’t during labour or post birth} of the baby and me {possibly leaving hospital}… I think that I will also have a few more ‘skilled’ photographers around {in the form of my sister or my Mum}. Can’t believe we will have a new family member in 6 weeks!
No good photos exist or me during pregnancy or with newborns. Thankfully I popped mine out pre-instagram and had zero pressure to post pretty bub shots.
Haha – maybe I should have been a little quicker to pop my babies out and make them pre-instagram? Although in saying that, I had my first at 27 years old and in Canberra, I felt like that made me a young Mum – most other mother’s in my mother’s group were in their late 30s/early 40s.
Oh my goodness. I am glad there was not a camera around when I was giving birth and afterwards too! You did incredibly well! The stories no-one tells are those that are the real ones and you did it! Good on you.
Thanks Denyse – I’m glad that you appreciated me sharing my story xo
Birth is never glamorous! It’s beautiful though 🙂
We have a few photos of my first labour as there was plenty time between arriving at hospital and baby being born, but none of my last as there was no time at all – he arrived 20 minutes after we got there. I had to remind hubby both times to grab the camera to get some cuddle pics once baby was born. Messy hair and BB cream sweated off my face both times, but I don’t really care 🙂 I took makeup into the hospital with my first son to “look nice for photos” but never had time to put it on, ha! Last time I didn’t bother bringing it so all the family photos out of the birthing suite I’m still just as messy – although I did have time to brush my hair first with the second. Not so with my first, but they do get you into the shower after birth before you go to your room so that helps you feel better.
Was talking with another blogger about it – she took makeup and made herself nice for photos, I took the laptop to email pics right away to family overseas. Just different priorities 🙂 If you want to get perfectly madeup photos it’s definitely possible. I’m not sure how to achieve that in the delivery room though, ha!
Yes, birth is beautiful – what wise words Mica!
I took but never actually put on make up with either of my two boys births. I, like you, was too busy emailing/smsing off photos to family members of the actual baby.
I guess if I did want a nice photo back in my room {after showering} I could work towards it – but yes, a nice photo in the delivery suite is very hard to achieve. Although I have seen some beautiful black and white shots of a mother giving birth in a birthing pool {taken by a professional} – the mother is tough and determined and I think that is just as beautiful.
Love this honest post Shari! 🙂
Thanks Karrine 🙂 It’s important sometime to share the ‘real’ sides of life that people don’t see on social media very often.
I have lots of friends who have had babies, but every time one of them has a baby, I learn something new! Delivering a baby is such a minefield, but it’s always worth it in the end. I guess the photos don’t really matter, because you have the best take home souvenir, a baby!
That’s one of my mantras that I repeat whilst in labour – this pain is leading to something wonderful. You brake your leg and you have a broken leg. You go through labour and you get a beautiful baby at the end.
Love this Shari, good to see a Mum keeping it real on social media 🙂 all the best for the rest of your pregnancy & 3Rd labour. X
Thanks Narelle… I just don’t know how those Mums get such glamorous photos on social media. They must have a whole team preparing them for the photos or maybe they have epidurals and really easy births? No judgement on the way anyone chooses to deliver, I’d just love to know their secrets.