Is Birth Photography a Luxury Service?

Is Birth Photography a Luxury Service?

I can see how birth photography could be confused for luxury services, such as glamour newborn photography in a high end studio.

In this week’s post, we will break it down and find out if birthing photography is a luxurious service, or the most important investment of your life as you transform into a parent

Why is the investment so large?

• When you hire a birthing photographer to be on-call for your pregnancy leading up to your birth, a very significant portion of the investment you are making goes towards having that professional personally on-call just for one mother.

• You are unable to give your photographer any certainty at all of when you will give birth, it could be at 40 weeks, but it could very well be at 36 weeks or even 41.5 weeks and this changes from baby to baby, (yes all three pregnancies can be completely different even with the same mother!) So while most birth workers are available on-call from 37 weeks, because my sister in law give birth at 36 weeks instead of 37, and also one of my home birth clients who was expecting her second baby gave birth at 34 weeks instead of 37-41, and had to transfer to the hospital, and lastly, because one of my first time mom client’s water ruptured at 33 weeks and had to have her baby a few days later, I choose to be on-call for each of my clients for the last 3 months of their pregnancy, (and another 2 weeks if they’re still pregnant until 42 weeks) in the event of an unexpected medical emergency that changes their due date by a couple of weeks or a couple of months.

• There is no way to predict how long you'd need your photographer for, as every labor is different. And while five years of live action childbirth education and experience has helped me to understand when active labor truly begins and how to arrive at births when women are closer to 7 centimeters dilated so that I am only present for the last few hours of labor prior to baby being born, active labor can sometimes be tricky to truly diagnose, and looks different for every single woman and YES, different from pregnancy to pregnancy. One woman’s active labor may mean I am with her for 6 hours before baby is born while for another woman, things may be looking like active labor and then 18 hours and 8 cups of coffee later, their baby is born.

• Don’t forget the most important part of your financial investment, besides a professional, well experienced in the physiological aspect of birth and capturing birth during any lighting or environmental circumstances being personally on-call just for one mother, having that experienced and educated professional with you at your birth, unknowledgeable of how long, don’t forget to include your investment of the actual photography into the overall financial investment.
  
  
  
  

  Individual, Mother-to-Photographer Experience

  
  On-call personalized birth photography on such an individual mother-to-photographer experience is very new to the world, and there are barely any reliable birth workers in South Florida for me to be able to expand my practice and share on-call time with the way midwives and OBGYNS alternate the days they are on-call, (so when you go into labor, you get the provider on call that day).

  As oppose to this rotation model, I am on-call practically 365 days in the year, in 2018 I was off-call and able to turn off my phone for exactly 4 days.

  Being on-call is not inexpensive

As an example of how being on-call for each of my clients impacts the financial investment you make, I was not able to take a vacation with my family for the first 5 years of being a birth photographer, because that would mean I would have to turn down birth clients for a four to eight to twelve week periods of time (with me being on-call for clients for 3 months of their pregnancy), and being the person who supports my family financially by 90% we would not make it possible.

Birth photography is deeply therapeutic visual healing, especially for women who are extra emotional or sensitive (like me), for women who unexpectedly experience post partum depression, for women who experience traumatic birth (either physically traumatic or emotionally) and either during the birth I photograph or in a previous delivery, and are hoping to find emotional healing with the next baby’s birth.

100% Personalized ONLY to You

100% personalized because your baby is only your baby

100% personalized because you only meet your baby once in your lifetime

Birth photography is 100% personalized, personalized attention from your photographer to you, during the last three full months of your pregnancy and any amount of hours during labor, whether 6 or 18, as well as high resolution decade-of-education in-office photo digital editing post birth (that often takes as long as the actual birth).

Myth: Only Wealthy Families Can Afford It

I think that in five years and over 100 families I have only had one person who is a millionaire as a client, the rest of my families have had to budget out for me over every week of their pregnancy and often had to wait until their next pregnancy to work with me.

The value of a deeply personalized service that is unique to a baby who will only be born and met by his parents once in a lifetime is determined by every individual family.

Don't Apologize for being "too" sensitive

BURDEN

I use to be convinced that me being oversensitive, overemotional was a burden on others.

But being a hypersensitive person has become my greatest asset in life.
Part of my realization of this was listening to @wondherful Heather Funk Palacios (founder of “WondHerful,” a mission dedicated to mental health and suicide extinction through blog posts) speak last week about how what we think makes us a burden on others isn’t true. Everyone has what they think makes them a “burden” but if we find our community among the crowd, we don’t have to apologize for being who we are.

I think that becoming a mother makes it even easier to find ALL your shortcomings laid out in front of you, and think you’re not good enough.

None of this is true.

I could still think that being an overly emotional human makes me a burden.

But I know that being hypersensitive is the gift that produces this depth of emotional artwork from my birth stories.

It’s what draws expecting families to need me at their side when they meet their babies.

Without being a hypersensitive person, I couldn’t achieve this with my work.

I notice this level of emotion in others and to me it’s always in the front seat at a birth story.

The “first” moment matters so much.

You can’t lose these moments.

There is only a split second to capture this reaction and then it’s gone forever.

Full Birth Story Shared — Home Birth with Midwife Michelle Cerami and Labor Doula Irina Shlain

I am rarely asked to share full birthing stories. I think families see these gorgeous and empowering moments that move their hearts so much, they can almost envision their own births just from seeing one of my birth photographs.

Today I wanted to share a very special and recent birthing story through photographs.

When I speak with families for the first time, some families ask me how many photos are included in a birth story.

While every birth story is completely unique and not possible to plan with birth being so unpredictable, I have always ever captured a minimum of 100 photos in telling the stories of every family over the last five years.

So below I would love to share with you 100 images from this beautiful birth story of first time parents.

This family ultimately received a birth story from me with 302 images, so in addition to these 100 images, they also received 202 more photos that were unique and very special. I am keeping all those images (as well as images of baby crowning) for the family-only, to preserve privacy, safety and sacredness of their story.

Love this story and want to see more? Drop me a ❤️in the comments!

Pictured below in addition to my clients are the amazing:

Home Birth Midwife: Michelle Cerami of East Coast Midwifery

Labor Doula: Irina Shlain of Monkey Mind Wellness

Birth Story of Julia: First Time Parents at Northwest Medical Center, Margate, FL

Birth Video: Birth Story of Julia

I remember the first time I met Celeste and Adam back in February. I was so excited for them to meet their daughter Julia. This was their first time they would be becoming parents. I don’t think there is quite anything as amazing as seeing two incredible adults become a mother and a father for the first time ever. That first moment is so unpredictable, how meeting the tiny human they created would impact them, if they would smile or cry, it is the most magical moment of life.

Celeste’s water broke while they were getting ice cream one day, and I came into meet them at the hospital once things got intense. It was a really cool experience for me, having been a mama for 7 years now, to witness this very real couple experience the joy and excitement of the entire experience of birthing for the first time. It was cool to hear dad explaining to family that came in to visit before and after their baby’s birth, how she went into labor. And it was so cool to hear mom talk about her first moments seeing, hearing and holding her baby.

When I first arrived at the hospital, I learned that their favorite provider from their practice was on-call today, and I was excited to hear that it was Amarily Barahona, the CNM (certified nurse midwife) from Royal Palm OBGYN. We had met before, and it is always such a wonderful experience for women in labor to know that their birth team all knows each other and feels familiar & comfortable working side by side through out their labor and birth.

I am eager to hear what you all think of this amazing birth story. The love, the hugs, the kisses and all the excitement and joy are expressed so vividly and I am happy to share their birth story with you! Leave me a comment below what your favorite moment ends up being and don’t forget to watch their birth video!

Three Brothers

Watch the heart warming video of big brothers coming to the hospital to meet their tiny human

Advice for Up and Coming Birth Photographers

What Kind of Packages Do You Offer?

A birth photographer part of one of the national associations I am a member of recently asked about how I run my business, in terms of packages and products and what kind of products or services I include in my offerings to clients.

I think that it can be very stressful trying to figure out how to price yourself as a photographer in general and the genre of birth is so unique, unlike wedding photography, event photography, and especially unlike family photography, that it puts an even greater strain on a photographer / entrepreneur to figure out their own business plan.

Photo Credit: Zenmamalove

You Are Enough

I wish that when professionals gave me advice over a decade ago, that I would take it to heart. It took me years to figure out what would work for me. Back then, I wasn't yet ready then to hear that I AM ENOUGH and whatever anyone else is doing has nothing to do with me. I am grateful for the personal growth I have attained since then.

To up and coming birth photographers (or those seeking to find what works best for them) I recommend trying out many business methods until you find something that speaks to your truth.

In Person Sales and Other Dreams

For example as much as I WANT to do IPS, (In Person Sales) I am not in a place in my life where I have the mental capacity for it, and currently while motherhood and life is overwhelming to me, I personally deeply value accessibility (digital files).

I personally don’t incorporate anything into my business that I don’t believe in, because unless you’re an excellent sales person who can sell ice cubes to an Eskimo, if you don’t believe in what you offer to your clients, they won’t believe you either.

Photo Credit: Zenmamalove

Over the years, before I had even photographed my first birth, I tried so many different pricing menus, from a la carte to build your own package, to the three package menu, I've been down the road of comparing my prices to local professionals and professionals nationwide, and after five years of being a Birth Photographer, (and after 12 years of being a photographer in general), I am currently in a different headspace.

I currently don’t know how other professionals are running their businesses here locally in south Florida or nationwide.

Feel Fulfilled and Meet Your Own Financial Goals

The first time I truly believed in my value was when I took a step back from observing everyone and instead, I focused on what it is that I need to do with my own business so I can feel fulfilled and meet my own financial goals.

I built my pricing and offerings based on my unique life goals. And I limit how many clients I accept and what kind of clients I accept based on those goals.

While I think it can be great, motivating and inspiring to see how everyone around you is doing, the danger can be that for some if they are not careful it can be frustrating and discouraging if they are already struggling to find their own footing (that was me years ago).

For me, what I feel is fulfilling, came through looking inward.

Birth & How to Not be Disappointed by yours

Why do some people have positive experiences

at the same hospital or with the same doctor

when others experience a traumatic birth?

I think it really depends on a person’s individual expectations.

People who go into their birth being on board with everything their OBGYN or midwife and labor & delivery nurse suggest are less likely to be disappointed, because they give the reins over to their birth team, who they completely trust (and that is awesome when you can have that kind of trust from the start!).

So should a situation arise requiring medical interventions or difficult decisions, they trust their birth team (OB/Midwife/Nurse) to make that decision and implement what they feel is best.

Those people will typically have a more positive experience with their birth.

When are people at risk for having a negative experience?

To put it simply: when you spend time educating yourself during pregnancy on all options out there so you can make informed decisions during your pregnancy and labor, but then don’t follow your instincts when your gut feeling is telling you something isn’t right, you will put yourself at a higher risk of having a negative experience associated with your birth.

Let’s discuss: Education and Informed Decision

• Educating yourself on all things pregnancy (such as exercising, eating right, hiring a birth doula, cervical checks).

• Educating yourself on all things birth, such as inductions, unmedicated labor, scheduled c/section, laboring positions, pros and cons of medical interventions.

• Putting together a list of birth preferences (or some refer to this as a birth plan)

• Choosing a birth team to be composed of people who respect and value your birth plan.

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Education & Informed Decision

Must go hand in hand

with following YOUR instincts

People are more likely to be disappointed and have a negative experience if a medical facility, or an OBGYN or midwife or labor doula were to take the patient's birth plan into their own hands and take choice away from the patient.

That is why it is so vital to choose the right team for YOU.

To choose someone you trust.

So ultimately, if there is an emergency or situation that arises where unfortunately you are not able make a decision, or you don’t know what decision to make, you trust your birth team to make the decisions you discussed during your pregnancy, or a decision you will ultimately trust because you know your birth team and you trust them.

Recommendations

There are some amazing birth workers in our local birth community who I deeply trust and who have worked with many providers and hospitals across south Florida enough to be able to share insightful, valuable information about the best OBGYNs, midwives, hospitals, doulas, birth centers, etc.

I always take into serious consideration their recommendations, because many of the birth workers I esteem have seen a wide variety of birthing people and medical providers to have creditable input.

However,

no one can ultimately tell you who is the right team is for YOU.

No one has walked in your shoes and knows what your priorities are. Only you can look into your heart and assess what matters most to you.

So what I recommend is to take your friends, family, colleagues and birth workers insights and recommendations, research them, cross check them against your own expectations and priorities, and make an informed decision about the custom-built birth team that’s only right for you.

When your ultimate goal is

A Positive Birth Experience

When your ultimate goal is to have a positive birth experience, it is VITAL that you listen to your own instincts when you make important decisions such as choosing your hospital, your medical provider, your entire birth team and what type of education (birthing classes and research) you want to invest in leading up to your birth.

In a recent online discussion, I voiced my opinion on why I think thats why less VBAC patients are likely to choose certain facilities for their trial of labor after a c/section (TOLAC) because they know full well what hospitals maintain reputations of way more experience and compassion with people attempting a VBAC (vaginal birth after a c/section).

So is it a bad thing to have a “birth plan” ?

Short answer: it’s not a bad thing.

• What is important when you make a birth plan, or as I prefer calling it “birth preferences list” (because its less presumptuous that you anticipate everything to go 100% according to plan, instead the words “birth preferences list” communicate to your birth team you just want to be prepared for anything AND involved in the decision making process and that you educated yourself well)

• is to make sure you don’t compromise on any part of your pregnancy or birth any aspects that are of the utmost importance to you.

If you know you are a person who requires a lot of emotional support during pregnancy, (there’s ZERO SHAME in being a more sensitive person who needs extra support, I raise my hand in solidarity with you sister!) then make an informed decision about a provider who is more available to you for longer prenatal visits, has the patience and compassion to answer all of your questions and in general, leads you to feeling like you have a trustworthy and strong connection.

Consider hiring a labor doula who is available to you for texts and discussions leading up to birth, so that you truly feel you have the right support team leading up to your birth.

Choose your birthing facility wisely. Touring a hospital earlier than later is always a great idea. Ask to meet the people who run your labor and delivery and see how those people make you feel. Ask them about their philosophy of birth. It should be a good match not for your friends or people you revere, it should be a good match for YOU.

Most importantly, you shouldn’t have second thoughts.

Motherhood Révélation Series

O N E D A Y

12 MOTHERS

Rendition series featuring the essence of

Raw Motherhood

Documentary series celebrating what Motherhood means to you

Limited to twelve spaces, session includes:

In Studio Documentary-Style Photography

15 Minutes

All images edited by hand in the classic Motherhood Révélation Series black & white presets.

Dress: black attire from head to toe. Wear as little or as much as you feel conveys your intimate story as a mother

IN-STUDIO, CORAL SPRINGS

Interested in Reserving a Space?

Fill out my Easy Form below

Not Just Her Client | Not Just Her Birth Photographer

This was one of the coolest moments for me. When one of my 2020 birth client's (and friend) asked if I would take this picture with her, my heart overflowed. I have been a photog for 12 years, I have worked with more families than I can remember and there is a reason I stopped advertising lifestyle sessions on my website. I promised myself that 2019 would be the year of minimizing & self-care and I just wasn't able to do that when I was attempting to balance 101 things. I decided to focus on the three most important things in my life, my birth mamas, my children and my husband.

Because my job would be easier this way: I wish I could tell you I am a birth photographer because I love photography and because birth is exciting.

My truth is, my birth clients are a very personal experience for me as much as having me part of their birth team is extremely personal for them.

Because my job would be easier this way: I wish I could say I show up for a birth, photograph it, edit it, send it. But for me, it starts by getting to know a family during pregnancy and holding space for them through an entire year.

Being a birth photographer isn't easy, being on-call 365 days of a year isn't easy. Many times it isn't fun. It comes with sacrifice, which in the long run affects me, my family, all my relationships and the structure of my days and how I live my life.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be just a photographer, many professional artists have boundaries between work and personal life, it is crucial to have that, and they are incredible at the work they do. But for me, I can't have the same kind of work/life boundaries. For my business and for my clients I decided to be on-call the entire year for only three families each month, 12 months a year, and that's because I know them and I love them and I am honored to be part of their entire journey.

Being in my client's birth space, their energy is engraved on my heart. I want to be part of their pregnancy journey, I want to hold space for them during birth, and I don't want to stop getting to know them after they've transformed into a mother.

The way I do birth photography, a little too boundary-less, the end result is what you see in my photos and videos. It wouldn't look the same if I did it any other way.

Nearly every friend who is in my life today, I have attended their birth. Many of my friendships started out in birth.

That may be too much for some families who want a just a birth photographer. South Florida has many amazing birth workers who all have journeyed down their own unique paths and bring a unique and precious story.

Sibling Meeting Stories | Boca Raton Regional Hospital

One of the most important moments for me when I was pregnant with my second baby was to truly be present, experience and capture the first moment my first born child would become a big sister and meet her baby sister.

Circumstances surrounding my birth were complicated and we didn’t get to preserve that moment through photographs. So as with birth stories, another incredibly important moment of my life I missed out on having documented, I put my entire heart into capturing this extremely fleeting moment for my families.

Your older child(ren) will only meet your new baby once. If they are under the age of 8, their reaction is incredibly quick. I have only a few moments to capture this incredible exchange of emotions from your oldest to your newest and it is so precious.

I absolutely loved coming to Boca Raton Regional Hospital Labor and Delivery to capture these big sisters meeting their baby brother.