Capturing birth on camera

By Danielle Galvin

 It’s hard for birth photographer Veronika Sanderson to not shed a few tears, when she documents a new life.

A mother of three herself, Veronika is often moved by what she witnesses in a birth suite or at home, and she always leaves “on a high”, buzzing from the birthing experience.

“It is a momentous experience, not only for the parents, but for everyone involved in the room,” she explained.

“And you are there with the person, you see the journey, you see the labour, you see the power, and the pain the mother is going through. And then at the end, it’s a new life.

“There’s always tears. The high lasts for me for at least a day.”

In recent years, birth photography has grown significantly in popularity.

There are more photographers on the scene than ever before, and more expectant parents inviting in a photographer to capture the intimate, incredible moment of welcoming their child earthside.

Veronika also works as a newborn and family photographer.

“When I started tapping into the birth photography, when I saw it I thought ‘oh my gosh this is something I want to be doing’.”

Veronika sees her role as capturing the “bird’s eye view” of the environment as the silent observer.

“Choosing a birth photographer is not an easy task. I meet the client and they need to be OK with me, and I need to be OK with them.

“You’re in that space with them, it’s a pretty intimate environment.

“I don’t want to disturb the energy and the environment of the room, my job is making sure I document as much in the room as possible.”

Each photographer has a different style. Veronika explained that she thinks of herself as a documentarist.

“You are in a haze once you’ve given birth, so imagine there is someone there who can document it for you,” she said.

“I don’t interfere with the mother or anyone.

“You are there to be the documentarist, you are there through the early stages to the labour, up until the end, and I usually stay up to 2 hours after the baby is earthside, so I can capture the skin on skin, clamping the cord.”

One of her favourite things to do is capture the details that the birthing mother may not remember: what they were drinking, the song playing in that moment, how the room is set up.

While some women might be hesitant at the thought of someone taking photos during labour, the nitty gritty or the intensity of the pain, Veronika aims to capture the different stages.

In some ways, she says, having a snapshot of the different phases can help the birthing mother later in her recovery, if something doesn’t go to plan.

“With the birth, I feel if you have trauma you can carry it on, sometimes for weeks months with you.

“If I was with you for 10 hours, and say the trauma happens at the end, you don’t remember the 9 hours before that.

“So if I give you the gallery and you can look at you, look at what you’ve done to get here, that healing process is much quicker, because you see yourself as the goddess.

“You powered through, and in your brain it shifts from the trauma.”

She also tries to capture that first cry with a short video, and the conversations happening in the room in the minutes after the baby has been born.

One of her favourite things to do is watch the reaction of the new parents, when they see her photos for the first time.

It’s the dads who often have the biggest reaction.

“It’s the fathers who go ‘oh my gosh, thank you so much, I am so glad you were there’.

“It’s un-posed, it’s raw, and they see themselves holding the baby, because no one is there to do this for them and they don’t have the time to take a picture of the mum.”

Within 24 hours Veronika aims to send the parents a picture of just the baby, and within a week or two the full gallery.

“And they say it brings back memories, and even I get emotional editing it.”

For Veronika, she sees it as a real honour and a privilege to be there to witness a child being born, and to play a role in capturing that moment.

She says it’s hard to describe how it feels.

“Every birth is beautiful, different and I wish for all mothers to have a good experience.

“I think to have it documented is something you can carry for the generations and you can show it to your daughters, to your children.”

To find out more about her work, visit https://www.veronikasandersonphoto.com/ or find Veronika on Instagram or Facebook