Best Birth Photos 2020 - Competition Winners IAPBP

#IAPBP2020Competiton

@birthphotogs

In the Aftermath of the incredibly pleasant surprise to hear that one of my images placed as Honorable Mention in the 10th annual international Association of professional Birth Photographer’s contest…

I’m still feeling it is all surreal.

IAPBP (International Association of Professional Birth Photographers) was founded 10 years ago by Lyndsay Stradtner of Life in Motion Photography.

Though I photographed about a dozen births before I joined the organization five years ago, I have been a proud member for the last five years

Since then, I have attended nearly 150 births in south Florida

The organization does an annual image contest and I have always made sure to apply, but as you can imagine with all the incredibly outstanding artists in 52 different countries and 1140+ members, acing the contest with a winning image is every birth photographer’s greatest annual challenge.

Standing distinguished among globally incredible on-call artists who work under the hardest lighting and environmental conditions is such an honor in itself and I have enjoyed submitting my images to the contest on an annual basis to see how much we have all grown as artists, but also to see how the world has changed regarding Birth Photography.

10 years ago when the organization was founded, I was not yet a mother.

7 years ago, and already 3 years into the organization’s launch, I became a mother to my now seven-year-old, but back then, I had not even heard an ounce of what a Birth Photographer was.

4 1/2 years ago when I was giving birth to my second child, it was really hard to find a full-time Birth Photographer who was regularly, every month, capturing births. It was so challenging to find a birth photographer who was also truly a birth worker at heart, who was able to commit to a full-time on-call schedule.

I’m so incredibly blown away with what has happened in the world with the shift of people learning about the power and transformation of birth, and welcoming artists who are also birth workers at the core into the sacred birth space.

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After 5 years of being a member of IAPBP

Nearly 6 years of birth photography and being on-call

I am SO PROUD to see my image awarded

Honorable Mention in the 10th annual Contest

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The Story Behind The Image…

Behind the scenes photo of myself photographing my client, her husband and baby by Martha Lerner of Zenmamalove.com

I remember when I first met my client. She was pregnant with her first baby and she had a long induction in the hospital with one of our awesome south Florida CNMs (Certified Nurse Midwives) in Boca Raton, FL — Courtney McMillian of Boca Midwifery.

Here’s a photo of my client meeting her first baby in the hospital, December 2017

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When my client announced to me she was pregnant again, I was so excited to learn that her son was getting a baby sister. This time my client wanted a different experience, a more hands-off approach and natural, unmedicated birth experience. I was eager to support her through this. With the help of her Licensed Midwives, Gelena Hinkley and Sandy Lo of Peaceful Pregnancy Pathways, and her labor doula Martha Lerner of Zenmamalove, my client brought her baby girl into this world just before the sunrise, in what ended up being quite a precipitous birth. I am so glad she had the birth she envisioned (for the most part — because her labor was so quick there wasn’t enough time to fill the tub for a water birth!)

I am just so glad it was all in the comfort of her home where she could truly enjoy as much of it as possible, without all the wires, tubes and paperwork, just as she had wanted!

In my image that was award Honorable Mention, a very adorable, giggle-inducing capture, my client's older son, who’s birth I captured December 2017, came into the room to meet his baby sister (magically he slept through his mom’s labor). At first he was totally enamored with his baby sister, but when she suddenly started crying, I can only imagine big brother’s reaction is a case of reality sinking in that he is no longer the only baby of the family :)

I knew this would be my #1 image to submit into the 10th IAPBP contest this year when I saw it happening in live action at my client's home. This is the moment we all think about as parents when we are having our second child, how are they going to react to their little sibling, we all want them to love their baby sibling, to be best friends, so we imagine every possible scenario. I think sometimes they totally catch us off guard, surprise us with their little reactions to being promoted to big brother :) 

I’ll never forget this amazing family and the amazing journeys we have been on together in the last 3 years — going from an inspiring couple to family of 4!

Behind the scenes photo of (from left to right) of my client, her baby, her mother, and myself with her two midwives by Martha Lerner of Zenmamalove.com

Behind the scenes photo of myself photographing my client’s husband holding his daughter by Martha Lerner of Zenmamalove.com

Behind the scenes photo (from left to right) my client’s mother, older son, my client with her baby and husband and myself by Martha Lerner of Zenmamalove.com

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My heart flutters

not only for this image having won

Honorable Mention

But what really took my breath away is that

this image placed

in the top 10%

of all 702 entries from 22 countries

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Looking at this incredible gallery of 702 submissions from 22 countries

I am so incredibly proud to be part of this

outstanding professional community of on-call birth worker artists.

I LACK THE WORDS TO PROPERLY THANK THE AMAZING BEHIND THE SCENES SUPER HEROeS THAT MAKE IAPBP POSSIBLE AND THIS IMAGE CONTEST SO INCREDIBLE, BUT I WANT TO DO A SHOUT OUT TO THE AMAZING ORIGINAL FOUNDER LYNDSAY, WITHOUT YOU AND JASON, IAPBP WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY.

I WANT TO THANK LIZ COOK. I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. YOU TOOK OVER AS THE HEAD OF IAPBP AND YOU RAN WITH IT LIKE FIRE. IAPBP IS AWAKE AND A POWERHOUSE THANKS TO YOUR TIRELESS WORK AND VISION. WE HAVE BECOME A TEAM ON A UNITED MISSION.

BROOKE FLANAGAN, OF NOVA BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHER, YOU HAVE BEEN HUSTLING IN THE SIDELINES FROM YOUR COMMITMENT AND PASSION TO SOLIDARITY WITHIN OUR ORGANIZATION, I AM PROUD TO CALL YOU A FRIEND AND HAVE WALKED ALONGSIDE YOU THROUGH THE UPS AND DOWNS OF OUR AMAZING TRANSFORMATION.

I cannot wait to see where this incredible organization goes in the next 10 years

I can’t wait to look back and have seen myself as a member for 15 years.

I cannot wait to see what majesty and beauty unravels in the world over the next decade.

As I look ahead, I can’t wait to see you in 2030.

I wanted to also share with you my other images that I chose to enter into the contest this year:

0305 | ROLLS, TEXTURE AND MIDWIFE DUST | © Paulina Splechta Birth Photography and Films

0306 | SELF-ADMINISTERED FUNDAL MASSAGE | © Paulina Splechta Birth Photography and Films

0307 POWER | © Paulina Splechta Birth Photography and Films

0308 | POST PARTUM CHAOS | © Paulina Splechta Birth Photography and Films

If you’d like to find a birth photographer near you, visit birthphotographers.com and use our super easy search engine!

(www.birthphotographers.com)

If you’d like to view all the winners of this year’s contest, and all the 702 entries, click below:

(https://birthphotographers.com/2020-birth-photography-image-competition/)

@birthphotogs

Best 2020 Birth Photos Competition

As the we enter into Friday, February 7th, publications begin rolling in from overnight as the media learn of

the results of the IAPBP 2020 Birth Photography Competition results

It is so exciting to see some of the strongest images from our digital, international community showing up on foreign and domestic news outlets, making an impact on how the world views labor and birth in the year 2020.

Below are a few of the media outlets I have already seen my work appear in, in less than 24 hours from the moment of announcement yesterday.

The Norwegian parenting website babyverden.no was one of the first to announce the news of this year’s annual image contest

#IAPBP2020Competiton

@birthphotogs

So far this is my favorite headliner, I can’t believe that what started out as a book when I was pregnant 8 years ago is now sharing my birth work on their front page

HERE IS MY MOST ANTICIPATED FEATURE IN 2020!

Today.com

I am very excited to be featured in Huffington Post again!

My most recent feature previous to this one with HuffPost was the article “10-Year-Old Catches Newborn Baby Sister In Viral Birth Photos” You can view it HERE

And before that is the birth no one has forgotten even though this little one is nearing 4 years this year, “Baby Daniella's Car Birth Caught on Camera” You can reminisce with me OVER HERE

And a couple of my other favorite features:

19 Beautiful Birth Photos Featuring LGBTQ Parents, Images 5 + 11 + 13 VIEW HERE

17 Gorgeous Photos That Show Breastfeeding Is Nothing To Hide — A very memorable favorite of mine, my self portrait of me and my daughter (then 18 months old, now she is already 7!) Click here to see image #17 VIEW HERE

This last article was a huge one for me that brought with it such a sense of motherhood community and pride, alongside of the incredible: Photographer Ashlee Wells Jackson, Glamour Magazine feature Olivia Wilde, the amazing Jade Beall Photography, Singers Pink and Gwen Stefani, supermodel Natalia Vodianova, Vanessa Simmons’ Normalize Breastfeeding Campaign, and amazing work from my wonderful colleague Leilani Rogers — who happened to also have been on the BLIND judge panel for this year’s IAPBP 2020 Birth Photo Competition.

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I was very excited to see the feature in Eltern.de, the german online publication that has featured my work in the past!

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And another German Publication!

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It is actually really cool, and so surreal to see your work travel the globe, and image titles and birth photographer’s roles translated into so many different languages

The Italian online publication Nostrofiglio.it soon after announced to its followers the results of the contest, featuring all 27 winners of this years competition

Translation: “Like every year, the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers has awarded the best shots on childbirth in the Birth Photographers Image of the Year Competition. Photographers specialized in childbirth not only need a good camera, but also patience, strong nerves and a good dose of empathy. However, they are rewarded by magnificent shots that capture the moment when a new life comes into the world. Here are the best award-winning photos. The association stresses that: "the birth is dirty and real, therefore it is recommended to view it to an adult audience". (source: nostrofiglio.it/)

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I love that babyology.com.au, an Australian online news publication included all the Honourable Mentions!

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Every hour, new online publications are rolling in, and I will keep you posted of everywhere I am seeing birth being celebrated on a global scale!

#IAPBP2020Competiton

Winners of 2020 Birth Photographers Image Competition

#IAPBP2020Competiton

@birthphotogs

Congratulations International Association of Professional Birth Photographers!!!

The 10th Annual International Birth Photography Contest results are HERE!!

Thank you to everyone who helped me narrow down my submissions!

I have been a proud member of IAPBP for my 5th year now and am proud to announce my Honorable Mention as a first time placing among 1100 members in 52 countries!!

Congratulations to my incredible colleagues for placing in this year’s international competition!!

Congratulations to my incredible colleagues for placing in this year’s international competition among 52 countries and 1100 members!!

Jessica Vink ofVI-Photography - Jouw geboortefotograaf grand first place winner!

I am proud to stand along with friends and colleagues:
Martha Zenmamalove, Alex Mooney Birth Stories by Alexandria Mooney Photography, Bree Garcia J&B Photography, Los Angeles Maternity, Birth, and Newborn Photographer and my amazing Pensacola birth photographer colleague Natalie Zepp Photography!

I am so honored to have had my work judged by an amazing panel of judges, and while Judging was blind, which means judges did not know the artist behind any image, I am proud to have my images judged by some incredible people including the incredible Caroline Bologna from Huffington Post, Twyla Jones, my colleague from back in the day of the Public Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign Leilani Parente Rogers, and the founder of IAPBP Lyndsay Stradtner!! What an incredible contest year!

Click Here to View All Winners

https://birthphotographers.com/2020-birth-photography-image-competition/

#IAPBP2020Competiton

2020 IAPBP Birth Photography Image Competition

In eager anticipation of the 10th annual image competition held by the incredible organization & wonderful community I am a proud member of, IAPBP (International Association of Professional Birth Photographers), I have been incredibly teary eyed, going through approximately 5,000 birth photographs I have captured from 28 different families over the 12 months of 2019, in search of the ones I would be submitting into this year’s image competition, to join my colleagues in adding to the incredible education and inspiration from our visual artwork.

As one of my colleague Monet Nicole Birthing Stories reminded us during a previous image competition, the famous words of Marysol DeWet: it's not about winning, it's about inspiring each other as artists and then inspiring the world about what birth can be.

>>>> Click Here to learn more about our annual image competition with IAPBP <<<<

I am eager to share with you all my favorite images from 2019. Can you guess which one(s) I will be submitting into the competition this year?

Birth is Not Limited to the Medical Field

Birth is Not Limited to the Medical Field. Birth encompasses the spiritual and the emotional and the psychological bond with your baby.

Birth is Mental Health.

One of the hardest moments for me to see as an advocate for mental health is policy standing in the way of immediately holding your baby.

Policies to weigh and measure baby, to hook up monitors, devices, rechecking of data and numbers all the while this tender soul that just entered into the world wants nothing more than to be feeling the warmth of your body, to be feeling the beating of your heart, to be feeling the vibrations of your voice. I’m not a believer in administrative routines and policies preventing immediate contact.

And I’m not a fan.

And so while I say nothing because it’s not my space to interfere, it’s hard to witness when a wise child that has entered into this world has to wait for that connection, whether it is waiting 15 minutes or an hour, or in my case with my younger child it was 8 hours,

in my opinion, if there is no emergency life saving intervention needed at present, policy and administrative routine can take a back seat.

The only way this will ever change

is if wise parents forego the fear of offending anyone and forego the fear of being an inconvenience,

and if parents begin to take up space in this world,

take up the space you’re entitled to as a human being with rights,

a human being who matters more than a set of administrative policies written in a manual.

Birth is not limited to the medical field.

Birth encompasses the soul the spirit and mental health.

We should no longer worry about statements such as “you’ll get to enjoy your child your whole life” because that statement has little importance in the present moment that belongs exclusively to you and your child.

Your Doula Does NOT Replace Your Partner!

➡️ Your Doula Does Not Replace your partner!.Have you heard this before?

If I had never been to a birth, I’d be worried if my partner would feel inadequate or confused about what they should be doing to support me if I hire a doula?

In reality, labor can take a long time & supporting you will be a team effort between your partner & your doula.

Most doulas I have attended births with have supported over 100 mamas (some even 200, 300).

Which means doulas know a thing or two, when we get nervous, when our partner gets nervous, when we run out of ideas. Your doula is there to guide you, so you are emotionally, physically & informationally supported.

Your pregnancy care provider has many patients so they cannot be with you throughout your entire labor and neither can your nurse. Not every single moment. But your labor doula can provide remote support through your entire early labor stage and be with you for every single moment of the intensity of your waves once you need your doula to come. EVEN if that means being physically at your side for 10, 16, or even 18 hours of active labor.

Most women give birth only a few times in their lives, but doulas attend 12 -50 births every year. Having someone there who can be a support to you during labor and also to your partner, takes the guess work out of it, unburdens your insecurity and fear, creating a confident and encouraged birther from your first contraction to baby in your arms. Your doula helps you prepare yourself with knowledge & confidence during pregnancy and visits you in the postpartum to ensure you are doing emotionally & physically well & your and your baby’s needs are being met. 

Pictured above is my 2nd birth with these parents. This powerful mama was beautifully supported by her husband, doula, midwife & silently supported by me, honoring every detail they wanted to never forget bringing their daughter earthside into their arms. 

#doulasupport #doulasofinstagram #husbandandwife #husbandgoals #husbandandwifeteam #birthphotography#homebirth #unmedicatedbirth #outofhospitalbirth #midwife  

Topics to Research in Pregnancy

I was so inspired by Benevolent Birth Doula Services to share this post with you.

Birth is different from everything else in life.

You need to educate yourself and learn as much as you can about birth.

In the words of https://fengshuimommyblog.com:

Benevolent Birth Doula Services put together a great list to get you started as you begin the journey into pregnancy, childbirth and early motherhood research. These are also amazing topics to ask your pregnancy care provider and childbirth preparation educator about. It is so much easier to feel prepared for birth and motherhood and empowered when you’re equipped with knowledge.

I am personally going to take it a step further and say, if you don’t appreciate how a question is answered, do some soul searching to find out why their answer made you unhappy. It is OK to realize not every pregnancy care provider is not for every woman. And not every hospital is for every pregnant woman.

Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby includes Mental Health.

A copy and paste version that I hyperlink each word below to a website I feel may be helpful:

Delayed cord clamping

Heathy gut

Newborn Stomach size

Sphincter Law

Birth affirmations

Placenta consumption

Postpartum depression

Informed consent

Importance of mama tribe

Birth ball during pregnancy and labor

Peanut Ball during labor

Cub birth stool

Stripping membranes

Artificial rupture of membranes

Staying hydrated during labor

Chiropractic Care during pregnancy

Breastfeeding rights

Hyperemesis Gravidarum

Positive and negative approaches to birth

Oxytocin during labor

Colostrum

Eye ointment

Newborn lip / tongue tie

Estimated due date

Doula

skin to skin

Spinning babies

Folic Acid vs Folate

Breastfeeding positions

VBAC

Delayed Bath

Hydrotherapy

Aromatherapy

Birth location options

Mastitis

Midwife

FEATURED Guest Mama Blogger: Infertility

13 months TTC, 1 loss, and 2 IUIs later...

this was the day we got to see our rainbow baby for the first time.

I wouldn’t say I was excited for this day, I was more anxious than anything!

Would there be a sac, would there be a bean, would there be a heartbeat, would there be ANYTHING?

These were the thoughts that ran through my head leading up to this appointment.

We sat down in the room and my OB could find the sac quickly, but nothing inside (at first).

My heart sank - I knew this was going to happen.

I knew it.

I could see him trying to do everything he could to find baby.

He asked the nurse to move us to the other room because he wanted to use a different ultrasound machine.

Minutes felt like hours...

I sat down and there it was.

My precious dot with a flickering heartbeat.

I couldn’t believe it. Relief set in for a minute, before I could start worrying about my next appointment and seeing a heartbeat!

Once you experience loss and/or infertility, all sense of being naive about pregnancy vanish.

It isn’t always roses and happiness...

it’s a lot of stress, anxiety, and worrying.

@psplechta_birthphotography

FEATURED Guest Mama Blogger: RAINBOW BABY

Guest Blogger: Claire Wirth of Instagram: wirththewait

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS IN GUEST POST BY PAULINA SPLECHTA BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHER

https://www.instagram.com/wirththewait

Adventures of being a boy mom, IUI baby due February 2020

Rainbow baby...

a term some of us expecting after loss cherish using & a term some don’t want to use at all.

For me, I truly love calling this child growing I am growing my rainbow baby...that’s exactly what he is, the rainbow after our storm.

He is my reminder there is a glimmer of hope after one of the toughest chapters of my life.

During loss, I had to smile through my pain for work and for my baby boy who had no idea what was happening, he was only 15 months at the time.

I longed for the day I was pregnant again with our rainbow.

Where do you stand....for or against the term “rainbow baby?”🌈

(this picture is from my pregnancy announcement)

I will never forget the day we took these “day in the life” Photos.

It was a few days after I had heard “not a viable pregnancy” and every time I look at them it is all I can think of. That moment in time truly felt like pain.

Pain I have never felt before in my life. Waiting for my body to miscarry our baby we wanted so badly.

Never wanting to let go. Some days I feel so guilty for thinking this way, while carrying my rainbow baby...and wondering who it was that we lost.

We would have a 3 month old baby right now - it’s hard to let that thought go, even though I can’t wait to meet my little boy! Mom guilt gets the best of me some days.

@sonjuphotography

Photo Above by Sonju Photography https://www.sonjuphotography.com/

FEATURED Guest Mama Blogger: Wirth The Wait

Guest Blogger: Claire Wirth of Instagram: wirththewait

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS IN GUEST POST BY PAULINA SPLECHTA BIRTH PHOTOGRAPHER

https://www.instagram.com/wirththewait/

Adventures of being a boy mom, IUI baby due February 2020

The graduation appointment.

The appointment EVERYONE who sees an RE longs for.

It was so surreal to walk in & receive a folder with my whole medical history there to bring to my OB’s office.

Even more surreal to know, the next time I set foot in this office, I will be in my third trimester.

I was very fortunate to have the staff at @bocafertility take such good care of me during my journey with them.

Not all Reproductive endocrinologist offices care for you as though you’re family. Saying “see you later” was bittersweet...I anticipated this day, I couldn’t wait for it, but it was more emotional than I could ever imagine.