Births are not something that can be planned. On top of
this, births in the Philippines are often treated as hospital procedures where
much of the control is in the hands of the hospital and doctors. On the other hand, births are special occasions for
families. A lot of unconditional love and hard work goes into labor. Then, when the baby is
finally delivered, it is the first time father, mother and child meet each
other. Births are unpredictable and special at the same time. I find that
my job,as a birth photographer is to adjust and compromise to be able to
capture this very special moment in a highly unpredictable environment...
In my earlier post “
Amidst a Storm, A Beautiful Boy is Born”,
I mentioned that I was unable to cover the birth of Daddy and Mommy T due to hospital
policies. So instead, we agreed to play it by ear and photograph whatever we
could. After photographing baby J post-delivery, we decided that I would visit
them at the hospital once they were settled in.
When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see tons of
visitors sharing their love and smiles with the family! I stayed a few hours,
and witnessed at least 5 people come and go, and each one came in a cheerful
and jolly mood!
Mommy T, even after undergoing a long labor, seemed full of energy
herself!
Daddy T, amazingly good and comfortable with handling his
newborn baby, was ever so helpful and supportive.
Baby J, on the other hand, was undisturbed by all that was
happening around him. He was content and happy to simply sleep. And when he did
get fuzzy, all he needed was a comforting hug from his Daddy and Mommy, and a
cozy suckling.
At the end of the day, although we were not able to capture the delivery itself, what we did capture was how this newborn baby was greeted with an overflowing abundance of love, affection and laughter. I wish Baby J to continuously be surrounded by joyous and supportive people all throughout his life!
