Having Your C-Section Birth Photographed
The waiting for those first cries…
✨ Although Cesarean Awareness Month was in April and I missed it, I still wanted to take a moment to address a question I frequently receive about whether I document cesarean births. My answer is always a resounding YES! I am passionate about capturing all birth journeys, regardless of the method. Every type of birth is powerful and deserves to be preserved, and I enjoy the artistic challenge of photographing in the operating room.
✨ Unfortunately, not everyone shares my sentiment about documenting cesarean births, and I have only been allowed and invited into the OR a handful of times. Therefore, it may appear on this account that I only document vaginal births. However, I am not satisfied with this and firmly believe that cesarean families deserve to have their birth stories documented as much as any other family.
✨ In many other parts of the country, birth photographers are regularly allowed to document cesarean births, and this is something that could change here as well. If you are having a c-section and would like your baby's first moments photographed, your chances are usually good if you are delivering at Sanford in Bismarck. Ultimately, the decision of who is allowed into the OR typically comes down to the anesthesiologist.
✨ However, the CHI hospitals in Bismarck and Dickinson tend to be less accommodating. I have only photographed one birth at St. A's in Bismarck under special circumstances and have never been allowed to document a c-section at St. Joe's (St. Alexius, but still St. Joe's in my mind) in Dickinson. Usually the response for this sounds something like, “privacy reasons,” “hospital policy,” “liabilty,” “infection risk,” “not enough room,” etc.
✨ If you are planning a c-section, it is essential to advocate for yourself and what you want. This goes for anything outside of standard operating procedures for your hospital, not just birth photography. Immediate skin-to-skin, delayed cord clamping, and lowered/clear drapes to watch your baby being born, having your doula and/or photographer are all options you can request. Just because you are having a cesarean birth does not mean you need to give up access to these choices.
✨ Of course, regardless of your birth location, the circumstances surrounding your c-section, or how high up the administrative hospital chain you go, the answer may still be a resounding NO. Which is disappointing for you, but I always encourage my clients to ask anyways because the more families that make similar requests, the sooner that answer may be YES for future families.
✨ Do you feel like your c-section birth could have been made better with photography?