Ashley’s Birth

I’ve been privileged enough to photograph some sacred things in my ten years as a photographer, hidden Maasai tribes in Tanzania, the aftermath of the Paris terror attacks, world renowned arts festivals and remote villages in Ghana.

But nothing compares to this.

I was extremely fortunate to be invited into Ashley and Tyler’s world to document the arrival of their new baby boy. I had never photographed a birth before and had always been interested in the challenge of doing one, so I excitedly agreed and for the following months kept in close contact with the whānau as Ashley’s due date drew nearer.

Right on schedule, the day of her due date baby started niggling, so that night I drove to Workworth to spend the night at Ashley’s place as her previous labour with her first baby was a quick one. We all managed to get a few hours sleep until I was gently woken up by Tyler at 5am. The contractions were picking up, and it was time to make our way to the birthing unit.

By the time we got settled in contractions were coming on long and hard, Ashley was a total champ, taking each one on with calm breaths and nursing her pains in the shower with hot water. At this stage we were still talking and joking around in-between contractions and I was able to get some beautiful shots of her in the shower as the steam rolled out the window, clashing with the cool air outside.

As the pain got more intense, Ashley slowly edged towards the bed. The vibe changed, and the anticipation that her little boy would be here shortly grew. I was mostly standing back, letting the amazing midwives and her wonderfully supportive partner do their thing. Nobody seemed to mind my presence as I snapped away, and I was able to approach the experience as a documentary story teller, one of the things I truly love doing the most. Working with low lighting conditions, tight spaces and moving bodies was a challenge I gladly accepted throughout the experience.

The time came to push, and slowly, with a huge, powerful, mind-blowingly strong, warrior-like effort on Ashley’s part, baby Enzo began to enter the world.

As a cis-woman with all the parts necessary to create and bring life into this world I could almost feel every second of Ashley’s pain and strength within me. And as someone who has had some severe gynaecology trauma in the past, watching the way the midwives and nurses treated her, with autonomy, respect and consent was incredibly healing. I spent days thinking about the experience afterwards.

Every time I look at these images now I get a little emotional thinking of how incredibly strong, powerful and brave Ashley was, and how strong, powerful and brave women are in general.

What our bodies can do is truly extraordinary.

Welcome to the world baby Enzo x