International Association of Professional Birth Photographers, 2017 Competition | Dallas \ Fort Worth Birth Photography

What a year! One of my greatest honors is to be added to someone's birth team and trusted to tell their story. This past year I have been to both hospital and home births throughout Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. I have welcomed boys, girls, singletons and twins. That moment that each little one comes Earthside is the most amazing moment to witness and rocks me to my very core each time. I am so blessed that I am one of the few chosen to be a part of a baby's first moments.

At the beginning of each year, the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers (IAPBP) holds a competition for all their members. This is my second year to be a part of such an amazing collection of talent. To be a part of an outstanding community that is dedicated to showcasing the raw beauty that is birth. Over 600 images where submitted for the year (the year is from Jan 2016 to Dec 2016) and tomorrow these images will go live for the world to see.

My favorite questions about the image 'Pieces of Me' : What is that thing on her? Is that really what a placenta looks like?

The answer: YES! That amazing organ is unique to the creation of life. It takes nutrients and oxygen from mom's body and gives it to baby. It is made from baby AND the moms cells combined. It filters everything between mom and baby, ensuring that baby only gets the best.

"What I love about stories the most is the power they have to teach us of possibilities that might not occur to us without them. " - Ina May Gaskin

You see. This isn't about these four images below winning this competition (though that would be amazing and extremely humbling). This is about so much more! This is about normalizing birth. About educating women, men and children in all the different ways and spaces a women can birth. Hospitals, birth centers, homes, inside, outside, with birth teams and without. To see the world as a whole come together and say "This is how we birth, hear us roar". From those having cesareans, inductions, natural, to those that birth quietly or scream as the warriors they are. To see women who are squating, standing, submerged in water, on their backs or hands and knees. To the unassisted and the assisted. To the different support teams or those that want the solitude of birthing their babies out on their own. Though we are a collection of different cultures, countries, races, ethnicities, religions and politics we stand UNITED. As clients, parents, birth professionals and birth photographers we want to show... This is Birth.

Her Tribe

Category : Labor"At 32 weeks I decided to switch providers and do a homebirth, most people are lucky to have a doula but I was blessed enough to have 3. Not only were they my doulas but my best friends, they made my homebirth vbac possible, wit… — Category : Labor
"At 32 weeks I decided to switch providers and do a homebirth, most people are lucky to have a doula but I was blessed enough to have 3. Not only were they my doulas but my best friends, they made my homebirth vbac possible, without them I couldn't have done it. It's incredible that without much communication they each knew their "place" you can see the strength I was given due to theses amazing woman and for that I will forever cherish them."

'Your First Breath Took Ours Away'

'Falling in Love All Over Again'

Category : Postpartum "Ahhh we did it" that's the first thing I said to my husband, I worked so hard to bring our first little girl earth side. I couldn't believe she was finally here — Category : Postpartum
"Ahhh we did it" that's the first thing I said to my husband, I worked so hard to bring our first little girl earth side. I couldn't believe she was finally here

'Pieces of Me'

Please take the time to look at this other amazing talented photographers that have also submitted to this competition and so many more that will be posted on the main site tomorrow: Katie Mathis, Esther Edith, Kayla Gonzales, Veronika Richardson, Elaine Beca, Tami Knight, Lisa Norine,

Also thank you to these two ladies for their help in naming the above images: Pieces of Me - (Ashley Short) and Your First Breath Took Ours Away - (Charlet Shelley) Along with these five amazing artist for the inspiration behind Pieces of Me ( Charlotte River, themidwifemumma, Monet Nicole, Jennifer Rainey Mason and Lindsey Welch) Then last but not least