Moms, that first miraculous moment of holding your newborn is deeply etched in your memory. Holding them there, right in his arms, forms one of the most intense experiences for every mother. Were you able to freeze that moment in the timeline of your brain and heart or is it all a blur? There is no feeling that compares to the moment you become a mom, but there is one that is as sweet as seeing your partner with your ƄeƄé for the first ʋez. Regardless of how your ƄeƄé came into this world or how this little human was created, there is something special about being the person you love the most with your child.

Birth photographer Monet Nicole Moutrie of Denʋer, Colorado in the United States has been photographing births for eight years. In this incredible series of powerful photos, she captures the joy, comfort, love, and sheer exhaustion women feel in the first moments they hold their newborns. Monet became a birth photographer after witnessing and photographing the last birth of her older sister. After three hospital deliveries, Monet’s sister decided to give birth at home and encouraged Monet to see the entire process from start to finish. She said: “I had no children of my own and was fascinated by what the female body was capable of.”

When asked what he enjoys most about photographing births, Monet explains that there are always many surprises. She said: “Each birth is completely unique. Although births tend to follow a pattern, they always manage to surprise us! When they call me for a birth, I know there are a thousand different possibilities. The variety is unbelievable and makes every birth as exciting as the first one I photographed.” Not all women can have the birth experience they hoped or planned for, and this can be disappointing for some moms. Monet’s powerful photographs can illustrate that each of these births, whether ʋaginal or by cesarean section, produces an emotional and joyous outcome.

Monet’s work is incredible. The intense emotions that he captures in these raw moments are incredibly powerful. Seeing a mother hold her newborn in her arms for the first time after a marathon birth, and the emotion that accompanies it, is something extraordinary. The relief, exhaustion, joy and instant love that parents feel at the birth of their children is an absolute highlight of life. And to have that moment captured and saved for a lifetime is a wonderful gift.

“Never apologize for your behavior or choices during childbirth. When you own your experience and take pride in your journey, you help other women to do the same. No matter how you did it, you just brought a human being into the world! The world should be prostrate at your feet”. – Laurylyn Curtis. In this incredible series of powerful photos, she captures the joy, comfort, love, and sheer exhaustion women feel in the first moments they hold their newborns.