Mum Raychel intended to give birth to baby number four Silas at home, so although she discovered he was in breech position not long before her due date, she decided to continue with her home birth plan, secure in the knowledge her midwives knew what they were doing.
And to capture Silas making his way into the world, photographer Karyn Loftesness snapped incredible step-by-step images which show the amazing power of the female body – and while graphic, we think they’re a total must-see.
Karyn recalled the amazing experience she was privy to on her website Karyn Loftesness Photography:
“Raychel’s labor was longer than any of her others, and at one point her midwives were thinking they might need to head into the hospital for an ultrasound to check on things since her progress had seemed to stop but Raychel gave Silas a pep talk and told him it was time to come on out, now!
“Inexplicably, he seemed to listen, because right after the midwives got off the phone with the doctor, he dropped down further into her pelvis and she went from 5cm dilated to complete within 10 minutes. The midwives instructed her not to push until she absolutely couldn’t NOT push anymore. As soon as she got on her hands and knees on her bed, her water broke, and it wasn’t long before she couldn’t resist bearing down with the contractions.”
According to Karyn, who gave us permission to use her beautiful images, sharing photos like these are important, and should be widely spread to create awareness around breech births.
“The photos you’re about to see are graphic, but educational, and we feel strongly that they need to be shared to help spread knowledge and awareness about the normalcy and safety of breech birth with a skilled, knowledgeable, and experienced provider,” she says.
We totally agree. Well done mum and welcome to the world baby Silas!
