A new series of photographs has perfectly captured the extraordinary moments women experience in the first few minutes of motherhood.
Nearly 1,000 photographs spanning the period from labour to postpartum were submitted from around the world as part of a 2018 competition called ‘Birth Becomes Her’ - set up by photographers Monet Nicole and Jennifer Mason.
The winning entries were picked by a judging panel of 20,000 photography fans who chose their favourites. They include the moment photographer Neely Ker-Fox from Georgia, US, captured a mother seeing her baby for the first time after a caesarean section.
Veronika Richardson, from Wisconsin, US, captured a mother breastfeeding for the first time in the birthing pool, while her baby is still attached to the placenta.
Marijke Thoen, from Belguim, caught the moment a little girl met her baby brother for the first time in the birthing pool. This photo was removed from Facebook last year for breeching it’s guidelines on nudity.
A mother being prepared for a c-section as photographed by Laura Cate in Uganda.
And Canadian photographer Dominique Lamontagne, from Ottowa, captured a baby’s expression as they were born in a birthing pool.