A mother had her toddler present at the birth of her second child and breastfed to help alleviate the pain of labour.
Amiah, from the US, had a home birth and didn’t go into labour until she was 42 weeks pregnant. The mum made it clear she wanted her two-year-old around to help her progress in each step of her daughter’s birth.
Photographer Melissa Benzel, from Benzel Photography, said her experience documenting the birth was “phenomenal”.
“I would love this story of a mummy nursing her toddler while in labour to give other mums more awareness of allowing their body to do what is natural during labour,” she told The Huffington Post UK.
“Nursing is a great way to help their bodies bring about new life.”
Benzel told HuffPost UK that she was overwhelmed by how fearless the mother was throughout every stage of her labour.
“This mum went above and beyond,” she said. “I love how incredibly brave she was, not only during her birth and delivery, but also allowing others to get a glimpse of how natural labour can be, even while caring for a toddler.”
See a selection of the touching photos that document Amiyah’s birth story below.
