Giving birth can feel lonely at times. Sometimes it can seem like it’s just you and the baby. But a photographer’s stunning photo of the tiny village that surrounded a mom in labor has gone viral as a heartwarming reminder that new moms are never alone.
A simple hallway photo that speaks volumes
Photographer Jen Pierce, of Jen Pierce Photography, posted the gorgeous photo on her Instagram, where it quickly went viral for the perspective during labor that most don't think about. “If for one second, you feel like everyone’s life is too busy to be bothered by you, LOOK. AT. THIS.,” she wrote.
Jen spoke with Mom.com and shared that she got the shot while capturing the recent birth of her clients Lindsay and Matthew Attaway’s new son, Isaac.
“Lindsay's birth, in one word, was surreal,” Jen says. “She has an incredible birth story that got her to this point of delivering their child and the actual labor/pushing was quick compared to my previous experiences as a photographer.”
“After getting a couple shots of Lindsay and Isaac (her son), Matthew notified us he was going to go talk to the family,” she recalls. It was while Matthew was went out to spread the news to their “anxious” families waiting for news that Pierce snapped the photo.
“I wanted Lindsay to have a moment to herself with just her baby boy, so I followed Matthew to hopefully get some shots of him telling their parents; I had no idea there would be so many of them waiting to hear the news,” Jen continues.
Women are never alone when they give birth
She admits that after the birth was over, she almost skipped over the photo when reviewing the moments she captured. “I passed by this photo several times without giving it any significance,” she says. But upon a second look, the photographer realized there was magic in the shot and when she posted the picture she decided to use it as a way to show women that they are never alone when they give birth.
“Every time those double doors open as I am leaving the hospital, I look up to see your loved ones, patiently and eagerly waiting,” she wrote on Instagram. “These people will wait night and day for you — no matter the time, no matter how much sleep they have had. These are your people.”
“They’d camp out for days just to be there to support you,” Pierce continued. "It doesn’t even matter if they are allowed in the delivery room … they will binge-watch crappy cable shows and vending machine snacks just to be there for YOU.”
‘Your team is out there, cheering you on’
It’s a sentiment she echoed in her interview with us. “I think if I would have just posted the photo, without my caption, people wouldn't have seen the magic in this image,” she explained. “Part of my job is being a storyteller and I needed to paint a picture for my followers so that they understand why this photo means so much.”
Pierce says she wanted moms to know that there are so many people who are supporting them through what can be a scary and lonely process. “I want moms to never feel alone or be afraid to ask for help from others,” she adds. “I want moms to know that even though you cannot physically walk out there and see them, your team is out there, cheering you on.”
