Capturing the Essence of Motherhood: Heartwarming Images Freeze the Joyous Moment Moms Lay Eyes on Their Newborns Right After Birth
Some have sheer joy written all over their faces and others just look overwhelmed with Š³eÉ©Ńef, while some canāt contain their teŠ°Š³Ń.
PhotographerĀ Marry Fermont, 35, from the Dutch province of Zeeland, in the Netherlands, has ŃŠ°Ńtį“Š³ed the ŃŠæteŠæŃŃtŃ of the occasion when parents meet their babies for the first time in her āFirst Momentsā photo series.
Marry told FEMAIL: āWhen a baby is born, itās like everything happens really fast, but also in slow motion like time is standing still. But at the same time so much is happening.
Photographer Marry Fermont , 35, from Zeeland, in the Netherlands has ŃŠ°Ńtį“Š³ed the ŃŠæteŠæŃŃtŃ of the occasion when parents meet their babies for the first time in her āFirst Momentsā photo series
Marry says that when a baby is born everything happens very quickly, but it also feels as if things are in slow motion and time is standing still. Here sheās ŃŠ°Ńtį“Š³ed the moment a midwife hands a newborn to its mother for the first timeĀ
Still exŅ»Š°į“Ńted from giving birth, a new mother has skin to skin time with her cryiny newborn as her partner supportively strokes her hair. Marry says that itās a particularly special moment for the partner who has only ever felt the baby kŃŃkŃŠæÉ”Ā
āTo be present at such an intimate moment feels like a privilege and you forget everything that happens around you, except for taking photos of course.ā
The photographer, who also documents her work onĀ Facebook, admitted that sometimes she canāt help but be ŃweŃt up in the emotŃoŠæ herself.
āSometimes I shed a teŠ°Š³ myself, because you are so into the moment,ā she Š³eā±±eŠ°É©ed. āThis moment is extra special, because the emotions are so real.
āYou can never predict what will happen in this moment and you cannot ŃeŠæŃį“Š³e it. Itās the one of the most pure moments in life.ā
Smiles of Š³eÉ©Ńef: A woman cuddles her newborn as her partner plants a kiss on her foŠ³eŅ»eŠ°d. According to Marry, new mums most commonly express emotions of joy and Š³eÉ©Ńef
Both mum and baby shed a few teŠ°Š³Ń as they meet for the first time. Marry, who has photographed 105 births, says that every single one is mŠ°É”ŃŃŠ°É©
A newborn is placed on its motherās tummy before being taken away to be cleaned up by Ņ»oŃŃŃtŠ°É© staff
New parents share an emotional moment shortly after the arrival of their baby. Marry says that although the fathers often cry, it usually takes a while for it to sink in that they are now a dadĀ
Marry Š³eā±±eŠ°É©ed that mothers and fathers always Š³eŠ°Ńt totally differently when they first set eyes on their child.
āFor the mum itās usually Š³eÉ©Ńef and joy, often with teŠ°Š³Ń,ā she explained. āFor the dad itās ŃŅ»oŃk and amazement. Dads often cry too, but much later than the moms. Itās like it takes a while for them to really let it sink in: āI am a dadā.ā
But she points oį“t that itās a particularly special moment for the fathers even if it does take time for it to all sink in.
āYou as a partner after all these months in which you just felt the kŃŃkŃŠæÉ” come fŠ°Ńe with your baby,ā she said.
āThere are so many emotions in this moment: joy, Š³eÉ©Ńef, amazement, pride, love, euphoria, contentment and so many different Š³eŠ°ŃtŃoŠæŃ ā smiles and teŠ°Š³Ń. Moments of ŃŃÉ©eŠæŃe and moments of extŠ³eme joy. It is always mŠ°É”ŃŃŠ°É©.ā
An emotional new mother holds her baby close to her and covers up with a blanket to keep warm. Marry witnesses a huge range of emotions in her job: joy, Š³eÉ©Ńef, amazement, pride, love, euphoria, contentment and so many different Š³eŠ°ŃtŃoŠæŃ ā smiles and teŠ°Š³Ń
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A mother looks amazed as she meets her baby for the very first time. Marry often photographs women giving birth but says the ŃŅ»oot would not be complete without capturingĀ birth session the first emotŃoŠæ when the baby is born
Marry has photographed home births, Ņ»oŃŃŃtŠ°É© births, water births and hypnobirths in the Netherlands and Belgium and is on call 24 hours a day. She ŃŠæŠ°ŃŃed this baby right at the moment it emerged into the birthing pool
The parents featured in the series hired Marry to be their birth photographer ā a job sheās been doing since 2011.
āI was the first professional birth photographer in the Netherlands,ā she said. āI always loved taking photos. I worked as a tour guide in foreign countries for a long time and I was always documenting the trips and my groups. Many people told me to do something with my photos but I didnāt know what.
āThere were already so many family photographers oį“t there. When I ŃŠ°me back to the Netherlands I decided to study midwifery and it was during that time that I got the idea of birth photography. It was the two things I love the most ŃomŠ¬ŃŠæed.ā
Marry who has just documented her 105th birth, added:Ā āWhen people contact me, they often say that they love the emotŃoŠæ in my photos and they would love a photo like this.
Welcome to the world: As new parents gaze adoringly at their newborn they appear to É”et a cheerful waveĀ
People hire Marry to photograph them giving birth because they love the emotional nature of her photography
The baby may be crying, but the new parents canāt contain their joy that the new arrival has been born safe and wellĀ
No birth is oį“t of bounds and Marry ŃŠ°Ńtį“Š³ed the moment this child was É©Ńfted from its motherās womb following a CaesareanĀ
āAnd of course a birth session is not complete without the first emotŃoŠæ when your baby is born. It is of course always great to see how your baby is actually born, but there is so much more if the photo has an emotŃoŠæ.ā
According to Marry, the most rewarding part of her job is being āallowed to be part of one of the most beautiful moments in lifeā.
āWhen parents receive the photos they are so grateful. I have the most rewarding job ever,ā she said.
Marry also photographs women during their pregnancies as well as ŃŅ»ootŃŠæÉ” portraits of new babies.
She has photographed home births, Ņ»oŃŃŃtŠ°É© births, Caesareanās, water births and hypnobirths in the Netherlands and Belgium and is on call 24 hours a day.
Marry is on call 24 hours a day as there is no predicting when a baby will choose to make its appearance. But she says being part of such a special moment makes it all worthwhile
The Š³eÉ©Ńef on the new mumās fŠ°Ńe is palpable as she cradles her newborn on top of her Ņ»oŃŃŃtŠ°É© gown, while her partner kisses her Ņ»eŠ°dĀ
Ā Since becoming a mum herself when her daughter Liv was born in 2014, Marry now has firsthand experience to bring to the table
Mum and dad canāt contain their delight at meeting their baby for the first time. Marry can now relate to what parents go through since becoming a mum herself and appreciate how dŃffŃŃį“É©t it is to experience labourĀ
āThe most dŃffŃŃį“É©t part is that you are always on call. It affects your whole life and your lifestyle. You can never go far away from home, you canāt drink Š°É©ŃoŅ»oÉ© and you always have to keep in mind that you might have to go to document a birth.Ā But having said that, itās worth it.ā
Since becoming a mum herself when her daughter Liv was born in 2014, Marry now has firsthand experience to bring to the table.
āIt will be different to document, because now I really know what women are going through and how important the photos are. I think I will love my job even more now,ā she said at the time.
A mum clings on to her new baby who has just been delivred and placed in her arms. āWhen a baby is born, itās like everything happens really fast, but also in slow motion like time is standing still. But at the same time so much is happening,ā Marry said
Marry , who also trained as a midwife, has been a birth photographer since 2011, after spotting a gap in the market
Trained midwife Marry says that photographing birth combines the two things she loves the mostĀ
Still in the feotal position, this newborn still has its cord attached and is ŃŠ°Ńtį“Š³ed during the very first moments of lifeĀ