These Photos Show How Joyful Childbirth Can Be

For Georgia-based photographer Rachel Smith, photographing births is one of the most joyful parts of her job. "Photographing births is always a beautiful experience, and as a mother myself, I truly love the beauty within the birthing process," Rachel shares. "The emotions you can see and feel are just so powerful."

When she was invited to photograph a fellow photographer's birth, she never imagined she'd have as much fun as she did. Jacksonville, NC-based Julie Gayler and her Marine husband were preparing to welcome their fourth child, so they knew what to expect. While every birth is a different experience, the fact that they'd been through this three times before added some levity to the room as they passed the time between her contractions.

Read on to see the powerful photos that truly capture the joy and beauty of childbirth.