Photos of Mom Watching Her "Gentle" C-Section Birth Are So Damn Powerful

When Em gave birth to her new baby, it was important to this mom-of-five that her C-section was different than most. "I wanted to feel like I was giving birth, not having surgery," she shared on Belle Verdiglione Photography's blog.

For this Australian mom, that meant that she would have a "gentle" C-section and would be able to watch her baby's head being delivered. Her obstetrician agreed to deliver the baby's head and then stand back so that the newborn could begin to breath on its own before being fully delivered. "I can't even begin to describe what I felt watching our baby lie on my stomach, seemingly asleep!" she said. "It was the most beautiful, raw, magical, and amazing experience I could have ever imagined."

Em's previous three C-sections didn't go the way that she had hoped, but thanks to the support of her doctor and her photographer's talent, she will forever be able to cherish these memories. "Birth, in itself, is such a raw, honest, and emotional journey and I am filled with gratitude that I was finally able to bring a baby earth-side in a way that felt completely 'right' for me," she said. "My wish for the future is that other women are able to have positive birth experiences, no matter which way their baby enters our world."