Tavia Redburn is a photographer who specializes in birth and newborn photography. Now one of her photographs is going viral after a woman discovered it and talked about how powerful the image was on her own Facebook page.
While the New Zealander has since deleted her post, CafeMom reports that, in essence, the woman believes Redburn’s image symbolizes just how powerful women and mothers are.
“If you’ve never seen a placenta, this beautiful image shows the size of it perfectly. After birth, the placenta detaches from the uterus leaving a wound the size of a plate. Now imagine you had a wound that large on the outside of your body. You would be told by everyone to rest, look after yourself, and take time to heal,” the mom began her since-delete post.
“So why is it expected that new mothers should ‘bounce back’ so quickly after childbirth? When this is just one thing that needs healing; not to mention all the other physical, emotional, and psychological changes we need to adjust to.”
“It’s ok to stay in bed with your baby. It’s ok to ask others for help.”
The mom then concluded, “It’s ok to prioritize yourself and your baby. Get your family involved, ask your friends for some help, get a postnatal doula. Don’t rush your post-birth recovery, be easy on yourself. No better time to do so than just after you’ve given birth.”
And while Redburn never expected someone to take away so much from one of her photographs, she told CafeMom that she absolutely agrees with what the mom wrote in her post. While the photograph that was shared is just as important as all of the others, it wasn’t her first time photographing a placenta.
“I photographed an image similar to this for the first time in 2014 because I wanted to show moms the power of their bodies.”
Redburn continued, “Not only did they grow a human, they grew an entire organ to feed that baby and maintain its life! The cord is typically so quickly cut, it’s rare we get to see the baby and placenta like this outside of the womb. This is how baby grew inside and it’s magical to see on the outside!”
It’s funny, because I totally forget that seeing placentas and talking about them isn’t normal for most people ???? This…
Posted by Tavia Redburn Photography on Tuesday, December 4, 2018
As the photog said, she completely, 100-percent, agrees with the mom’s message “of honoring the 4th trimester.”
“Instead of rushing to bounce back, honor that small window of time to care for yourself,” Redburn added, “And get to know your new baby!” According to the mom, when she first saw Redburn’s photo it spoke to her because she just gave birth to a baby boy in April, CafeMom reports. “When I saw the picture, it brought up a lot for me.”
But hopefully, both the new mom’s and Redburn’s words will speak to other moms who recently gave birth. Listen to your body, be patient with yourself, and use this downtime to reconnect with your body and your baby.
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