Through the Eyes of a Birth Videographer
Since becoming a birth videographer in 2013, I knew I would be a larger part of the birth community one day. I am now a labor doula and prenatal-certified licensed massage therapist, and up-and-coming postpartum doula and childbirth educator. I’m still so passionate about my roots.
Video was how I first witnessed birth, other than the TLC dramas that I watched secretly as a kid. At my first birth, I remember the room feeling so quiet and tense, and then suddenly electric and magical and… changed, somehow, as the baby arrived. I was able to be a part of the process from the start, and seeing it all end in a beautiful and empowering birth lit a fire in me. In that video, you can hear me gasp “Oh my god,” as the baby is delivered.
I remember asking one of my first clients what was most important to have captured in their birth video. “The passage of time,” she said. She knew it would all feel like a blur, and she wanted to see that timeline play out.
It was my goal from the beginning to show the strength and determination of the mothers I was fortunate enough to work with. Though the climax of every birth film is the arrival of your little one, I always appreciated the footage of the hard labor. The I-can’t-do-this, let’s-do-this-later, this-baby-is-staying-in-here-forever labor. That’s what this is all about, I thought. And the payoff is consistently breathtaking.
“Abigail has a calming and joyful presence. I can't imagine anyone better suited to capture the intensity and beauty of your birthing experience,” Amanda wrote after I delivered her birth video. “Her interest and appreciation of birth shine through in her work. You will always be grateful to have those memories on film!”
“Abigail spent the last few weeks of my incredibly difficult pregnancy checking in on me,” Robyn remembers. “When the day came, she had her bag ready and met me at the hospital. She and my birth photographer hit it off immediately, and worked together to get the very best documentation of the birth. I still cry when I watch the video!”
The question I get asked the most is regarding privacy. “Will you be… down there?” “Will this be PG?” And the answer is, it varies! I’m comfortable wherever you want me to be, whether that’s at the foot of the bed, or ten feet away. This is your birth experience, and feeling safe and secure in your environment is a huge part of that. Your birth video can be whatever you want it to be.
A lot has changed for me over the past few years, and I’ve learned a lot - about video, about birth, about people. But that fire in me is still burning, and I hope it never goes out.
Comentários