What do ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ deliveries look like in real life? These amazing photos from members of the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers (IAPBP) show just that.

Lyndsay Stradtner of Life in Motion Photography, who resides in Texas with her husband and four children, started the organization in 2010. It now has over 1400 members from 37 countries.

She wrote, “There is much more to birth photography than the actual moment of birth. So much more. It’s the birth environment, the light in the room, the details, the comings and goings of those who are there. It’s mom holding on to dad in ᴘᴀɪɴ, the doula offering a supportive hand, the midwife making suggestions for ᴘᴀɪɴ relief, and the OB preparing and helping mom push. It’s the baby placed on mom’s chest for the first time, the tears of joy, pure adrenaline, the cutting of the cord, and the baby’s little toes and fingers. It’s the first time a sibling meets a new baby brother or sister with a look of wonder and apprehension. It’s all of those things put together. It’s the journey of a birthday. It’s the making of a family. It’s special. And if a family chooses so, it deserves to be captured.”

As these photos show, ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ births are absolutely powerful and moving experiences, whether or not the procedure was the mother’s first choice. Here are seven of the ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ births the talented IAPBP photographers captured.

“Despite the fear and uncertainty flooding this mama as she is wheeled into an emergency C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, she couldn’t help but smile as she realized she was about to meet her baby.”

“It saddens my heart to hear that people are ashamed of their ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ birth. When they internalize the message that their body failed them or that they chose the “easy way out,” they become depressed. A ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ birth is a difficult procedure. It’s not a setback. Cᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ birth, like any other type of delivery, needs bravery, fortitude, release and strength.

“This mom had 20 blissful minutes of snuggles and eye contact before the nurses took her baby to be diapered, weighed, and measured. Then the baby was immediately returned to the mom so they could travel to the recovery room together.”

“After a long hard labour and an emergency C-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ, this mom was finally holding her baby, looking into her partner’s eyes, and realizing she did it.”

“It is so incredibly empowering to look back and see yourself giving birth and see how truly amazing your body is.”

“The look of excitement after meeting your baby after seven years of trying, and a three-day-long induction and ᴄᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ birth.”

Cᴀᴇsᴀʀᴇᴀɴ deliveries are incredibly dramatic and emotive experiences, as these images demonstrate, whether or not the technique was the mother’s first choice.