My mom sometimes refers to the day I was born as the best day of her life. She says the same thing to all of my sisters, though — and we know better than to think that a long painful labor was actually enjoyable.
Still, the taxing process of carrying a baby and giving birth seems to be worth it, as demonstrated by the many babies born every day.
Painful or not, welcoming a baby into the world is definitely special, and plenty of parents want to remember the day by hiring a birth photographer.
Of course, the expectation with a birth photographer is that they are willing to do what their job title suggests: photograph births.
However, one mom-to-be was refused service by a birth photographer for having a C-section. The mom shared the controversial text conversation on the Sanctimommy Facebook page.
Needless to say, many mothers disagreed with the birth photographer’s opinions about C-sections.
It all started when an expectant mother searched for a photographer to take pictures of her bundle of joy arriving into the world.
She quickly discovered that mom-shaming can come when you least expect it. In this case, it came in the form of rude texts from a potential photographer.
The mama shared the comments on Sanctimommy, where they quickly went viral. As of this writing, they have racked up nearly 4,000 shares and almost 2,000 comments.
The mom and photographer, who will both remain anonymous, had a tense conversation via text when mom revealed that her birth would be by C-section.
The photographer refused the mom service, apparently implying that she is “opting” for the easy way out. The mother, taken aback, wrote:
I didn’t “opt” for anything, but alright. I had no idea birth photographers discriminated people for how they birth their babies but that’s good to know. Have a nice day.
The photographer rudely responded:
A surgery isn’t birth, my dear. You aren’t giving birth. You are having a surgery to remove your baby from your abdomen.
That is not birth no matter how you swing it and I for one don’t want to be there to take pictures of it.
If you decide to give motherhood a go from the get and have an actual birth let me know and we can schedule your session.
This motherhood job is hard, If I were you I’d think twice about starting such a job by cutting corners so early in the game.
You would think that a birth photographer would be understanding of the process and the decisions involved with bringing new life into the world.
After all, the mother may have had to choose the C-section for her or the baby’s safety. And even if she did choose, no one should be shaming her for it.
After all, a C-section is a major medical procedure with serious possible side effects and recovery time. It’s not exactly a decision that people make lightly.
Perhaps what is most important and flawed by this photographer’s response is that they refused to acknowledge that a C-section counts as a birth.
Of course, all Facebook commenters on the matter are just as appalled.
One user shared:
I’m just here for the pictures of squishy babies that weren’t actually “born”
More chime in:
So c-section babies don’t have birthdays then I guess, since they are never born.
I’m in Pinterest hell planning my daughters mermaid “birth”day party right now. I’ll break it to her gently that it will now have to be a mermaid surgically removed day party.
Another wrote:
They didn’t cut any corners with my c-section, they cut my lower abdomen.
It doesn’t look like a single comment defended the photographer or her misled opinion.
Instead, all moms who saw the post banded together in support. Something tells me she’ll find a new birth photographer in no time.
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