Capturing the Precise Moment of Her Son’s Birth: A Unique Perspective Through Her Lens
Megan Mattiuzzo, a 29-year-old wedding photographer from Hamburg, New York, has shared a breathtaking series of images that capture the extraordinary moment she brought her first child into the world. These stunning photos, taken by Megan herself while in the process of giving birth, have since gone viral and touched the hearts of many who have viewed them on social media.
Megan revealed that she had a unique desire to capture the moment her son was born from her own perspective while she was lying on the birth bed. Despite having several photographer friends who offered to be in the room with her and her husband to photograph the birth, she had another idea in mind. She said, “I wanted a picture, and it would be from my perspective, capturing what I saw—my son’s first breaths and his first sight in the world. Everyone thought I wasn’t normal, and my friends also offered to take pictures for me so I wouldn’t have to do it during the birth, but I didn’t agree. My epidural wasn’t working properly, and I was in very intense labor. I didn’t know if I could do this.”
But on the day of her 12-hour labor, with one final push, Mattiuzzo grabbed hold of her camera and captured truly stunning images of her newborn son from his mom’s perspective. Mattiuzzo said that looking at these images post-labor, she’s “overwhelmed with happiness” with how they turned out. She described the moment as one filled with joy and relief, saying, “It’s your son, it’s your baby. I can’t describe how I felt when I saw him born. You hold your 9-month pregnant belly, can’t quite picture what the baby looks like, and then finally, a healthy baby appeared in front of you. I was filled with happiness.” However, the planning and road to this moment were not easy.
Firstly, she made sure her camera settings were adjusted for the lighting and sequences of the shots. She had her husband hold onto the camera for the majority of her labor and planned for him to quickly hand it to her at the final moment. On the day of her labor, some complications made the task much harder. She said, “My epidural wasn’t 100% effective. The left side of my stomach didn’t take, and the labor was very intense. At one point, I looked at my husband and said, ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ About an hour into my pushing, my doctor said, ‘This should be your final push,’ and I tucked my chin to my chest, balanced my camera on my stomach, looked in my viewfinder, and started shooting. First, you see the top of his head… then his hands… it was amazing, I call it a ‘Simba moment.'”
Mattiuzzo added that having these one-of-a-kind birth photos now makes her believe that her plans were not “a crazy request” after all. She advises any soon-to-be mothers who are inspired by this idea, but who aren’t professional photographers, to be fully prepared heading into labor. Although she adds that the photos do not ‘have to be perfect,’ they serve as memories. Mattiuzzo said, “Being a photographer, especially specializing in weddings… you rely on your photographer to capture that moment to relive them. For me, it was the same thought process. I might remember the moment myself, but memories fade. The visual photo for me is to relive that moment of happiness, that relief. He’s here, he looks healthy. … It’s nice to have that photo.”
