What is postpartum?

Often when we hear the word postpartum we think of those first few days and weeks after our babies are born:

The sleepless nights and cluster feeding; tender bottoms and teeny babies; bottle warmers and nipple creams.

And yes, that is all very "postpartum."

But it's also pre-nap milkies and skin-to-skin snuggles. It's rocking them to sleep because they still fit in your lap. It's showering with them because they're still very much an extension of you, and because sometimes they really just *need* that closeness still.

And sometimes so do you.

And that's very much postpartum, too.

Bri Koop

I know that in hiring me to document a slice of your postpartum journey you are inviting me to witness you during one of your most vulnerable seasons, and entrusting me with creating a time capsule of how you felt in these moments.

I know that trust is built, which is why I share this moment with you: this is me, less than an hour before our youngest was born, at the tail end of a contraction, in the throes of transition.

At the time I felt overwhelmed by pain and the enormity of the task of bringing our last child into this world, but looking at this image now I see power and strength and I am in awe of what our bodies are capable.

In addition to birthing four babies of my own, I have had the immense privilege of documenting the birth stories of other local families for over 7 years. My obsession with preserving these moments before, during, and after birth began in 2013 when those moments suddenly became all we had to remember of our firstborn son. Since then I have captured the birth stories of over 100 new little lives, and I am honoured each and every time a family invites me into this most sacred of spaces.

This job is an honour and a privilege.