to feel that hiring a photographer to capture the birth of your child might be not such a terrible idea?

[SoleSource]

AIBU?

"Why the heck would someone WANT to look back to them being born?!"

My day I laboured and gave birth were the best, most exciting days of my whole life. I still think about them and smile, and my youngest is 7 now.

Yes - it all hurt and was scary at times, but I laughed so much, was so excited, so thrilled.

Why would you not want to remember that?

They were among the best days in my life - a wonderful experience but it was that- an experience to live and not a photo opportunity!
The DCs won't want to see it! (or not over a certain age)

I had my ds by crash c section at 26 weeks I was very sick afterwards. Someone arranged for one of the nurses to take photos i consented but i don't remember tbh she took everything the cut the blood and the precious few seconds of my sons life when I was obviously unconscious. They did it as they were not expecting ds to....well you know I can't bear to write it. I treasure those photos they kept me fighting and now ds is 4 he simply cannot believe that tiny scrap of humanity attached to a million wires was him so for me
If I were to have another hopefully in better circumstances I would definitely have someone take photos, and would hire a professional if no family's member wanted too.

Looking back to the hours AFTER the birth, yes, can see that would be nice.
A nice picture of mum holding baby all freshly newborn.
Mum contorting and pushing baby out of her bits, not so much.
The labour bit was a means to an end for me, as in a lovely little baby at the end of it. I can't think of anything worse than someone down at the business end of labour click clacking away with a camera, they'd have been likely to get it shoved up their nose if they'd have tried.

Exactly, exoticfruits, not a photo opportunity really, is it?! It's an experience to LIVE, as you say - not capture on camera and have PG versions of it to show to friends and family like the lady in the link does!
Ooh, yes - gather round, pull up a chair, grab some popcorn and watch a baby shoot out of your relatives fuff.....
Fun nights to be had in THAT household. cough

I was the same when mine were small, if you insist on doing all experiences through a camera lens you are not living it fully.

But what if we were talking about, say, a doula or birth partner who just somehow happened to be a professional photographer? I might go for that, if it were someone I knew and trusted.

Or is providing support through childbirth incompatible with taking photos?

YABU and a little bit mental.

It is to me-they should be supporting. Taking photos makes it like any other event IMO and goes with wanting the 'perfect' birth and the 'perfect' baby. No one else will want to see them and you were there at the time!

The next thing will be posting them on FB and blogs!

oh god know a huge picture of your bits on show and a squidgy messy baby NO NO where would you display it who would you show it too ,

I also never understood vidoeing births either just why ?

YABU and YANBU the choice is yours! Might help people in some instances. What if the baby was adopted and the photographs were accidentely discovered by the child? A can of worms..

videoing* cant we just give birth like nature intended with an epidural and out our trees on pethedene

I can't understand the video either-it means that the person doing it isn't part of the experience.

Awww look, that's the episiotomy when mummy's perineum was buttonholing.

And that's mummy's turd that slipped out.

Oh look, a great shot of the pph starting.

I certainly never want to see my own birth and I can imagine my DSs reaction if I had photos of theirs-they would know I had flipped! I have some photos taken straight after which is good enough.

I'm not keen on the photos taken a few hours after I'd given birth, I look horrendous! I love the pictures of the lovely newborn babies, but any with me in make me cringe.

"Why would anyone not want to remember that?".

Eh? We can all remember it perfectly well without the use of visual aids, can't you?

I looked hanging after giving birth spotty face and pale skin not the mother and baby pictures I hoped for,

IF I could look like this, then yes, if not no.

www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150963249962308&set=a.390480217307.167060.91445722307&type=1&theater

that baby is at least 2 days old they redid that photo

Tasteful?

A friend of mine just posted her professional birth photos on FB. They were really nice and b&w & not too icky. Mostly touching pics of birth partner moments and one really good close up of her face when pushing. There was a cord cutting series that I could have done without. I can see why she might have wanted it but not on FB.

I thought she was crazy until I saw them and now I'm just jealous. Of course she looked amazing. I looked like a bloated, blotchy freak.

I was joking earlier when I said that the next thing would be that they would turn up on FB!! (that really is dire)