Posted on Apr 7, 2015

11 Empowering Portraits Of Women On Their First Day As Mothers

"When I became a mom, I felt a real responsibility to go up to pregnant women and say you’re going to be OK."

BuzzFeed Staff

For the last five years, photographer Jenny Lewis has made heartwarming portraits of mothers and their newborn babies within 24 hours of delivery.

Her new book, One Day Young, compiles over 40 of these beautiful portraits that show what Jenny describes as "the extraordinary bonding, warmth, and strength between mother and infant."

It's Jenny's hope that her portraits will shatter the fear that some women feel about childbirth and will instead highlight the deep emotional connection between mother and child.

Jenny tells BuzzFeed about how her own experiences as a mother influenced the project:

"When I became a mom, I felt a real responsibility to go up to pregnant women and say you’re going to be OK. I experienced two good and uncomplicated births and felt calm and empowered...

...I knew that I couldn’t be the only one who felt this way."

"I felt as if I had to share this message — and the most natural way for me to do this as a photographer was to make a series of images."

"So I sought to capture that moment after childbirth and show that women are still themselves after delivery."

"I felt a picture would be more powerful than reassuring words, as you can't disbelieve something you can physically see."

"Each story and image belongs to each individual woman. However, I noticed through this process that this warrior comes out in all of the women. They gain this inner strength to protect the child and you can see it in the photos."

"They're like those heroic pictures of soldiers on the battlefield or the footballer after the match, still full of the adrenaline of achievement."

"This moment isn't often captured in women, but what they've just achieved is just as important as that goal or that battle, and that moment deserves to be recorded and celebrated in the public arena."

“I find the collection of images defiant and beautiful, challenging the expected vision of those first 24 hours, a pure celebration of what it means to be a mother.”