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A New Father Took Beautiful Pictures Of His Girlfriend Giving Birth

Photographer Gustavo Gomes said that he hopes his daughter will be able to experience "a bit of the great adventure it was receiving her".

When Brazilian photographer Gustavo Gomes' girlfriend, Priscila Bochi, gave birth at home to their daughter, Violeta, he decided to capture every tense and intimate moment.

"Priscila is very used to my photographing her, and she was aware beforehand that I would record this moment as well," he said.

Gomes said he and his girlfriend decided on a home birth after seeing the "touching movie about childbirth" O Renascimento do Parto.

The couple hopes the photos will raise awareness of how positive a home birth can be in Brazil, where births by caesarean section are common.

"We hope that these photos can demystify natural and home childbirths and encourage future mothers to avoid unnecessary C-sections," he said.

Bochi's labour lasted for 20 hours, with Gomes shooting images intermittently.

"There were moments when there was nothing I could do for her. We are very grateful for her doula, which helped her to go through pain more easily with massages."

Gomes described the home birth process as a "very intense, tense, unique, and exciting experience".

The intensity of Bochi's experience is clear in Gomes' images. "She looked totally out of herself," he said, "and kept saying she wouldn't make it, but we knew she would."

Gomes didn't capture the actual moment Violeta was born, because, he said, he was "too thrilled and involved to photograph then".

Now 2 months old, Violeta is "the sweetest thing on earth," Gomes said. "She giggles a lot in the morning, to our delight, and she loves being glued to Priscila's breasts, almost all day."