A mum who photographed the birth of her second child is encouraging other mothers to do the same, despite receiving negative feedback for not being 'focused' enough.
Lauren Chenault wanted to capture the amazing moment of her second child being born, but instead of hiring someone to take sentimental snaps she decided to do it herself.
Lauren, who is from New York, gave birth to a baby boy named Kai Arthur on 31st January, who she shares with her husband.
The 24 year old is already mum to one-year-old daughter Kailah and although she didn't take the opportunity to photograph her first birth, she made up for during her second.
Now Lauren, who's a professional photographer, is recommending that all mums give it a go, despite receiving some negative feedback.
Speaking to GoodtoKnow, Lauren said, 'I came up with the idea to do this, well, because its awesome. The fact that women can grow a human inside them and then push it out is just amazing. Who wouldn't want to document that?'
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But some people expressed concern to the young mum that by taking photographs whilst giving birth, she wouldn't be as 'focused' on the experience of birthing her baby.
'I did receive some negative comments which I expected. Some people were wondering why I would be more focused on taking a picture rather then the birth of my son. But my camera was resting on my chest and I just kept clicking and hoped that I got the shot that I wanted. It didn't take away from the experience at all.'
The New Yorker is a huge advocate of trying to take photos while in labour, but she notes that any mums attempting it will need a little help - mainly holding their legs back, which is something Lauren didn't anticipate with her first child.
'I did not do this with my first since I didn't know that I would have to hold my own legs. That's why I was well prepared this time and brought a few more of my closest friends so they can assist me with that.'
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As expected, there were some tricky technical difficulties that could have got in the way, including lighting and positioning.
Speaking to the Daily Mail Lauren explained how she got around these issues, 'The only tricky part was the lighting in the room other then that it was just as I would have expected it to be.
'I pretty much had the camera resting on my stomach and just kept pressing the button and wasn't even looking, I was just hoping that I got the shot that I really wanted.'
Now Lauren is encouraging other mums to give documenting the births of their children a go, saying, 'I would encourage all women to do this.
'It's an incredible thing in itself that we can produce a baby and manage to push it out, so why not be there to document it yourself also.'
