The miracle of birth has been recorded in all its raw glory in a series of breathtakingly intimate images from around the world.

Childbirth is experienced in so many different ways, and no two families’ stories are alike. Birth photographers take on the roles of both a documentarian and an artist to capture these simultaneously difficult and wonderful moments to show labor, delivery, and postpartum in an authentic yet aesthetically pleasing way.

One man tenderly comforting his partner as they sit submerged in their bathtub ahead of a home water birth.

Each birth is completely unique. Although births do tend to follow a pattern, they always manage to surprise us!

One man delicately fanning his partner as she laid on her side and cradled her bump as the couple prepared for their new arrival.

This heart-warming photograph of a new father tenderly clutching his crying newborn baby to his chest.

Labor of love: breathtakingly intimate photographs capture the miracle of childbirth in all its glory.

There is nothing more moving than seeing a mother labor and toil and then finally hold her beloved child in her arms. Both the pain and the joy are unmatched.

“Each story is unique and powerful. I find myself in tears when I’m editing images because I’ll look back and find all these small little moments that almost slipped away. There is no posing in birth photography. There is no direction. I simply capture what unfolds. And I find that each birth is just as magical as the last one.”

“The moment a child is born is electrifying. I can feel the energy dramatically shift in the room the moment that child comes up or out and into his or her mother’s arms.”

“Women during childbirth are goddesses! They are connected to a power greater than us. It’s a wonder to behold.”

“I believe that we need to see images of women giving birth because it helps change our culture’s perception of the female body.”