My partner doesn’t want birth photos
You know your birth is going to be an amazing experience. You’ve got a solid team of people ready to support you with love and skill. You’ve seen birth photos that show all that in the most beautiful way and you want a skilled photographer to create photos like that for you.
You want to see what you did. You want to feel the way people loved you in that place. You want to hold in your hands the first moment you laid eyes on your child, immersing yourself in those emotions.
But your partner doesn’t want birth photos.
He isn’t feeling it.
“Why not just have someone take a few photos with their phone? I can do that. I don’t want some stranger in the room taking pictures of who knows what. I’ll feel weird and awkward. Won’t you? Do you really want to remember all that stuff? And that’s pretty expensive for some pictures. I just don’t think it’s that important.”
Something like that?
What can you do about it?
It can feel really discouraging when there is something important to you and your partner doesn’t see the value of it. But honestly, it’s probably because they haven’t been given the opportunity to see and really feel the value!
This is one reason why I want both of you to be at our personal consultation. (This is where we spend a good amount of time together for you to share with me all your desires, you get to experience what I offer, and you can see and touch the kind of artwork I create for you.)
I want you both to see the beauty of birth and to envision your own labor and first moments with your child preserved for you as treasured art. You shouldn’t have to talk with me on your own and then feel like you need to go back and convince your partner. I want you to make this decision together. You can feel excitement at the prospect of cherishing your birth through these photos together.
And no joke, when they see them, dads love these photos showing how he supported you and how he fell completely in love with his little one at first sight. Mom and baby are clearly the main event (and he’s going to love those too), but partners get some incredible moments as well!
Is that all there is to it?
Now I can’t make him change his mind, of course.
He can receive more information and get a good feel for the experience, which is often just what he wanted. But sometimes people don’t want to have their minds changed and he’s still against it.
Or, he may do a complete turn around and want it almost as much as you do!
He may only get to the point where he says something like “Well, I can see why you want it and I do feel more comfortable with it, but it doesn’t feel that essential to me. But I want you to have it because it’s so meaningful to you.” (Then it’ll be my job to wow him when he does get to see the photos of your own birth together!)
First steps when your partner doesn’t want birth photos
If your partner doesn’t want birth photos and you’re still in the early stages and he needs more information before even talking to a photographer, I have a few things you can show him right now! One is this blog post, or any of my other posts.
But especially these galleries of photos so he can get a fuller vision of what you’re dreaming of!
Birth Center with Transfer for Cesarean
(Note: I understand that it might actually be the dad who wants birth photos and the mom isn’t so sure! It’s usually the other way around, so that’s who this post is primarily written about. But the ideas still stand even with the opposite roles!)
If you’re ready to get this ball rolling, get in touch!
This post was inspired by a question in my FAQ. If you’ve got more questions about birth photography, take a look there!
