These photos capture the most beautiful moment of childbirth.
Marry Fermont, a birth photographer in The Netherlands, has recently posted a series of incredible photos in a blog post titled: The Birth of the Head.


I don't often indulge in cheesiness or wax poetic. I try not to be hyperbolic or dramatic. So, I'm asking you for a freebie this one time. Indulge me, because there is really only one fair way to talk about this and it is with complete reverence. So, here I go:

For me, at every birth I attend, there is a moment that - although different with every experience - is exactly the same in its surreal, time-stopping magic.

That moment when a baby's head first emerges from its mother.

The instant a baby's head is born, their body still inside the birth canal, we write down the minute of birth. If you are ever lucky enough to witness this moment, know that you are in a magical place. In that moment, a baby is no longer in the womb, but not yet in our world.

Related: These Are the Most Breathtaking Birth Photos of 2016

In that moment, before a baby takes his first breath, he is still an underwater creature, his lungs full of water and not yet breathing air, his oxygen supplied through a cord attached to his mother. In that moment, that baby is a magical creature, not yet an earth-side human but no longer an in-utero creature.

It's a space that does not exist but every time a baby is born, there it is. And every time, it makes my heart jump into my throat.

Related: Did This Mom Actually Photograph Her Child's Birth?

To honor this magical moment, I've chosen my favorite photos from Fermont's collection.
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Want to learn more about becoming a birth photographer? Marry Fremont teaches birth photography workshops via Skype.