“The most difficult part of birth is the first year afterwards. It is the year of travail – when the soul of a woman must birth the mother inside her. The emotional labour pains of becoming a mother are far greater than the physical pangs of birth; these are the growing surges of your heart as it pushes out selfishness and fear and makes room for sacrifice and love. It is a private and silent birth of the soul, but it is no less holy than the event of childbirth, perhaps it is even more sacred.” – Joy Kusek

This quote sat on my desk for a long time. It is and was part of my “why” that inspires me to document the early years with my children and clients’ families. My why is a desire to remember the very beginning, a need to remember where it all started, a reminder that the journey of motherhood is a sacred experience. Photographing this time period illustrates how intertwined the challenging moments are with joyful, loving ones. These moments create a beautiful, unique tapestry of our journey. There is beauty in every mother’s truth, so every detail in our story matters.

It was such an honor to spend the weekend observing this beautiful new momma navigate the ins and outs of her new daily routine, watching her soak in moments of sweetness amidst the sleepless nights, around the clock feedings, and diaper changes, observing her whisper, my sweet little bird, into her newborn’s ear, while drowsily soaking in every little detail of his expressions and tiny, perfect body, as though trying to etch each detail onto her heart. As a mother and artist, this is my why: the opportunity to capture this sacred time between a mother and her newborn, a time so special and so worth documenting.