The Road to Deliverance- Labor is a crazy ride. (Vancouver Birth Photographer)

I'm so honoured that I won the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers Image Competition with an image that so many women can relate to. You labour at home as long as you can, and then you realize "it's time" to go to the hospital.  Or in the case of this mother, she was planning a homebirth but had some complications arise and needed to transfer to hospital mid-labour. That car ride can be intense for both mom and dad. Mom closes her eyes and feels every bump and turn along the way while dad puts the pedal to the medal and runs a few yellow lights to get there as quick as safely possible (or not safely.)

I had been at home with this family capturing their labour journey.  When the midwife came to assess her and recommended transferring to hospital, I knew I would travel with them in their car. This mom was having her 2nd baby and even though she was 8cm when she got in the car, I knew how quickly things could progress for a second time mom. As we sped to the hospital (a 10 minute drive) I could hear her contractions getting stronger and knew she was already 10cm and ready to push even before we got to the hospital. Thank goodness she stayed calm and breathed through all the intense desire to push. I was sitting in the back seat praying this baby would not be born in their car. At the hospital entrance door, we pulled up a wheelchair for her but she found it more comfortable to walk. She walked herself up to maternity ward and since our midwife called ahead, she walked straight into her delivery room, crawled up to get checked and her midwife confirmed she was 10cm and ready to push. She was asked to lay back, but found it more comfortable to squat and moments later, her beautiful surprise daughter was born into her arms. 

Thank you to IAPBP for honouring this story and choosing the first ever labour image to win this competition.

If you recognize this family it's because I photographed their first birth and submitted a photo from their first birth story into the 2014 image competition. Watch their first birth journey here. 

Jaydene Freund is a birth photographer and film maker located in Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Canada. She has photographed and filmed over 100 unique birth stories over the last 6 years.  

Watch the full emotional birth video below. 

Minayah Birth Story from Cradled Creations on Vimeo.

~If you recognize this family it's because I photographed their first birth and submitted a photo from their first birth story into the 2014 image competition. Watch their first birth journey here. 

~Jaydene Freund is a birth photographer and film maker located in Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Canada. She has photographed and filmed over 100 unique birth stories over the last 6 years.  ​