43. How to Help Mothers See Beauty In Their Stories with Motherhood Photographer & Birth Doula, Meredith McCann

I am so excited because today we have a special guest
with us, Meredith McCann.
Meredith is a motherhood photographer and birth doula and today
we’re going to talk about how to help mothers see beauty in their
stories.


Ashley: Tell us a bit about what you do and what you are
passionate about.


I had two very dangerous, very risky pregnancies and therefore
have become very passionate about maternal healthcare and
maternal mortality rates. I just feel like our testimonies are
such a big piece of why we do what we do and I feel like God kind
of allows us to walk through those things so we can offer comfort
and healing to other people who are going through similar things.


I am also passionate about photography and helping moms to be
healed through photographs. So often I feel like the motherhood
image is lost. I hope that I'm able to provide an experience for
my clients to help them connect to their motherhood and see it
for the beauty it is.


Ashley: You are both a doula and a birth photographer.
Tell us about that journey.


I happen to be a birth photographer who is a doula not a doula
who happens to take pictures. You cannot be 100% of both, so in
my case I am a photographer who is documenting as a primary and
then a support doula in addition to that.  In February of
this year I was worried that photographers wouldn’t be allowed
back in hospitals so I enrolled in a doula training. Not only
would I be allowed in as a doula, but I would be more educated in
how to support moms and know when to take pictures.


Ashley: You probably see a fair amount of trauma and loss
in your field. How do you process that?


This is a God thing, first of all. The holy spirit is working in
that relationship that I have with my client. I see my primary
job as documentation and not inserting myself into their story. I
am not their therapist but it is VERY important to listen to your
client. Often after they share something difficult (like the pain
of a miscarriage) I will offer to pray with or over her. The
other important thing is that in stressful and difficult
situations, to stay calm and listen to the medical professionals
because they have way more training than I do.


Ashley: Is there one birth story or client that left a
really big mark on you or stood out in some way?


I had a birth this summer that was a VBAC and was attended by her
11 year old son. I would have thought it inappropriate but it was
truly a beautiful birth that went exactly as it was intended to
go. It just pointed to the redemptive spirit of Christ. In the
last few years I have come to a whole new appreciation for the
medical field and also the change in birth in that it is more
about the celebration of motherhood.


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