I am in shock seeing that picture. Not bad, but I have never in my life seen anyone post a picture like that...

Both in a humorous way and in an odd way. I can see that someone might react to it like "WHOA!" but at the same time the pic is no different than what you'd see in a birthing video. So from that angle I think "what's the big deal?"

I posted it because I think it's such a great moment that was captured (despite the fact that the moments that followed were not so great!) which represented the near exact moment of birth of this little miracle babe.

I'm still shocked that DH caught the moment. He'd been holding my thigh and shoulder and coaching me and yet somehow managed to find the camera, focus it and frame the shot without botching the whole thing! After the fact I asked him if one of the nurses had alerted him to the photo op and he said no. I was impressed that he got the shot!

I'm curious to see how others react; if they find it to be no big deal or offensive. I'll remove it eventually anyway. I normally remove any images that I post via photobucket after a while; I don't like to leave stuff living on the "internets" forever.

like you said, similar to what one can easily find on birthing videos.
The photo is a special one and a private moment that you chose to share with us and I think that is fine. (you did warn about the graphic nature of your post)
I think what might make it more personal is that we (sort of) know you.
I'm ok with it if you are ok. and I am relieved you said you'll remove it eventually, just to protect your privacy, ya know?

My Dh got an excellent shot during my DS' birth which I feel is just magic too. Sometimes photos can be so amazing.


jm


me:42, DH 43
FSH 26
DS: born by c-sec Apr15'03, 9lbs5oz 41wks gest. (after 4 years of ttc, starting in 1998)
DD born by c-sec Oct 13 2007, 8lbs13oz 39wk gest. (after just under 3 years of ttc)
~~DS was conceived naturally the cycle following a cancelled DE IVF, using my good friend's eggs. She was on the verge of hyperstimming.
~~DD's nat conception I attribute to using OPKs like a crazy nut, eating grapefruit daily and using preseed. also 5 cycles of TCM ending 2 cycles before that lucky cycle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, perhaps if you just skimmed over the title and didn't catch the warning I suppose you might be shocked but it did say graphic pic in the title. I think reading the preceeding story helped set the stage however. She states that the few seconds following the birth was not the joyous occasion with hearing the baby crying. Sometimes when we want to keep the memories alive we focus on select senses to recreate it. This picture probably does that for Mrs. A. Did we see parts of Mrs. A that so far she's only shared with her significant other(s), the GYN/OB(s), the RE(s), and the nurse(s)? Probably but I feel modesty goes out the door after a while in the land of IF.

One December, I did one of those calendar's for family members after her first full year. I selected my own pics and included birth pics on her birth month. I got a few shocked faces from family members when my favorite birth pic included blood still on the baby. To be honest, I barely noticed it. All I saw was my beautiful baby girl. Even my husband dubbed it as "graphic" and "his parents don't want to see that while they are eating their oatmeal." Oh well. I still love that picture.

Rebekah

What I see is my baby; not the lady parts. In fact, even though I'd viewed the photo a thousand times over...can you believe it wasn't until recently that I noticed something that is rather "prominent" in the forefront?

My DH was holding my thigh so hard that he actually left his handprint on it and it's seen clearly in the photo! Funny how no one mentioned this! Like "Dang! Talk about a coaching hold!"

It's interesting that we feel like we know people so well from this board...which shows me the power of what we're doing here.

Mrs. A, I thought it was a beautiful moment that your DH captured. And you warned readers of the graphic nature of the post. Thank you for sharing this personal photo that captured your daughter's first moments.

After all the exams I've had over the past couple of years, my modesty has decreased dramatically. As my own DH remarked during our IF process, "Your hoo-ha has been seen by more people than the strippers at P.T.'s!"

Heck, both during an u/s and an embryo transfer at Cornell my hoo-ha was the lesson of the day! Literally! It's a teaching environment and I did consent.

Anyway, it's a pictured shared amongst "friends" on a pregnancy board...yes I can see someone being a little jarred by it...but it's not like I took out an ad in the local paper. KWIM?

Like I mentioned in the other posts, I think some think they are seeing more than what's actually there.

I think the warning was accurate and more than sufficient for anyone who might feel a little squeamish. Let's be honest, we can find much more graphic, less innocent stuff on the Internet without looking too hard!

I do agree that such a photo might seem more out of place in a group whose modesty hasn't been beaten (or ultrasound wanded as the case may be) out of them by the mighty power of the IF monster. There is a certain intimacy that arises from our shared battles. So when I see the photo I feel proud in a sisterhood kind of way - it's such strong, raw evidence of such an amazing accomplishment.

posting pics are okay but it felt way too "open" of the vaginal area for a public forum. I really only browse now but to each her own. Birthing is a wonderful process and I guess anyone can post what they like.

I hear there is a woman in New York who will be filming her birthing to everyone in front of the public. She is an artist or so. Maybe I am a prude, go figure.

I do want to clarify that my vaginal area is not shown in the picture. To achieve that my husband would have had to be standing behind the OB.

I do think that posting the pic on this limited-audience board of "friends" is a little different than filming a birth in public.

I am so glad you posted it, Mrs. A!

We share very personal info all the time and this one was well documented with a warning. I think it was a magical moment and feel lucky to have shared it.

And, oddly, it did not really show that much.

Plus, we are all girls!

I say thank you for sharing, Mrs. A!

Afterall, it wasn't like a full frontal picture. Unless the viewer blew it up somehow on their computer there's not a whole lot of discernable detail as far as the female parts are concerned.

I love how it shows the miracle of birth! I wish I had a picture like that for my own birth!

I took a class at the downtown gym during lunch. A coworker ended up being in the same class. She was this much older lady and I barely knew her. So we go to the locker room where I manage to somewhat hide the goods behind a towel. Not her! She strips it all off right then and there!! Let's just say I would see her at the office and have this awful memory.