In the past few years, the trend of photographing births has been on the rise. Most often called a “birth story,” it’s essentially a photographic documentation of labor and delivery, in whatever degree the birthing parent and partner are comfortable with. They are not posed, pretty shots, rather they are candid, documentary-style photos. You can view some stunning, intimate and raw birth images here.

The decision to include a photographer during birth is very personal, and here are five reasons why you may want to document your birth story.

To better remember your experience.

I know, I know… you’re thinking, “How am I not going to remember my labor and delivery? They’re pretty impactful,” but I can promise you, there’s a lot happening, and you might not be able to appreciate all of the little details. (It’s kind of like documenting your wedding… with a little (or a lot) more placenta involved.) Choosing to document the stages of your labor and delivery can bolster those memories and then become something beautiful that you can share with your child.

To capture the first moment you and your significant other meet your child.

This is something I wish I had. There’s something remarkable about that first moment you meet your child, and it’s so fleeting! One of my births was kind of traumatic, and I was pretty out of it. So I would have loved to have somehow captured those seconds to look back on now, a few years later. To have someone there to encapsulate that precious moment, the intimacy and sacredness of it, could be really incredible. Plus, you can capture your partner’s experience too, which is just as important.

To give your partner an opportunity to fully participate in your birth.

If you want to photograph your birth experience, you’re going to get the best results hiring a birth photographer. Even if your partner is a photographer, or very adept at it, it still might be a good idea to outsource. That way, your significant other can focus on you and the baby, and not be worried about trying to get the best shot. Anything you both can do to mitigate stress is a must. Plus, they should be in the photos too!

To ensure you have beautiful, professional images to treasure.

One of the perks of hiring a photographer to document your birth story is that you are sure to have striking and artful images. A professional photographer knows how to utilize natural light, as well as be as unobtrusive as possible. Often, you can purchase packages that allow you to create a photo book from your images, which would be fun to add to other subsequent photo books and/or scrapbooks.

To fully capture your baby’s “newness.”

Babies change so quickly, especially within the first few hours of birth. I’m often amazed when I compare my children’s first few photos with their “newborn” photos, which we took right before leaving the hospital. The change is quite perceptible, and it would have been wonderful to have professional images of their “newness.”