This is the incredible moment a baby delivered by caesarean section reached out to touch her mother’s face just seconds after being born.
Professional birth photographer Selena Rollason, 39, captured the instantaneous bond between Stephanie Angelico and daughter Olivia – made all the more remarkable by the fact most babies have no sense of where they are in relation to their mother when born.
Stephanie, a paediatric nurse, gave birth to Olivia In January at a private hospital in Brisbane, via elective caesarean at 39 weeks because the youngster was breech in the womb.
Mum-of-four Selena, who has run Brisbane Birth Photography since 2011, said she had never witnessed anything like this in more than 100 births.
‘New babies don’t usually have a sense of where they are or who they are with when they are first born – especially in the case of a caesarean delivery,’ Selena says.
‘They are also often wrapped up tight or covered heavily in blankets and unable to move their arms and legs.
‘In this case, baby Olivia was placed on her mum’s chest for skin to skin time and given the opportunity to be in close contact with her mum.
‘This allowed for a beautiful bonding opportunity between the baby and her mother where it appeared as though the baby clearly knew who she was and she was trying to reach out for her.
‘Despite the more than 20 caesareans and more than 100 births I’ve attended, I’ve never seen a baby repeatedly reach out for her mother in this way… I was in amazement.’
‘Having skin to skin contact with Olivia as soon as possible was especially important to me because I was having a c-section,’ Steph, 30, from Brisbane, says.
‘When she started to reach out to me and touch my face it was such a heartfelt moment.
‘This little baby who had been growing inside me for nine months – it was like she immediately knew who I was and this was where she was meant to be.’
Selena recently became the first birth photographer to win 2018 Queensland Professional Photographer of the Year at the Queensland Epson Professional Photography Awards.
