EVERY mother has a story of the birth of their new baby, but when things don’t go to plan, it can be a difficult one to tell.
Now a radical new photo exhibition in Cork has allowed Irish mothers to share some of the most vulnerable and sacred moments of their pregnancy and birth of their babies, when there are complications.
The photographs, taken by the mothers themselves, will be displayed alongside artefacts from the hospital that helped keep the babies healthy and well enough to go home to their families.
Developing A Picture of Us offers an intimate view into these high-risk pregnancies and all the worrying and waiting, work and love involved in bringing tiny babies into the world, according to its curators.
The pictures include snaps of micro-nappies - three times smaller than normal nappies - worn by premature babies of up to 2lbs, a syringe used to feed the baby tiny amounts of milk, and special clothing made small enough to fit them.
The exhibition allows mothers to share their experiences of high-risk pregnanciesThe exhibition is centred around the mothers’ views and artistic expressions, aiming to start the conversation about complicated pregnancies between patients, healthcare providers and the community.
It is based on research that took place at Cork University Maternity Hospital and is part of the Cork Science Festival 2019.
The research method, known as ‘Photovoice’, documents the participant’s reality through photography.
The Developing A Picture of Us exhibition runs at Cork City Library until November 22.
