Postpartum Struggles with Breastfeeding
This project was created for an 8 month mentorship class called Creating Deeper Documentary Images 2, with Chuck Anerino. We were to create a photo series of a person or business to tell their story. Given my normal job in births, I chose to find a family who would allow me into their intimate space directly after their baby was born. I wanted to visit them multiple times over the course of 1-2 weeks. A family who hired me for their birth volunteered to be a part of this project. I was there for her labor and birth, and then afterwards the project started as I followed them home and documented the first 2 hours with them arriving home for the first time with a baby. I went back the next evening and stayed for 5 hours. The next day I went back in the morning for the midwife visit, and then again in the middle of the night from 1am to 4am. The rest of the sessions were spread out over the month at various times.
The project took place over 7 sessions and 29 hours total time spent.
Below are the 15 photos submitted for this project along with their captions.
Keyanna Warren Gee is finally home after giving birth to her baby boy named Kozmo at a local birthing center in Richardson, Texas on Friday, August 30, 2024 at 11:30pm. After 26 hours of labor, Keyanna is feeling exhausted while watching her husband Kameron take their newborn out of the car.
Keyanna experiences going to the toilet for the first time postpartum, and requires assistance from her Mom. They both chuckled in reflection about how crazy the experience was and how shocked they were that baby Kozmo was finally here. August 31, 2024 at midnight.
Evening of August 31, 2024, Kameron calls the midwife to receive guidance on how to help their baby latch better so that Keyanna is not in so much pain while breastfeeding. They learn there are no lactation consultants who are able come over during the holiday weekend. Keyanna realizes this wouldn’t be an issue if she chose to birth in the hospital, since she works as a labor and delivery nurse.
After bawling her eyes out in pain, Keyanna is feeling defeated. Baby Kozmo is not even 24 hours old yet and her nipples are cracked and bleeding. “I’m not willing to compromise my mental health because of this,” keyanna says as she questions her decision to breastfeed.
Dinner on the stove, old coffee from the morning, and nipple shields drying on paper towel on the counter. The nipple shields were suggested by the midwife to help with breastfeeding, but ended up being no help to Keyanna.
Keyanna and Kameron are going through the paperwork that the birth center gave them at discharge, and they find instructions on breastfeeding. Keyanna looks at her baby and tells him, “I’m so sorry baby. I’m so sorry. I know it’s hard but we are going to figure it out. I promise.” (August 31, 2024 at 7:46pm)
Keyanna and her Dad gasp when hearing that her baby gained weight. A newborn baby gaining weight in the first 2 days is very uncommon. Midwife Krystal reassures Keyanna by telling her “You have everything you need. In the midst of that yesterday, you have everything you need.” (September 1, 2024 at 10:40am)
Midwife Krystal instructed Keyanna to use cold silver cups on her bleeding nipples to help heal them so that she could continue to breastfeed her baby. (September 1, 2024)
Keyanna drinks a smoothie and eats dinner and proclaims, “I’m putting gas in my tank for this long ass night.” September 2, 2024 at 12:46am
Keyanna is feeling tired, but with her husbands support she works up the courage to wake up and sit up to nurse her baby. (September 2, 2024 at 2:24am)
Keyanna, only 5 days postpartum, looks at herself in the mirror, investigating how her body has changed. (September 4, 2024)
Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 11:48am, Keyanna’s work friend who’s a lactation consultant was able to come over and help. “You always count too,” the lactation consultant says to Keyanna, as she shows her that breastfeeding can happen with zero pain.
Keyanna sits in her rocking chair snuggling her baby, surrounded by baby medicines, nipple creams, and pumped milk from her haakka. (September 15, 2024)
Keyanna has enough energy to give her baby his first bath, on September 15, 2024 at 1:45pm.
After the 2 week midwife check up on September 12, 2024, Keyanna sat in the waiting room at the birth center nursing Kozmo. While she was burping Kozmo, she began smiling in remembrance of how her labor and birth experience was exactly what she wanted.