Mother's Day invites women to reflect on their experience of labour, the life-changing event that conferred upon them that hallowed title. For many women, motherhood is a deeply personal and intimate journey into the unknown, at least the first time around. But there's no escaping the ubiquity of the experience – after all, without it, we wouldn't be here – which has the potential to unite women from around the world.
For a new photography series commissioned by international children's charity Save the Children and GSK, five world-leading female photographers travelled the world to capture the universal experience of motherhood. Sian Davey, Diana Markosian, Bieke Depoorter, Dana Popa and Carlota Guerrero were privileged enough to be granted access to five women's experiences of birth and early motherhood – in Nepal, Kenya, Guatemala, Romania and the UK.
Their efforts aren't just a tender portrayal of the miracle of life, however. They also highlight the necessity of all women having access to essential healthcare. In 2016, 30 million women gave birth without a trained birth attendant, according to the World Health Organization, while 2.6 million mothers lost their newborn babies – that’s 7,000 newborns every single day, according to figures from Unicef. Click through to see five photos that showcase the universality of motherhood and giving birth.
Guatemala
Spanish photographer Carlota Guerrero, who broke through with her acclaimed set of images for Solange Knowles’ 2016 album, A Seat at the Table, visited Guatemala, where one-third of mothers have to give birth without medical help. She photographed 19-year-old Jennifer at the birth of her second child, a boy, Daniel. Doctors had to perform an episiotomy at the delivery.
Kenya
Belgian photographer Bieke Depoorter's work focuses on intimate situations in families and in people’s homes. She travelled to the Bungoma area of Kenya, where she met Nelly Chematui at the birth of her third child, a girl named Bieke. One third of all mothers have to give birth without medical help in the country and every year, around 34,000 children die before they're a month old.
Nepal
Armenian-American photographer Diana Markosian visited Nepal, where she captured 25-year-old Choti giving birth to her son, Irfan, at a maternity clinic in the Banke region. Forty-four percent of mothers in Nepal are forced to give birth without any medical help, and 35 children out of every 1,000 live births don’t make it to their fifth birthday.
Romania
The Romanian born, London-based photo artist Dana Popa, who specialises in contemporary social issues and human rights, visited Bucharest in Romania, where she met Roxana at the birth of her first child, Sofia. Romania has the highest infant mortality in the EU, with under-five mortality at nine deaths per 1,000 live births.
UK
Award-winning British photographer Sian Davey photographed Ellen, 37, who lives in London, at the birth of her baby, Alice, after trying to conceive for nearly two years. Alice wasn’t breathing when she was born and had to be resuscitated by the medical team. In the UK, neonatal mortality is just three deaths per 1,000 live births.
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