There is no posing during a 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡. Birth photography is the ultimate in documentary storytelling, and there are so many aspects you can capture. It’s all about the small details, and emotions, the pained expressions, the laughter between contractions, the emotional text messages received. The supportive partner, the shoulder massages, holding hands and leaning on each other for support.

They say mothers are made to forget the pain of 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 so that they’re willing to do it over again. If that’s the case, then why do these 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 photos cause all of those emotions – from intense pain to immense joy – to come flooding back to the surface in the most beautiful way possible?

From all-natural home 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡s to hospital deliveries, Vigos has captured amazing 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 stories, whether it’s a surrogate delivering twins for an expectant couple to a 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 inside its amniotic sac. Here, a collection of her finest work that is sure to leave you wishing you could go back to the day when your own 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 story was in the making.

Today, a quick search of the hashtags #𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡isbeautiful or #𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡withoutfear bring up hundreds of images of babies making their entrance into this world. To demonstrate the importance of documenting the moment, we’ve gathered over 30 of the most beautiful 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡 photographs from some of our favorite photographers. Visit this page to view them all (and be sure to have some tissues handy).