This Photographer Shows How Your Baby Fits in the Womb

Right after a baby is born, there's a special moment that Dutch birth photographer Marry Fermont loves to photograph. It's not the second that a parent sees their newborn for the first time or the moment someone cuts the umbilical cord. It's not even the gathered family shedding those happy tears—it's something simpler.

"When I documented my first birth, the midwife showed the parents how the baby had been inside for nine months," Fermont says. "It was such an 'oooh' and 'aaah' moment, and I just loved how this tiny baby was all curled up."

This midwife's demo, holding the newborn curled up in the fetal position, is a shot Fermont now tries to capture in each birth she photographs. While it's mostly the non-gestational parent who is up for the challenge of holding the curled-up baby (while the parent who just gave birth recovers), sometimes it's the midwife or even the birthing parent who does the honors.

It makes it a little more special if the non-gestational parent does it, Fermont says. Since the baby has been inside the gestational parent's body for so long, it's neat to see the child fit into their other parent's hand exactly like they were in the womb. "Nothing sweeter if you ask me."

Through documenting 99 births, she created a womb series showing this unique angle that Fermont calls "a miracle." The 100th birth was her own: Her daughter Livi in July 2015. She says after her daughter's birth, she understands more than ever how astounding it is to see this child that you shared your life with for so long.

"It's so hard to actually understand how it's possible to grow another human being inside of your body," she says. "Once they're out, it's also so hard to imagine that they have been inside of you all this time. To actually see how they fit—it's magical!"