When America first went into lockdown during the pandemic in 2020, photographer Maggie Shannon followed midwives as they helped women navigate the birthing process from their own homes. Starting in Los Angeles and moving to the Midwest, Shannon traveled around the country to document the raw emotion of the birthing experience.
Now, the award-winning series has been transformed into a book. Published by Mother Tongue, a media brand that amplifies women's stories, Extreme Pain, Extreme Joy is an intimate look at the birthing experience. Whether capturing supportive midwives and partners or showing the overwhelming emotions of mothers meeting their children, Shannon exposes a world we often don't see.
“I never got to see real pictures of women giving birth, it’s just not part of the public discourse,” says Shannon. “We see this TV version where the woman is huffing and puffing, and she’s wheeled into a room, and then she comes back out a minute later with this 1-year-old baby. I think we’re discounting ourselves by portraying it in this way.”
Shannon's black-and-white photos focus on the small details that define the birthing experience, from warm embraces to the gentle hands of a midwife guiding a woman's body into position. With a foreword by author Angela Garbes and an artist interview with critic Gem Fletcher, Extreme Pain, Extreme Joy is an essential look at motherhood at a time when women's healthcare is at the forefront of American politics.
Maggie Shannon's Extreme Pain, Extreme Joy is now available via the Mother Tongue website.
Photographer Maggie Shannon began photographing home births during the pandemic.
Extreme Pain, Extreme Joy is a documentary series on the birthing experience.
Her intimate black-and-white photographs show the raw emotion and realities of childbirth.
A new book published by Mother Tongue includes text and never-before-seen images from the series.
Maggie Shannon: Website | Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Maggie Shannon.
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