“When I talk with mums about self-care, I often reinforce the importance of putting themselves first once in a while. Reminding them that they matter. My ideal form of self-care is diving or a swim in the ocean”. Sarah’s love of water comes from spending time on the river with her dog as a kid. “We would often jump in at one bridge and float down to the other bridge. Mum always said I would be safe as long as the dog was with me”.
Sarah studied Marine Science at school and obtained an open water dive certificate. Ever since then, she has plenty basked around water. “I spent some time in the Whitsundays as a dive instructor. I packed up all of my stuff, no house, no plan, but I made it work. I moved on to Daydream Island as a Marine Biologist. Eventually I bought my first wide-lens and fell in love with taking pictures of landscapes”. One of the photos Sarah took of morning glory clouds was purchased by the Sydney Morning Herald. Sarah started taking photos of the fisherman with their fish when they came in, angling it to make sure the fish looked sizeable, “They ate it up” laughs Sarah.
After some years, Sarah came home to Bowraville and decided to start her own business taking wedding photos. “Eventually I was able to shoot my first birth, one of my wedding clients. It was really special to have that connection”. Sarah states that the birth work she carries out is not about the baby. “Kids aren’t really my thing. What fascinates me is the lead up to the birth and watching the mum growing and being her old self, maybe she’s loving being pregnant or maybe she’s hating being pregnant, watching her go through labour or birth and watching her partner watch her, knowing that from then on, she’s never going to be the same ever again. And then seeing the point where she hits rock bottom and then watching her grow again. The emotions are real, it’s a real story. I have such love for my birth clients”.
Coming away from a birth, Sarah says she mostly feels exhausted. “My emotions tend to mirror that of the mum I have supported. If she feels empowered, then I am also on a high. The opposite is also true. What fascinates and makes me want to keep doing it, is that having children was an experience I didn’t plan to have, and I have come out the other end with this whole new trajectory.”
You can get to know Sarah and her work by visiting:
Sarah’s story originally appeared on ‘Humans of Bowraville’: https://www.facebook.com/humansofbowraville/?ref=page_internal
