Lacey Barratt has made a career photographing the experience of childbirth. So when Sarah Jade, 33, discovered that her son, Aksel Jude, had passed away in the womb, she knew she would want Lacey to document the labour by taking photos of her stillborn baby to preserve his memory.
Aksel had died following severe complications with his brain development, but as Sarah was so far along, she still needed to give birth to her stillborn child. The photographer captured the journey from start to finish, from her emotional labour to Aksel’s funeral.
Sarah says that the photos have helped her and her husband, Tim, to heal. She sees the images as a way to honour their son’s memory. ‘I wanted a beautiful birth,’ said Sarah. ‘But when we knew what the outcome of the birth would be, I still wanted to capture those moments.
At 31 weeks pregnant she went for an MRI scan, which confirmed that her child had a brain abnormality called Polymicrogyria, which was so severe he would not have been able to to survive outside of the womb. Two weeks later, Aksel’s heart stopped beating.
Sarah explains that going through labour and a funeral for her stillborn son was a way for the whole family to say goodbye. ‘Letting go was the hardest thing we’ve ever had to go through,’ says Sarah.
Lacey Barratt, who photographed the labour, said it’s important to share these photos to help other women going through similar loss.