A journalist has written about the experience of having intimate photographs taken as she gave birth to her twins.
Freelance journalist Kathleen Nutt has written a piece for The Herald, Glasgow, about her decision for the births of Freya and Alexander to be captured on camera and the response of family members to the images.
Her husband Colin Mearns is a photographer with The Herald and Kathleen wanted the moments of the twins’ arrival in the world to be photographed, as she regretted not having such images for their older daughter Genevieve, who is five.
The twins were born on 15 November last year by planned Caesarean section at just over 37 weeks and Colin was allowed by medics to take detailed pictures of their births.
In her piece for The Herald, Kathleen wrote: “Maybe I would have been more hesitant about being photographed if it wasn’t my husband who was the photographer.
“Maybe too I would have thought differently if I had been heading for a vaginal delivery or if I had had any complications during pregnancy. But I was very fortunate in that both pregnancies with Genevieve and the twins had gone smoothly.
“My first C section in 2007 was problem free and second time around I knew what was ahead of me. So as the day of my due date approached I was quite relaxed about the prospect of Colin being there and taking pictures.
“But as I walked nervously into the operating theatre the photographs were of course the last thing on my mind. ‘Were the babies going to be alright?’ ‘Was I going to be okay?’ ‘Were there going to be any last minute hitches or unforeseen complications?’
“These were the questions buzzing around my anxious mind as I climbed onto the operating table and sat down to wait for the anaesthetist to inject the spinal into the bottom of my back.”
The couple had not told family members that the twins’ births would be photographed but emailed them around afterwards, with some family members saying they did not want to see them but others being positive about them.
Kathleen added: “Without those photographs I wouldn’t have been able to see what an incredible thing giving birth is.
“During the process I was lying flat on the operating table, barely aware really of what was going on, so it’s a real privilege to be able to see the pictures of two of my children coming into the world. Freya arrived first at 9.20am and Alexander followed just two minutes later.
“The photographs are an amazing record of those moments and we as a family are so pleased to have them. They reveal the drama, excitement and joy of the experience and I believe they capture the miracle of birth in a truly profound way.”
Sign up for our free daily email bulletin
Follow HTFP on Twitter
Got a story? Email the Editor at
Shame the parents were thinking about themselves, and not the fact that these images will follow the poor twins around for their entire lives. Where was their consent?
Report this comment
BeenThereDoneThat, WHY do you and your like have to be negative about everything that goes on this site. It’s ridiculous. I take it from your clever name, you’re yet another old cynic who thinks it’s really great to whinge about everything.
“It’s not like it was in your day” – and thank God for that.
Well done to the parents for doing something a bit different.
Report this comment
I need a bucket….
No wonder our regional media is imploding with self indulgent tosh like this
Report this comment
I work on a daily in the regional media (that will remain nameless) and we ran a story and pictures about the wedding of one of our reporters which left me baffled. Why would anyone outside of the newsdesk team be interested in that?
Report this comment
Let’s take the positives from this – at least for once there was no excuse for the snapper not getting a full left to right of everyone in the picture, though he would probably say that the names haven’t been decided yet…
Report this comment
Congratulations to the family – but not really a story. Giving birth to twins is nothing new.
Report this comment
Former Journo, it’s obviously not a news story – which is why it is clearly labelled as being a feature.
But I’m with you that newspapers should only ever cover stories that are new. Can’t believe all this tosh about Obama being elected as US president. Errrr, hello – that happened once already four years ago. This is not the news we want – genuinely unique stories only from now on please.
Report this comment