by 
Four Women. Four Births. One Powerful Truth: Women Deserve to Choose Their Birth Journey
In 2021, a photographer friend and I embarked on a heartfelt project — documenting the birth stories of women who navigated pregnancy and childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic. What started as a series of interviews quickly transformed into something much more profound: a testament to female resilience, choice, and the untold revolution of giving birth during crisis.
Birth Amid a Pandemic: A Fight for Autonomy
Birth is deeply personal — it’s raw, sacred, unpredictable, and profoundly human. But in 2020, the pandemic turned birth into a medical protocol. Strict hospital rules replaced connection with control. Partners were banned. Doulas were dismissed. Masks muffled reassurance. The right to choose how and where to give birth vanished in the name of safety.
And yet, from this disruption, emerged stories of resistance — of women who redefined birth on their own terms.
1. Meera’s Homebirth: Reclaiming Power in Her Own Space
Meera had experienced hospital birth before. But when the pandemic imposed stricter restrictions, she decided to have a home birth.
“For me, it wasn’t just about avoiding the hospital,” she said. “It was about claiming my space — my body, my decision.”
With her midwife, partner, and gentle music, Meera gave birth in peace and power.
2. Aisha’s NICU Story: A Mother’s Voice Through Barriers
Aisha’s baby arrived prematurely and was immediately admitted to the NICU. COVID-19 protocols separated mother and child. Yet Aisha didn’t surrender to distance — she fought for time, touch, and connection.
She called hourly. Pumped tirelessly. Eventually, she was allowed in for masked, gloved skin-to-skin. “Even through all that gear, he knew I was his mother.”
3. Priya’s Solo Birth: Physically Alone, Spiritually Surrounded
Priya’s partner was stranded overseas. Hospital restrictions meant no doula, no family, and no video calls.
But she wasn’t alone. Her doula coached her over the phone from a nearby parking lot. Her mother lit a diya and prayed from afar.
“I was alone in the room,” Priya shared, “but I felt held. I carried their love in every breath.”
4. Tara’s Emergency C-Section: Finding Strength in the Unexpected
Tara had envisioned a natural, peaceful birth. Instead, complications led to an emergency C-section. The shift was jarring — but what followed was extraordinary.
Neighbors brought meals. Her cousin helped her heal. Friends called daily.
“It wasn’t the birth I planned,” Tara admitted. “But I learned that healing often begins after birth — in the arms of community.”
Birth Is More Than Biology. It’s Autonomy.
What united these women wasn’t just their birth during COVID — it was their insistence on choice. Against hospital policies, fear, and uncertainty, they found ways to reclaim control.
These stories echo a deeper truth: when women are supported, informed, and respected — birth becomes empowerment.
A Call to Everyone: Respect Birth Choices
To partners: Your presence is healing.
To providers: Empathy is essential.
To policymakers: Trust women. Respect their choices.
When women are allowed to choose their birthing experience, they don’t just survive childbirth — they rise from it stronger.
To Every Pandemic Mother: Your Story Matters
If you gave birth during COVID — in joy or fear, with support or alone — your strength is unmatched. Your story deserves space, dignity, and voice.
Because birth, in any form, is not just about delivery.
It is about becoming.
