Have you ever seen a birth photo that made you stop and think, “Wow. Just Wow.”
All births are beautiful but there is something so mesmerising about an en caul birth – where bub is born with the amniotic sac still intact. Most of the time the waters break before bub comes out, but not always.
Babies born en caul are said to be lucky, special or protected which is such a lovely sentiment. Folklore and mythology surrounding en caul births say that babies born en caul have a natural affinity for the water (possibly because they are literally born in it) and that they are born leaders.
Stats suggest around one in 80,000 births are en caul births. Over the years, many photographers have managed to capture the pure magic of a baby born this way and their images speak volumes!
Have a look at some of the most stunning en caul photography we’ve come across.
Baby born en caul in the car!
How’s this for a unique birth story. Not only was bub born en caul, but also en route to the hospital. Dad was driving and pulled over to snap an incredible picture of mum and bub still snug as a bug in the sac. Amazing, right?
A glimpse inside the womb
Janaina Oliveira of Jana Brasil Photography managed to capture some absolutely divine snaps of baby Noah being born en caul. Isn’t it amazing to see how babies look inside the womb – very similar to a 3d ultrasound pic don’t you think?
Just look at that smushy, squishy face!
Perfectly at peace
One of the things we especially love about en caul births is how peaceful babies look when they arrive. It’s almost as if they haven’t realised they are earthside yet, like this sleeping beauty below.
En caul birth photography winners
Over the years en caul births have often received recognition in the form of birth photography awards. Below are just a few of the winning en caul photos in recent years.
This stunning shot below won the Delivery category in 2018’s Birth Photography Image Competition.
In the Birth Details category, Australian photography Cat Fancote won for this incredible image below. Wowsers!
More amazing snaps
En caul birth video
Want to see it in action? Have a look at a video of an en caul birth below (if you dare!)
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What to read next
Check out some more beautiful birth images in our previous stories:
