Delivering memories

BY JANE STEINBRECHER

For Danielle Saforek, photography has always been about capturing fleeting moments.

Since grade school, she has practiced the art of candid photography. She remembers her father often having a camcorder in hand to capture events like vacations and Christmas mornings. Likewise, Saforek grew up attached to her Polaroid camera, seeking to preserve memories.

“I liked capturing things on the streets, like moments of little kids with their parents holding their hands,” Saforek says. “I really got into the beauty of our bodies and the way our features look.”

She found her niche in 2013, when a friend asked her to document the birth of her child. “It was this ‘aha’ moment for me,” Saforek says. “This is everything I’ve been wanting to do.” After a few years of building up her portfolio, Saforek officially launched The Birthkeeper Photography & Film in 2018, offering services to parents in mid-Missouri.

At-home health care

Alongside her photography services, Saforek is a professionally trained doula who provides non-medical aid throughout pregnancy, labor and postpartum. Sabia Wade, founder of Birthing Advocacy Doula Trainings, instilled in Saforek the values of inclusivity, comfort and support.

“The medical system is set up as a one size fits all,” Wade says. She says her practice fulfills emotional needs the medical sector doesn’t always address and aims to personalize the experience of each client she with. “We fill the space with a continuum of care from the prenatal phase to the postpartum phase.”

Saforek’s relationship with a client begins with a phone call. Sometimes she’s the first one to know when a client is expecting, and other times she’s contacted well into a client’s third trimester. Saforek repeatedly meets with

Kalli Schulte’s son feeds her during her labor in a birth pool. Photographer and doula Danielle Saforek was there to support the family. “She’s just one person,” Schulte says. “But she could do both (photos and videos) as well as be your support system.” the client and offers support throughout pregnancy, and is on call starting around the 37-week mark. “It’s very unpredictable,” Saforek says. “You have to have that flexible schedule and support as a birthing photographer and a doula.”

Ending the stigma

In a 2012 column published by The Journal of Parental Education titled “Giving Birth: ‘We Just Don’t Talk About It,’ ” childbirth educator Judith Lothian writes that a dangerous cycle of fear and misinformation regarding birth can be stopped by simple conversations that are often avoided. Saforek recognizes that her photos might seem shocking to others because of how women’s bodies tend to be sexualized. “I feel for many years (birth) has been a private, hush-hush thing,” Saforek says. “I’m trying to break down those walls, and I want people to see that there is beauty behind this.” She uses her photography to frame childbirth as empowering and loving, rather than something to be feared. She aims to fully accommodate every family throughout this process, keeping the cli- ent comfortable and content from pregnancy through the postpartum stage.

Postpartum support

Saforek experienced a dark postpartum period following the birth of her second child — an experience that influenced her decision to do what she does now. “Birth photography helps us heal postpartum,” she says. “It helps mothers cope.”

For Kalli Schulte, Saforek’s photography and videography were a source of

In Focus

Based in Jefferson City, Saforek offers photography, videography and doula services throughout midMissouri. Visit thebirthkeeperllc .com for more information comfort after she gave birth. “Even if you have a good experience, it’s still the fourth trimester,” Schulte says. “It’s a stage of healing and finding your new normal. Getting to go back and relive those moments through both photos and video helps put you back in that moment.”

Savoring every moment

As a mother of two, Saforek understands how quickly moments of parenthood pass. Bradleigh David, who hired Saforek for her home birth in 2022, is grateful to be able to look back at these time-honored memories. “Birth is one of the most magical moments in our lives,” David says. “I think getting that documented is very important.”

Danielle Saforek utilizes her background as both a doula and a photographer in childbirth settings. She can help guide clients through the pregnancy to postpartum process while also making memorable photos.

Photographer Dorothea Lange once said, “The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera.” These words have guided Saforek in the pursuit of her passion, summing up her core ideal regarding photography: looking at life as a series of important memories. Capturing an instance as monumental as childbirth preserves the emotions and joy associated with that experience.