Photoseries follows group of 33 women before and after they become mums

33 Women Photographed Before And After Becoming A Mom Becoming a parent is arguably the biggest responsibility one can bestow upon themselves. The least we can do in return is thank the folks that brought us up. Enter Lithuanian photographer Vaida Razmislavi??. To express her gratitude for everything they've done, Vaida has dedicated an entire series just for moms. "Becoming A Mother" is a project that aims to show how giving birth changes a woman. Vaida photographed 33 women, before and after they delivered their firstborn, and really focused on their eyes. "For this project, I chose a very simple format, as if I was taking passport photos," she wrote. "I wanted to highlight my models' gaze, taking away everything that would interfere with it (i.e. the belly)." "Motherhood is a deep experience, filled with joy, pain, exhaustion, and love," she said. "When a woman becomes a mom, she really feels her inner energy; her intuition becomes stronger, and her wisdom reaches new heights." Vaida has gone through these changes herself. "Before my firstborn, my idea of motherhood was very different," she told Bored Panda. "To be honest, I didn't feel the motherhood instinct when I first took him into my arms. I've learned everything along the way, including ignoring old know-it-all's and growing the courage to trust my own decisions." I came up with the idea for this project when meeting people who thought of a newborn as some sort of obstacle to the parents," the photographer said. "I wanted to show that it's possible to continue living in harmony even after having a baby." Vaida knew this from her own experience as she managed to get a Master's degree while raising two kids. Vaida said it was really interesting seeing all of the little details that changed in just a few months. "In a way, with this project, I ended up healing myself. Looking directly into these women's eyes, I relived giving birth to my first son. All of the traumas and fears that I locked somewhere inside myself came back, only to vanish in the process. I realized the journey I've been on as a mother. The fruits that I'm reaping today now that my boys are almost all grown up." — Becoming a mother shows 33 women after they had their first child (Picture: Vaida Razmislavičė)

Becoming a parent is a huge moment for anyone.

But one photographer wanted to show that although becoming a mum is a big deal – you are still the same person in many ways.

Lithuanian photographer Vaida Razmislavičė worked with 33 women before and after they gave birth to their first child.

She took simple passport style pictures to highlight just their gaze.

She was inspired by her own experiences as she says she didn’t have the ‘motherhood instinct’ when her first child was born.

She told Bored Panda: ‘I’ve learned everything along the way, including ignoring old know-it-all’s and growing the courage to trust my own decisions.’

Vaida wanted to show that life can go on even after having a child – the photographer managed to study for a Master’s degree while raising her two children.

She says: ‘I came up with the idea for this project when meeting people who thought of a newborn as some sort of obstacle to the parents.

‘I wanted to show that it’s possible to continue living in harmony even after having a baby.’

The women she photographed gave birth to 36 children, including three pairs of twins. There were 20 boys and 16 girls and some have already celebrated their first birthday.

Vaida said that working with the woman helped her ‘heal’ herself and her feelings around the birth of her first son.

‘Looking directly into these women’s eyes, I relived giving birth to my first son. All of the traumas and fears that I locked somewhere inside myself came back, only to vanish in the process,’ she said.