15 incredible birth photographs you won’t believe were banned

When birth photographer Elle Wickens realized her Instagram account had been deactivated, her first thought was for the mothers whose beautiful images were so proudly showcased on her page. 

After seeking the advice of other Instagram users who posted images of childbirth and breastfeeding, Wickens sent a lengthy appeal to the photo sharing site, made contact with Instagram’s policy manager and before long her page was back online, accompanied by an email of apology.

Wickens doesn’t blame Instagram for the issue. “I don’t like to blame anyone,” she told SheKnows. “[But] this problem lies with the people using [the website], the lack of education and awareness around birth and an overall lack of respect for women and their bodies. These people report pages like mine and the Instagram goes from there.”

Changing people’s reactions to birth and breastfeeding pictures isn’t an easy task, but Wickens is determined to keep putting her stunning images out there. “It’s important for equality to be the goal; after all, a man’s nipple doesn’t seem to be hard to look at for people,” she said. “I believe it’s important to keep these beautiful photos up so things like breastfeeding and birth become a normal thing to see, and then hopefully they become more than normal; hopefully they become celebrated by the people who once reacted badly to them.”

See more amazing images from Elle Wickens.