One Day Young

"...beautifully captures a universal life moment..."

The first days after birth fly by and the new mom experiences those first weeks in a haze as she physically and emotionally adjusts to a new reality. One Day Young is photographer Jenny Lewis’ intimate look at the first 24 hours after birth. This collection of images celebrates the formidable and unconditional bond between mother and newborn.

Powerful in their candor, these images are authentic in representing that first day of a child’s separate existence outside the womb. There is no pretense in Lewis’ photos as they honor the recognizable physical effect of childbirth. Swollen bellies and drawn faces are evident, and while some moms are beaming, others wear a more thoughtful expression—understandable considering the enormous life change they are facing. Babies are wrinkly and puffy, a consequence of the taxing journey through the birth canal or a Caesarian section and ultimate bursting forth into the world.

Most notable and evocative in these images is how mother and babe, although now physically detached after the nine-month gestation, appear as one. Babies are puddled and slumped in mama’s arms, their seemingly boneless, bendable little bodies draped across her. Legs and arms curled and dangling instinctively melt into mom like interlocking pieces of a puzzle.

One Day Young beautifully captures a universal life moment, the end of a journey that mothers to be anticipate for nine long months. Jenny Lewis’ collection of photos prompts a distinctive memory for every mother and will most certainly elicit a joyful response that is also accompanied by a reminiscent sigh that communicates amazement about the passing of time. How did that baby grow up so fast?​