Documentary photographer Leilani Rogers has seen a lot of births in her time behind the lens. But the Austin, Texas, based photographer got to witness a rare phenomenon that only happens in an estimated one of every 80,000 births.
She was shooting a home birth for a client who was delivering twins, when one twin came out “en caul,” meaning the baby was born still in its amniotic sac.
Leilani Rogers
Crowded around in a dark room with a number of other birth team members, Leilani was so focused on capturing the moment, she didn’t even realize what she’d caught on camera until after the birth.
“There was no time to see the amniotic sac with my own eyes,” she says of the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Still, the photog-extraordinaire managed to unknowingly capture the incredible moments when the second twin was born, still in the sac, followed by the sheer man-power that it took for the midwife to rip the sac with her own hands. “It was so strong,” Leilani recalls.
Leilani Rogers
Typically, the amniotic sac will break, releasing fluid out of the body, and sending an expectant mother into labor—otherwise known as one’s water breaking.
In rare cases like the one Leilani got to witness from behind her camera, the sac or “caul” will remain attached around the infant through delivery.
En-caul deliveries are generally harmless, and typically occur in premature births. This particular birth was post-due twins at 41 weeks, making it all the more incredible.
In a blog post about the miraculous birth, Leilani says she “still gets chills thinking about that magical moment.”
