Photographer Leilani Rogers feels watching a baby come into this world is a "heavenly experience," and along her way to capturing 50 births she's witnessed tender moments as well as seen things that are extraordinary and unusual.

Take a look at her personal selection of favorite photos:

When asked by BabyCenter to share the stories behind a few of her most memorable birth photography assignments she explained, "A couple years ago I had the absolute fortune of documenting a twin home birth, in which twin B was born completely in the caul."

"That was probably the single most defining moment for me as a birth photographer. It cemented my love for this genre, and affirmed my place in the photography industry. I cannot imagine, if it were my birth, not having an image of that moment to remember it by. And no cell phone picture would have done it justice. The conditions of that birth weren't ideal; it was dark, the room was tiny, and there were a lot of birth workers present whose job was much more important than mine. And yet somehow, I managed to capture with one fast click, this miraculous moment. I didn't even take the time to see it with my own eyes! Going through the images later that evening was the first time I truly laid eyes on what I had captured. And I began to cry, because it was so beautiful and so rare, and I felt so blessed to have witnessed it, even if only through my lens."

Sharing about the photo of the young girl assisting her mother in the pool Leilani recalled of the whole family's involvement in labor and delivery, "It was a beautiful birth filled with questions and love and wonder. The pictures capture all that and more. My favorite is a shot of the 7 year old daughter providing pressure to her mother's lower back. She so calmly and sweetly came into the room where her mother was birthing and genuinely wanted to help. Later her mother told me how comforting it was to have her there, and how much she admired the nurturing nature her daughter possessed."

Interestingly, it wasn't until a few months ago Leilani was able to photograph her first cesarean birth. She said of the experience:

"I'd had many clients end up with c-sections and never been allowed back with them in the OR. So this is something I had waited a long time for! It was a 'pinch me' kind of experience even as I was documenting it. I couldn't believe I was actually there! I get asked a lot if it bothered me at all to see the surgical side of birth. And it truly did not. I found those moments when that baby came out to be every bit as beautiful and fascinating as every other birth I had attended."

I purposely only put 19 photos in the slideshow above, because I wanted to point out this one tricked me! Taking a quick glance at the photo of the tiny hand below I thought it was sweet, but in the top 20? Seems I didn't look closely enough...

Referring to this photo Leilani went on to tell BabyCenter, "Just last month I photographed another rare occurrence - a baby who was born with 6 fingers! Definitely a surprise. But a special one. There was no bone in the finger, but it had a nail! It was intriguing, to say the least."

Amazing!

"I've gotten up close and personal with placentas and umbilical cords," Leilani concluded. "I've managed to feeze the exact moment a baby takes it's first breath. I've lost MY breath a time or two as mothers have reached for their babies and brought them to their chests. I've been touched by emotional fathers and fast working, intuitive midwives and OBs who make birth normal, safe, and worth celebrating. There is so much unexpected beauty in all aspects of birth."

Adding her goal with photography is "to debunk labor and delivery as painful or gross," the Austin resident explained "even in their most vulnerable moments, mothers are undeniably strong and beautiful."

Photos shared with permission from Leilani Rogers, whom you can also connect with on Facebook.

This post was originally published in April, 2015