WOW! We’re blown away by these award-winning birthing images

We never get tired of witnessing incredible images women giving birth. Sometimes it seems almost too miraculous, too beautiful to be real, and we have to remind ourselves it happens every second of every day.

So we were thrilled to see The International Association of Professional Birth Photographers (yep,it's a thing!) announce the winners of the 2016 Image of the Year Competition.

And as expected, they’re pretty awe inspiring – well, they were judged by the panel on “technicality, emotionality and composition”.

Please note: While birth is beautiful, it is also messy and real. You should expect some nudity when viewing the photos.