A candid photograph of a mother and baby just three days after being born by caesarean section has been shared more than 56,000 times on Facebook.
Helen Aller, 29, from Guernsey, who is eight months pregnant, took the black and white image of the unnamed woman - who was scared of having a C-section - and her newborn lying next to her wound.
The image touched a nerve around the world after Helen shared it online, and it has been seen 11.5 million times and liked by nearly 200,000.
Helen, a mother-of-two, posted on Facebook: 'I didn't expect this image to reach so far.
Helen Aller's striking image has been hugely popular with many mums who've had the operation
'I photographed this mama's pregnancy a couple of weeks back and she was telling me how terrified she was of having a c-section.
'Over the weekend she went into labour but had to have an emergency c-section after losing a lot of blood.
'She asked me to come over this morning and shoot this particular image as her worst nightmare proved to be what saved her and her son's lives.'
But Helen is eight-months pregnant herself and despite taking the moving photograph she is still 'terrified' about the thought of having a c-section herself.
Helen said she was also shocked by the negative backlash she received from some people.
Some Facebook users reported the image to try to have it removed.
She said: 'Some of the messages from people have said it's offensive, it's disgusting.
'People saying it's sexually explicit.
'I've had some messages where I've been called all sorts.'
Helen was stunned at how far her picture reached and the number of people who had liked it on Facebook
She said the woman in the photograph, who has chosen to stay anonymous, can't believe the attention the image has received.
Helen said: 'I think she's shocked and overwhelmed at the minute.
'I'm going to show her in six months time all the comments but she wasn't expecting it and I wasn't expecting it either.
'She's only just had a baby so she's all over the place anyway.
'Her partner said he was so proud of her.
'Even when it went everywhere he was still so supportive.'
Helen Aller poses for a self-portrait and has practiced photography for seven years
Helen, who admitted she's terrified of having a C-section, already knew the mother as they both live on such a 'small island'.
Helen had done a photo shoot with the new mum during pregnancy at seven months - and with Helen also pregnant the two discussed C-sections.
She said: 'When I did her pregnancy pictures, she was adamant she wasn't having a caesarean.
'We both felt the same.
'But during the birth, she had complications and she had to have a c-section.'
When the anonymous mother messaged Helen asking her to do a newborn shoot, she had an idea.
Helen said: 'We did a few pictures of the baby, then I wanted to get one of the baby with her wound.
'It's not a scar because it was only three days before.'
Many posters said it was 'beautiful' and a mum writes it doesn't matter how you give birth
One mum wrote 'birth is birth no matter what' to go against the stigma of c-sections
But one mum although supportive said it reminded her of the c-section she is having in a few weeks
'For her I think [the picture] was more about facing her fear.'
Helen has come in for criticism from '99 per cent' of those negative commenters about the position of the baby.
But she said there was no way to place the newborn any higher as there could have been danger of the wound reopening.
Helen wasn't even planning to post the picture online, originally just putting it in as photography group on Facebook.
But fellow photographers encouraged her to share it on her professional page and it spiralled from there.
She said: 'My pictures are usually seen by 100 people roughly. This one has been seen by 11.5 million.
'I've been called an attention seeker but just reaching everyone on Guernsey would have been amazing.
'It's bizarre.'
Helen, who is mum to Drew, seven, and Ocean, six, has been inspired by the courageous comments of mothers who have also been through C-sections.
She said: 'People like the picture, but it's more about those women who've had caesareans who can relate to each other.
A mum points out that the uproar over the baby's positioning is silly unless a 'stork' brought yours
Another poster said she embraces her scar because without it, her and her baby would have died
'So many said they felt like they'd failed. I looked at that picture and felt completely different.
'I didn't realise there was such a stigma.'
Many mothers found the image inspirational and called it 'beautiful,' particularly how it drew attention to the wound.
One wrote: 'I'm not a huge fan of having a scar across my lower abdomen, but I've learned to embrace it because that is where my babies came from.'
Another wrote: 'Laughing at the woman who said she wouldn't have any of her children that close to her genitalia.
'Really? Did the stork bring yours?'
Helen said the picture concentrates on emotion and because it is so anonymous, other mums who have been through the same can'picture themselves so easily.'
Since the picture spread across social media, she 's had hundreds of shoot inquiries.
She said: 'People from all over the world, Canada, Australia, America have been in touch.
'I've told them, if you want to fly me over be my guest.
But the mother-of two still admits she has a fear of having a C-section.
She said: 'It's the thought of having an operation.
'You're just expected to get on with it after having one. It's something people don't usually talk about.'
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