First glance: Inside the labour room

Photos by Tapu Javeri | Lifebuoy Publishing Partner
Published March 17, 2016

"I was out to capture touch, how you look at the touch in different ways across class barriers, how that touch evolves"

Tapu Javeri

A count of the day's deliveries outside the Labour Room at Jinnah Hospital
A count of the day's deliveries outside the Labour Room at Jinnah Hospital
A newborn kept under care in neonatal intensive care ward at Jinnah Hospital, Karachi
A newborn kept under care in neonatal intensive care ward at Jinnah Hospital, Karachi


My favorite photographs were taken at the maternity ward, when the children were given to their mothers for the first time.

The mothers hadn’t seen their child yet… they were born and taken away. When they were brought back to the mother, and she saw the child for the first time, it was just so lovely to see, such a gorgeous picture

Tapu Javeri



"I’ve discovered so many things that I never knew. How many children are born in a day...and how many die each day. This is the first time I am looking at children as the legacy of Pakistan"

Tapu Javeri



"I tried to capture the ways in which people look after their children. What it's like for mothers trying to keep their child alive in neonatal care... how income impacts how parents see and look after their newborns"

Tapu Javeri



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The first 28 days can help a child reach 5

Lifebuoy has adopted 31 neo-natal clinics across Sindh and educated thousands of mothers about the importance of hygiene in the neo-natal period. The visual portrayal of baby Sara, Hayyan and Abdul Jabbar's first 28 days of life is another initiative to create awareness about the cause.

With each book sold, Lifebuoy doubles the proceeds and donates to NICH, for neo-natal care. You can support the cause by purchasing the book on Kitabein.com