Becoming a parent is arguably the biggest responsibility one can bestow upon themselves. The least we can do in return is thank the folks that brought us up. Enter Lithuanian photographer Vaida Razmislavičė. To express her gratitude for everything they’ve done, Vaida has dedicated an entire series just for motherhood.

Becoming A Mother is a photo series that aim to show how getting pregnant and giving birth changes a woman. Vaida photographed 33 women, before and after they delivered their firstborn, and really focused on their eyes. “For this photo idea, I chose a very simple format, as if I was taking passport photos,” she wrote. “I wanted to highlight my model’s gaze, taking away everything that would interfere with it (i.e. the belly).”

“Raising kids is a deep experience, filled with joy, pain, exhaustion, and love,” she said. “When a woman becomes a mom, she really feels her inner energy; her intuition becomes stronger, and her wisdom reaches new heights.”

Vaida has gone through these changes herself. “Before my firstborn, my idea of motherhood was very different,” she told Bored Panda. “To be honest, I didn’t feel the motherhood instinct when I first took him into my arms. I’ve learned everything along the way, including ignoring old know-it-all’s and growing the courage to trust my own decisions.” READ MORE BELOW

“I took my time before making this project public,” she added. “I would turn on these photos every day, however, it felt like it wasn’t the right time. It was as if the series was waiting for its own birth. I had to stop criticizing myself over it. This period was a lot like the time when you’re waiting for someone to be born. And it was over the same way, too: you can’t control it, you just have to let go and believe that it will happen when it needs to.”