You may remember baby Gabriel from his newborn session in my studio I posted a few weeks back. His due date was sometime in September and his momma actually wanted a milestone package for her baby’s first year. Pregnancy doesn’t always go as planned and she went into labor towards the end of July, at 27 weeks! Of course when that happens, your baby has to stay in the NICU for weeks or months. A Fresh 48 session typically captures the baby’s first days, often while they are still in the hospital. Of course in this situation, that was not possible so we had to wait until Gabriel was doing well enough for visitors and photos. I typically do not offer these type of sessions on their own, but when this happens to a client, how can I not? I knew I had to document this time of Gabriel’s life and the many nurses who cared for him as if he were their own.
Between all the hospital staff walking in and out to check on you and baby, as well as just being completely exhausted from labor and around the clock nursing, the first days are often a blur. In the NICU, it is even more so as you add all the worry and challenges of taking care of your baby while he is attached to cords and machines. I know, because my own baby was in the NICU for a week of his life. Nothing of course compared to most babies that enter the NICU. I remember being in a fog with days rolling on top of each other as you spend all your time by your baby’s side until they are ready to go home. The best time is the first time you are able to hold your baby for the first time, even with the cords, wires and monitors, and I remember being so happy to feed him and change his diaper and having a sense of normalcy.
Baby Gabriel – NICU newborn photos
This momma is so in love with her little boy. Now that some of the scarier moments are over, she is able to bond with him because he is now home from the NICU. Motherhood is truly a journey. It’s unpredictable, but always beautiful and I am so honored to document this time for them.
