Newborn Photos After a Long Hospital Stay

Newborn photos often take place in the first ten days of a baby’s life. But when your baby is born at 27 weeks and you don’t know if he’ll survive, that rule goes out the window. Mari and Josh didn’t expect their baby to be born so early, and when Logan arrived, they were unsure of what the future would hold.

Logan Thomas spent another nine weeks in the hospital and was discharged around what would have been 36 weeks gestational age. As Logan’s health improved, and the couple had more confidence that they would be taking their baby home, Mari told Josh that after all they had been through it meant a lot to her to have newborn photos when Logan was home. Mari contacted me and other photographers via Yelp, and after chatting, she felt I would be the best fit for her family. I was touched.

A few days after Logan was discharged, we did the newborn session in their home. With Logan still being medically fragile, and Mari and Josh spending most of their time at the hospital we did not talk about inspirational images; Mari referenced a few images from my social media that she thought were beautiful but that was all. I find most of my families leave the stylizing up to me as they have seen my portfolio, and I appreciate the trust that they give me.

I let Mari know I would be bringing earth tones, whites, and blue colors which she said would work perfectly. When I walked into Mari and Josh's home I quickly understood how my style of photography would fit into their family. Thankfully the props and blankets I brought were in the perfect hues to match their home. As I was setting up, Mari asked if it was ok to include a Harry Potter outfit. She explained to me that she is a huge fan, and a friend of one of the nurses in the NICU knitted it for Logan as a gift. After learning this, I knew I had to include into our session and asked for them to bring me all the books and specialty items. We all love how those photos turned out.

I had also learned that Josh was a semi-pro baseball player and later joined a softball team; that’s how he met Mari. After hearing the story, I knew I wanted to include a softball and mitt to be symbolic of the beginning of their relationship and the love Josh had before meeting Mari. All the photos turned out beautifully and I am so happy that not only is Logan healthy, but that I could capture this important time for the family.

All the families I meet are wonderful, but this is the first time I’ve met a baby who has the exact same first and middle name of my younger son. This family and I were meant to meet!