Well in the internet world it’s “Throwback Thursday” so I am throwing it back to my first birth/fresh 48 session with The Murray Family. Actually in this case it would be a “Fresh 8 hours.” 😁 The Murray’s have been clients of mine since we welcomed Miss Tatum Olivia into the world that fall day. We went into this day hoping and praying for me to be allowed into the OR with them but the nurse that day was not having it at all, and believe me it was not without begging!!! So I waited right by the elevator door so I could capture that first moment when her Daddy brought her to the nursery. I will never ever forget the nervousness of Todd waiting to go down to the OR & the giant smile of pride and excitement Big Brother Jake had when he first saw his baby sister!
Look through these highlights from the day and then take a moment to read Stefani’s thoughts on her session below…
“I have two children that are 6 years apart in age. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I often thought about the delivery of my son six years before, and the one thing that always stuck out in my mind was how I wished I didn’t have to worry about taking pictures that day, or making sure someone was taking pictures while I was in the recovery room from my C-section, or that I don’t really have any pictures of the first moments I met Jake after returning from the recovery room.
We knew I would be having another C-section with our daughter, so I talked with my husband and we decided to have the day documented in a way that it caused no stress to us, and we could focus on bringing our daughter in the world.
I had seen a couple of my friends post pictures they had taken with Amanda, and they were all so cute. I knew she was a momma herself, so I had faith that she would understand where we were coming from with our requests. We met up with her one day and we learned that not only was she a parent herself, but also has a history as nurse, so she was 100% comfortable being in the operating room with us, if the doctor would allow it! I left that day feeling so excited and relieved knowing our documented memories of that day were in good hands.
We communicated several times leading up to Tatum’s birth, and discussed what would happen if I went into labor before my scheduled operation date. Thankfully that didn’t happen! Amanda arrived at the hospital shortly after we were taken into our prep room, met our families, and started snapping. We already knew that my doctor wouldn’t allow her in the operating room, but she tried until the time they wheeled me off to convince them! She sat with my husband while they waited for the nurses to bring him to the O.R. – and reassured him that they didn’t forget about him when it was taking a while for nurse to retrieve him. She was waiting by the elevator when my husband came off with our daughter. Every moment that I missed (our family in the waiting room, Tatum’s first bath, holding her daddy’s finger for the first time, my son’s adoration, as well as our family’s’ – ALL of it) was caught on camera, thanks to her.
What I appreciated the most about this experience was when I was brought back to our hospital room. I had a less than desirable first stage of recovery with Tatum, and I was a mess. She helped calm me down and when they finally had me settled and Tatum was brought to our room, my husband and I were able to just relax and absorb the entire moment without having to stop to capture it. That is something I will always be thankful for. The same continued as we brought in my son to spend time alone with us, and then the rest of our family. The entire experience was so beautiful – and we now have those memories forever.
Of course, our families took some pictures of the day as well, and sure, that could have been enough. But when she sent me the picture file of our delivery day, I cried so many tears of joy because that was exactly what I wanted. Hiring Amanda for this day is a decision I will never regret – what we received from her is priceless!” ~ Stefani
Are you ready to get your Birth or Fresh 48 scheduled yet?????
Amanda Greer Photography 