The Baby Package, Part 2: The Hospital Session

Beautiful Baby Addyson enters the world, and Kim’s mom calls me from the hospital within hours of her birth, “Hi, Crissy? Kim’s had the baby. Can you come down?” It’s an honor to get that call; it’s an honor to be invited into this most intimate of moments.

I knew ahead of time that the call was coming. Kim & Richard and I had already completed a Maternity Session and I would periodically get updates from Kim’s mom about how things were going. Addyson was a Christmas baby, a tiny little present that arrived just in time to forever be linked to the holidays in the hearts of her new family. Kim had already prepared the nursery, complete with its own Christmas tree decorated in shades of pinks and chocolate browns. So when I got the call, I headed down to Northside in the cold and dark of the winter evening to find the most beautiful, perfect, tiny little Addyson, contentedly dozing away in the hospital bassinet. It struck me that there was beauty and calm in the room, making it feel warm despite the hospital environment. I don’t really know what the temperature was, but I could feel the love for this long-awaited little person filling that room.

I often tell my pregnant couples that the reason these sessions are so close to my heart is because I don’t have these kinds of pictures for myself. I think pregnancy is beautiful, but during my pregnancy I didn’t want to be photographed much. I have one picture of myself at nine months that was hastily taken by my mom with her point-and-shoot after we enjoyed lunch together on my due date. The picture is completely candid and certainly not the most flattering, but it definitely shows me in my full glory and I cherish it because it’s one of the very few I have.

I would make very different decisions today about allowing myself to be photographed, given the option. I tell anyone who is interested in doing The Baby Package that very thing. These kind of images are powerful to me because they beautifully capture this extraordinary transition from pregnancy through baby’s birth. There are many moments go by in a flash in our lives, but pregnant bellies and brand new baby faces are definitely worth capturing! 

Thank you, Kim & Richard, for inviting me to capture this time in your lives for your family. She’s the best Christmas present I’ve ever seen.