Hey Everyone! It has been a while since my last update! John and I have been very busy the last month. I've been very busy with my new business Precious Beginnings Photography. I started Precious Beginnings Photography as a way to give back to families who can't afford professional studio pictures. Also it is a non profit organization where I offer free photo session to families in the hospital with babies in the NICU. I will go in and take pictures of the babies and bring the parents back an album of their pictures and a CD of all their edited photos. You wouldn't believe how many families had a baby in the NICU who didn't even own a camera or even had family that owned a camera. Which to me is so sad! Pictures are the one things we can hopefully carry through our lifetime as a memory of our family, friends and SO much more. I cant imagine if John and I couldn't have had the ability to document Shepard's weeks in the NICU. Where he was SO tiny and so new! Those pictures to me are really special, they remind me of his miracle story and how far he has come!
We also started off the month with our first meeting with the NICU family advisory board which you may hear me refer to as "FAB". John and I went to the NICU and had a family meet and greet with some of the parents of babies in the NICU. It went great and we met some very nice people in the process. One common thread that we all have is we've all gone through a period of our lives with a baby in the NICU. Some for longer periods than others, but not having a baby going home with you from the hospital is hard whether its for two weeks or one month! A lot of the mothers had very close to the same stories of why they had their babies prematurely, actually each mother I met had their babies via emergency c-section due to preeclampsia. One lady gave birth two her baby at 23 weeks, one week past when most doctors determine them "viable". He was born only weighing one pound four ounces! Now he has been in the NICU for over four months and is up to five pounds and in relatively good health. One thing that I heard so many times that evening is the word miracle! Each mother had their true story of their baby being an absolute miracle and even doctors recognizing that their stories are absolutely miraculous! It was encouraging to hear so many stories of God working in such tiny lives. It was really amazing! Not only just to me being a Christian but those miracle stories that so many non believers were hearing and saying that they didn't believe in God before but now see that God did work a miracle on their behalf. Anyways it was nice to be able to share my story to a few mothers and give them a ray of hope that eventually their days in the NICU will become a memory and they wont be there forever- though it may seem that way for a time.
As I was leaving the meeting that night John and I talked with the "FAB" organizer about the picture services that I am offering to the NICU. He asked me if I would be interested in another aspect of photography in the NICU and maternity ward. For the past few weeks they have been without a photographer who takes bereavement photos of the babies who pass away or are "born sleeping". I told him I would definitely have to take time and think and pray about it. But after a few weeks I feel the same about it as when he asked me. I will try my hardest to do it. I was laying in bed that night and thinking how terrible it would be to in some cases go full term in a pregnancy and suddenly have to be rushed to the hospital give birth only to not have your baby live. It would be horrible- beyond words really. The gentlemen said that the hospital gives Polaroid pictures but that is it. Since the photographer doesn't come anymore most people leave the hospital with nothing but a blanket and that is it. Some families who are in this position don't even own cameras. I really cant imagine how awful that would be. So I feel like if I can be of help in the healing process of those families I would like to.
Anyways on a lighter note, this week I have three meetings at the hosptial. NICU training, family advisory board and on friday the family meet and greet in the NICU. Not to mention a few photo sessions in between! Also I have my photography website up! Check it out- www.preciousbeginningsphotography.com
Eventually I will get some NICU info up on my website for you all to check out my work there as it starts!
Have a greet week before Thanksgiving everyone! I hope we can all spend this week thinking about we are all most thankful for!
