Lehigh Valley Family Photographer captures this miracle baby home from the NICU! Surrounded by love from his parents, grandparents, too!
Why Rhinehart Photography?
Stephanie smiles, “We chose you after we saw incredible photos you took for family members of ours– we fell in love with your work. I wanted you to capture everyday life and how much we love our little family. I wanted us to have heartfelt photos that we can always look back on.”
She adds, “While in the NICU, we rarely saw our son without oxygen or a feeding tube, so we knew we wanted pictures showing off his handsome face without medical equipment. Obviously, the NICU was a big part of our lives and we will forever be grateful for the nurses and doctors who cared for our son. I wanted these photos to show how far he has come and us as a family at home!”
The Journey from IVF to the NICU
Stephanie shares, “When we started trying for a family we didn’t know how much of an emotional roller coaster we were going to experience. Our first pregnancy happened quickly, but unfortunately ended in a loss. We were devastated. It was then months and months of getting negative test after negative test. After a year we decided to speak with a fertility specialist and see our options. We tried IUI and it failed. We took a break for a bit and got pregnant without assistance for the second time but it again ended in a loss. The second IUI failed. The third IUI failed. Fourth IUI, we were pregnant! But once again ended in a loss…”
She continues, “We learned to not get our hopes up when we saw positive tests and bloodwork confirming pregnancies because we never made it further than a few weeks. It was gut-wrenching, exhausting mentally and physically and we didn’t know if we wanted to keep trying. We ultimately decided on IVF as a final attempt. After all the appointments, medications, shots, ultrasounds, retrieval, and testing we were left with two healthy embryos! It was time for the transfer and we again were conditioned not to get excited. After a week we got a positive test and bloodwork to confirm. Again we didn’t get our hopes up. But this time felt different. I felt different. Week after week, little baby was growing and then we heard the heartbeat!!”
Stephanie adds, “We finally felt like we could be happy and look forward to a future with our baby. It wasn’t an easy pregnancy but we were both healthy and that’s all that mattered. Until 28 weeks and 5 days, my water broke. There was no explanation but little boy was still healthy as was I. The plan was to stay in the hospital until my due date and deliver a full-term healthy baby boy, that would’ve been 11 weeks in the hospital. But baby boy had other plans and came out screaming the following day. Thankfully he was healthy but had “Premie” problems. Our son thrived and every day was getting stronger.”
Baby John: Lehigh Valley Family Photography
Baby John: Lehigh Valley Family PhotographyFinally having him at home…
Stephanie smiles, “We had some setbacks but after 71 days in the NICU, we brought our beautiful baby boy home. From where we started 3 years ago until we had our son we could never have expected what we went through to become a family. We are absolutely obsessed with our son and we want the world to see how he is so amazing.”
She adds, “I was quite nervous about breastfeeding to start. So many unknowns and I wanted JR to get all the nourishment he could possibly need since he was a Premie. But we have grown to really enjoy it as our bonding time together. I love that I can provide that sense of safety and comfort for him while simultaneously making him big and strong.”
Family Feelings: Lehigh Valley Family Photographer
Family Feelings: Lehigh Valley Family PhotographerWhile I’m photographing the immediate family, why not add a bit of time and involve the grandparents, too?
Stephanie shares, “We wanted to document how much love this little man is surrounded by and there was no better way than getting his grandparents there. They absolutely adore JR and the feelings are mutual. JR lights up when he sees Oma and Pops. As a parent, you love to see your son happy but it’s even better when you can see that happiness with your parents.”
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