Happy Birthday Beau | Sacred Heart Hospital Birth Photography

I’m in love with this family. Yep. There. I said it.

L-O-V-E

But like an ideal client, platonic kind of love.

Kelly and I actually go way back. We did community theater together at Pensacola Little Theater as kids. We also went to the same high school, but I was a year or so ahead of her, so we didn’t actually know each other all that well, but we had a lot to talk about and became fast friends. Doug I met in the delivery room, but it instantly felt like I’d known him forever. He’s a complete comedian and I swear I had a stitch in my side the entire time I was there.

They are both so incredibly positive, kind, funny, and easy going. And besides looking good on camera, they are both just so natural in front it. They don’t freeze up of look like they don’t know what to do. They just sink into each other and connect like I’m not even there.

It was in the wee hours of the morning that I arrived and we excitedly awaited the birth of baby Beau. I had an unavoidable scheduling conflict at 7 am and wasn’t looking like he would arrive before I had to duck out. I had my backup photographer, Melissa, on standby and it killed me that she had to swoop in and cover me for the hour I would need to be gone. And of course, Kelly was ready to push just ten minutes after I handed off to Melissa.

As much as it broke my heart to have to miss it, I knew my clients were in the best hands and their images would be seamless. I gave Melissa my favorite lens and a quick rundown on how Dr. Sontag ALWAYS delivers his babies…just like this…

And of course she nailed it. And of course it was magical.

But Baby Beau wasn’t doing so hot. After a brief snuggle from mom, he was taken to the NICU for some extra monitoring. It is usually a while before mom can visit the NICU, so Melissa snagged a few shots of him settling into the NICU and took off. Meanwhile, I finished my appointment, picked up my lens, and headed back to Sacred Heart to wait with Kelly until she was allowed to go visit her baby.

She was so sweet and positive about having to wait to see and hold her son. Although I know (first-hand) how much it was killing her inside to be apart from him. Maybe it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but honestly it’s like having your heart ripped out.

Finally, after a couple of phone calls to the NICU and a move to her postpartum recovery room, Kelly was given the OK to visit, hold and feed her baby.

Take a few minutes to watch the whole birth story here: