CT Newborn Photographer

CT Newborn Photographer

girly rainbow bow classic timeless love peach baby(this little girl’s brother started my journey to a better me)

Want to know a little more about me?  I have always loved newborns.  I dressed up my cat and stuck her in a stroller, had 8 newborn cousins when I was ages 10-12 (they just kept coming) and have ALWAYS known I wanted to be a baby nurse.  I was the babysitter who would give 3 kids a bath, cook dinner and leave the house cleaner than when you left it.  I just loved everything about being with kids.  It was my passion from when I was a baby myself.  And so I have lived my passion….

I started my career in nursing as a mother/baby nurse and then moved onto the Neonatal ICU.  I absolutely love both areas of nursing and have remained heavily involved despite leaving the bedside.  I have taught prenatal classes for years and help to run a grant throughout Connecticut that focuses on breastfeeding.  You want the most up to date information on breastfeeding?  I’ve got it and as your CT newborn photographer, I will share my vast nursing knowledge with you.

My love of photography grew after my 4th child was born.  I was mentored by one of Connecticut’s leading photographers and she helped me realize I could make this hobby a career.  I opened up my doors 2 years ago and haven’t looked back.

If you choose me as your newborn and baby photographer, you are choosing a passionate person.  I try to live and give too.  Although I tend to try and stay under the radar with my volunteerism and outreach, I was awarded March of Dimes CT Mom of the Year award in 2014.  It was such an honor to be recognized by such a wonderful organization for my volunteer work with the community and Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep – learn more about my work here.  In October 2016, I was also asked to be the keynote speaker for Hope After Loss, an organization that helps grieving parents that have suffered loss in infancy, stillbirth or miscarriages.

Many cannot understand why I would volunteer during such sadness but the truth is, I receive so much more.

Read my talk here to learn all about why –

Why and how do I do what I do?  This is a question I have been asked an insurmountable number of times.  Many have asked if I have experienced a loss and, to be honest, I have not been in your shoes.  However, my answer is simple for why I volunteer.  I receive so much more than I am able to give to you and your families.  My background as both a NICU nurse and a professional photographer made my passion for volunteering and my ability to volunteer an easy decision. In fact, volunteering was something, simply stated, I felt very led to as if it wasn’t my decision at all.  Now let me tell you about who led me.

It was 7 months into my business that I received my very first “stranger” inquiry. As a business owner, that is a huge success to know someone just valued your work without any influence from others. She was a pregnant mom who wanted to book a newborn session with me. We corresponded for about 5 weeks. About 4 weeks before her due date she told me she was already 3cm dilated and her doctors expected her to deliver anytime. I told her of my experiences with pre term labor and we developed a fun email thread as we were both anxiously awaiting her son’s arrival. At 38 weeks, she contacted me again saying she was still pregnant despite her early dilation a few weeks prior. We giggled about his decision to stay put as she was ready to meet her little guy. Just four days later, I received an email from her sister. She apologized and said her sister would be canceling our newborn session because her son was born still. Her son had died.

Wait!! What? This can’t be happening. As a NICU nurse, I’ve been there for parents losing their baby. But I’m a photographer now. Photography is about capturing happiness and new babies and smiles. I could not get this mom out of my mind. I reached out and we talked and my heart ached as if I had known her and her family for years. Weeks went by and I knew. I knew I needed to help. But how? There was only one answer. Her son – their son made such an impact on my life.  *Joshua was their angel, but the real fact is, he is also mine too. Within weeks I applied to be a photographer for Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep. I knew with my nursing background and my photography, I could provide beautiful keepsake photos for families during the most tragic time in their lives. It has been a humbling and beautiful experience. It is a true calling for me and one I will continue to honor for years to come. I am the one who is truly blessed by the path my life has taken.

Now this brings us to today. To the reason we are all here. To celebrate your babies and the impact they have made. Together, if I am keeping with the theme of today, we are the entire beautiful tree.  Your children, your babies, the most beautiful part of that tree.  They are the green leaves, swaying in the breeze on a beautiful summers day, or a flowering blossom as spring starts to spring.  You, you are the trunk.  The strongest part of their life.  The one that has kept them safe, the one that has helped to give them their beautiful color, their ebb and their flow, and their ability to sway in that breeze so effortlessly.  I consider myself a branch.  I am an extension that is able to capture what you see.  I am able to capture the love, the beauty and all the details of those beautiful and delicate leaves.  You, you are also branches as well.  You have supported other families, you have supported each other, and you have shared your children with the world in a way that is indescribable. So, when we come together, on a day like today, I see our beautiful tree.  I see the seeds you planted.  And I see the beauty that your babies have brought into our world.  Their impact is everlasting.  Their love palpable.

Every day, your babies continue to make a difference in this world.  And amidst the chaos, they are the peace, they are the beauty, and they are perspective.  Because of your babies, I am a better human being.  I have more tolerance, I have more love to give and I have a way messier house because I simply enjoy the moment. I wish I could truly put into words why I do what I do but it is so beyond words.  It is a feeling.  It is love.  It is peace.  It is honor. Thank you for allowing me into your lives and your life’s journey.  And thank you for being here today to celebrate your beautiful babies.

Hope after Loss is a beautiful organization I am proud to collaborate with.  Please continue to share your babies with this world because they are truly the beauty that we need to see every single day.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

*(name changed to maintain privacy for family)

So, why do I mention all this?  Because if you choose me as your CT newborn photographer, you get all of me – my quirkiness, my love of families of babies, and my expertise as a nurse.  Oh, and did I mention gorgeous photos that you can hang on your walls for years to come? Pictures of moments that are so fleeting, you will treasure them forever!

Contact me today and let’s begin capturing these unforgettable moments together.