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Momma Effie | Rhode Island and MA Outdoor Maternity Photography

I left this evenings session in such a happy mood… the lighting, my models, and the location were all beautiful!

It was so nice to see Effie again.. I think it has been since high school that I have run into her?   Do you recognize her?… She is one of the stunning faces of Filippo’s pizza in RI!

I am sure she has been in heaven these last eight months.. what pregnant girl doesn’t love a slice (or four)?

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Newborn Hadleigh | Rhode Island and MA Newborn Baby Photography

“Getting pregnant the first time around seemed to take forever.  Every month we were disappointed and by the time we finally DID get pregnant we almost didn’t expect it. So when my son was 10 months old and my husband and I (silently) decided to try again, we most certainly weren’t expecting immediate results. But that’s what we got.  

 
Knowing you’re pregnant four days after conception makes for a looooong pregnancy.  But we didn’t let it detract from our excitement or anticipation.  At our second ultrasound we were told we were “almost certainly” having a girl. A girl, huh? Well this is going to be different.  We were pretty sure we had this boy thing down. But a girl is a whole other story.  Immediately I started planning her teenage years…spent overseas…with her grandparents. 
 
The Friday after that ultrasound, I received a call from my midwife.  The scan had revealed two choroid plexus cysts on the baby’s brain.  I would need to go for a level II ultrasound the following Monday and meet with a genetic counselor as well.  While my midwife assured me the cysts themselves were not harmful and that they would eventually clear up on their own, she also informed me they could be soft markers for certain chromosomal abnormalities.  She further assured me that the incidents of these abnormalities were very rare.  But I had the entire weekend to worry. I did my research, I absorbed the numbers, I worried anyway…because I’m a mom.  
 
The second ultrasound showed that the cysts had already disappeared. Baby’s measurements were good, indicating no obvious signs of trisomy 18. We met with the counselor to go over the results and she felt good about what she saw. We were given the option of amnio or even just further blood tests to tell us if baby girl (one of the perks of this US was the confirmation of her sex) would be born with Down syndrome or even cystic fibrosis. My husband Dominic and I decided to forgo further testing as it would not change our minds about this pregnancy nor would it dictate our love for our baby. We chose faith over science.
 
Later on in the pregnancy I developed a rash over 3/4 of my stomach.  Now I needed to be tested for Cholestasis, another condition dangerous to baby. In the end, the rash was benign and cleared up on its own.  More worry for nothing.
 
Another weekend brought cramping and fluid and a visit to the ER. Again, everything was good.
 
The pregnancy progressed with considerably more discomfort than the first pregnancy, but void of additional scares.  Until Sunday, July 22nd (5 days past my due date). Suddenly my normally overactive baby wasn’t moving. At all. I poked, I prodded, I drank cold water, took a warm shower. Nothing. I told my husband we needed to get to the hospital and I silently prayed that my baby was ok, that this was just more silly pregnancy paranoia. We drove to the hospital in silence. Because, what could we say at a time like this?
 
Upon arrival at the ER, I jumped from the car and raced through the doors. Only to be stopped for paperwork. I couldn’t believe I was worried about the life of my baby and they were worried about GD paperwork! As I fumbled to fill out the information, my husband walked in and took over. And a nurse called me into the exam room where she quickly put me on the monitor and I heard it. My baby’s heartbeat. Oh, thank God. 
 
After a half hour wait in the hallway, we were given a room where they could monitor the baby for an extended period. They hooked me up and I stared at the muted t.v. showing the first two Batman movies, while my husband played on his iphone. We assumed we’d be there for an hour and be sent home.
 
And then the baby’s heart rate dipped.  And the miscommunications started. The were going to continue to monitor me to make sure the baby was ok. Wait, we’re keeping you overnight. Didn’t they tell you? We’re probably going to schedule you for an early morning c-section. You’re scheduled for a 9:30 c-section. Tonight. It was a chaotic mess intertwined with failed attempts at starting an IV. Six to be exact. Five failed, one success.  
 
My husband looked at me and said “I’m not ready”. I thought “you’re not ready? I’m not ready and this is not how I PLANNED it!”.
I had “planned” a vbac. With a very detailed birth “plan”. No IVs, no unnecessary personnel or interventions. This birth was going to go MY way. And then it didn’t. 
 
They prepped me for the OR, wheeled me into a cold, sterile room with bright lights and a dozen people in masks and gowns. They pumped me full of drugs, hooked me up to machines, and asked if I was ok. I was not okay, not at all. This was not what I wanted. And I cried the whole time. Tears of frustration, and anger, and defeat. Until I heard my daughter cry. And then I cried harder. Happy, joyful, I-don’t-care-how-she-got-here-she’s-here! tears. 
 
Today I don’t look at my daughter and think about my c-section, I look at her and think about how incredibly lucky I am to have two amazing children. And I cannot remember the days before them.”

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Geir’s Cake Smash! | First Birthday Cake Smash Photography In RI

He was all smiles in the studio!  It was so wonderful to see his mom and dad again after photographing their maternity and newborn session!

Geir lit up the whole room with those amazing eyes and bright white baby teeth.

Thanks again to Sasha, the Cupcake Queen of Riverside, RI for this adorable (and very delicious) sailboat cake!

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Three little sisters | Rhode Island and Boston Newborn Triplets Photography

“At my 8 week ultrasound, to say we were shocked to learn of the news that not one little embryo was inside my belly, but three, is an understatement. My husband, a Radiology Resident at RI Hospital and already juggling life with a 2 1/2 year old energetic little boy named Finn, we quickly realized how much our life was about to change and the challenging times that lay ahead of us. I spent the next 25 weeks eating massive quantities of food to grow my little ones inside. At 33 weeks and 2 days while getting a “pre-baby” manicure, my water broke and my neighbor kindly rushed me off to Women and Infant’s hospital to meet my husband at Triage who was luckily just getting off work. I was fully contracting within 45 minutes of arrival. Realizing the speed at which nature was taking over, I was rushed to the OR declaring I wanted to attempt a natural delivery. Three NICU teams were scrambling as about 20 various pediatricians, obstetricians, anesthesiologists and nurses packed into the OR. We were told by the attending obstetrician that it was controlled chaos, but when Skyler was born 3 minutes later, there was nothing controlled about it! Within 13 minutes, Emma and Lucy were here. Everyone in the OR erupted in applause, and we were both incredibly relieved and grateful it went so smoothly. We were told it was the first natural triplet delivery in the hospital in many years (at least 15 years). What an incredible experience and…the fun is just beginning! “

Emma Katelin: 4 lbs 5 oz
Skyler Michele: 4 lbs 6 oz
Lucy Antoinette: 4 lbs 6 oz

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More love from FL | Rhode Island and Boston Family Photography

Although the main reason to travel to Florida was to photograph our Sweet Marie, I still had to make time to take some images of my grandfather, uncle (my dad’s identical twin!) and my cousins.  It baffles me how big my cousins are!  I remember Raven (the kid near the bottom making the funny faces) was the teeniest little boy!  He’s so huge!  He has his DRIVERS LICENSE!  WHAT?!

I think my fav photo here (it might just be because it includes my own baby) is the one of Eli playing peek a boo with Dax in the car… he was so good to him!

Kaya.. I can’t believe how beautiful you are.. so feminine and turning into such a gorgeous woman!  Stop!

and Jaime.. every day I wished we lived closer.  I love you lots. xo