girl
“Advice to moms and dads: Cry whenever you want to cry....Feel whatever emotions you want to feel...Take every day one at a time...Your baby is stronger than you can imagine!”
29 Weeks • 2 Pounds 11 Ounces
“I have always wanted to be a mom... I started babysitting when I was 12 years old and was a live-in nanny during the summers while I was in college.
I always thought it would be easy to get pregnant and that I would have a picture perfect pregnancy, delivery, etc. Well, I was certainly in for a surprise! It took us almost a year to get pregnant, then I had a pretty tough pregnancy and ended up going into pre-term labor at 25 weeks. I was in the hospital for 4 days (during Christmas) then was sent home on bed rest.
I was home for 3 weeks and went back into labor at 28 weeks and found out I was 2cm dilated when I got to the hospital. I was given another round of steroid shots and magnesium. We found out I had a partial abruption and the baby could come within hours. I was only 28 weeks and completely terrified! I accepted I was going to be in the hospital for the long haul and prayed my baby girl would hold on a little bit longer...
I ended up making it 6 more days in the hospital and then my daughter decided to make her debut. I had a c-section (the spinal did not work, so I unfortunately felt the entire thing- ouch!). Piper came out a fighter and has been powering through her NICU stay.
This has been an emotional rollercoaster, but each day gets better knowing we are closer to bringing her home!”
Meet Leah! She's quite adorable, and so are her sisters. This newborn session was so much fun and included a surprise visit from Leah's dad! Mom didn't know he was coming home and she was brought to tears when he walked in the door, just in time for a few photos. Newborn photos are such a special time, and I hate when Dads have to miss out and go back to work. I'm so glad he made it to this session because this family wouldn't be complete without him!
I was so delighted to meet Cara at work one day! It was way back when I was on night shift. I got pulled to work in her unit and we chatted all night long. Although it was years ago, I didn't forget her. I was so thrilled when she contacted me to photograph the newest member of her family, Eliza. Not only was I excited that she asked, but her other two children are just gorgeous! Her third baby was sure to be a beauty!
Although Eliza's story is a happy one, she came to this world after some heartache.
“Eliza was our 8th very wanted pregnancy and is our 3rd living child. I have a clotting disorder that has caused us a lot of issues in childbearing. It took us a while to really believe that we were going to get to hold Eliza in our arms because after losing our son at 20 weeks in 2015, we hadn’t really decided whether or not we would try one last time. Apparently, Eliza made that decision for us...and we were surprised! After 39 weeks of impatiently waiting, our third rainbow baby and final addition to our family arrived! Luke and Hannah, her two older siblings couldn’t be more excited and it has been such a joy to see our family grow to completion! We are thankful!”
Sure enough, Eliza is just as beautiful as expected! Take a look at this beautiful family of five below.
Have you seen Olivia around? She's definitely making an impression on my Instagram page. The reason is because she is a beauty, just like her mom!
Calli is a friend of mine who I work with at the hospital, and I was ecstatic when she asked me to be her photographer. Not only do I absolutely love her, but I knew her baby would be precious and I just had to get in on the action.
I never assume my pregnant friends will use me as their photographer just because we're friends, and I never ask to take their photos. I always wait for them to come to me first. Choosing a photographer is a personal decision based on many different factors, and I wouldn't dare compromise friendships just to get new clients. [Plus, if you're my friend before you become a client, you get a really sweet deal. So I'm not making that much off of you anyways!]
I always encourage friends to have their photos taken, even if they don't hire me as their photographer. Families and children change, and you can never get these moments back. So of course Calli and I casually talked about photos earlier in the year when she first found out she was pregnant, but I didn't know if she was definitely going to have photos taken. You can imagine my excitement when she "officially" asked me to be her photographer!
Flash forward a few months when sweet Olivia made her appearance. She's more beautiful than I imagined she'd be, and her parents are absolutely smitten. Calli signed Olivia up for a Baby Plan membership, so you'll be seeing her in a few months for her sitter session!
This family! I cannot express how excited I am to have them as clients. I so enjoyed their newborn session for many reasons. They just recently moved here from New Jersey and had just enough time to get settled in before their second baby came along.
Speaking of their second baby... Have you SEEN her?! Let me introduce you to Peyton. She's the newest member of the Krista Gantt Photography family, and she is PRECIOUS. Her big sister, Kennedy, is equally as adorable - and so sweet with her little sister. This family is a member of my Baby Plan, so you'll be able to watch Peyton and Kennedy grow with me over the next 2 years. Read more about Baby Plan membership here.
“She is a rainbow baby, as we had our first pregnancy end in miscarriage in May of 2016. ”
It was a pleasure meeting Avayah and her sweet family in the NICU. She is currently in the neonatal intensive care unit and is working towards going home soon. When I met Avayah, she was having a great day. She handled her outfit changes very well, and was even able to come out of her bed to enjoy skin-to-skin time with her mom and dad. I can tell she is going to do big things one day!
Here is Avayah's birth story, as told by her mom:
"We found out we were expecting the end of July 2016! At 29 weeks gestation, I suddenly developed HELLP syndrome. My platelets became dangerously low at 16,000 and they had to perform an emergency c-section. She was therefore born on Saturday, 1/21/17 at 9:40 am. She was 2 pounds and 11 ounces of strength! She is has increased her weight daily, and she is up to full feedings via her OG tube. She's such a great baby and is very chill. She loves skin to skin time and reading her stories. We are so blessed she continues to do so well and cannot wait to take her home."
“Tragically, my wife Marie, passed away one week after giving birth. The name Hope suddenly took on an entire new meaning for me and my entire family. ”
I met this sweet little lady for NICU portraits when she was a little over one month old. I happened to run into one of her family members a few weeks prior, a girl who I just happened to know from my childhood. When I saw her in the NICU, I was very confused as to why she was there. Did she have a baby in the NICU? I knew she had some health issues, but did I completely miss the fact that she was pregnant? Well, I was relieved to find out that I had not been living under a rock after all. This was not her baby. She was just visiting. Then she told me Landry's story. I just knew I had to photograph this precious baby as soon as possible.
Here is Landry's story, as told by her dad.
"Landry Hope was born on November 15, 2016. Her gestational age was exactly 29 weeks. She weighed 2 pounds 11 ounces, and measured 15 inches in length. When the nurse asked us if we had settled on a name, we told her we had not. We knew we liked Landry for a girl because it is my mother-in-law's maiden name, but we had not settled on a middle name. We didn't even know if we were having a boy or a girl. So, we agreed on Landry and my wife, Marie, turned to me and said "what about Hope" for a middle name. She nailed it. We were full of hope that Landry would grow and things would be ok.
Tragically, my wife Marie, passed away one week after giving birth. The name Hope suddenly took on an entire new meaning for me and my entire family. We are incredibly grateful for the care that Landry received during her NICU stay. We were told that Landry would probably be in the NICU until somewhere around her due date of January 31st. Because of the incredible care she received in the NICU, she was able to come home on the 4th of January. She now weighs more than 7 pounds and is doing well."
{Request your own free NICU portraits HERE.}
Remember my sweet twin friends, James and Ada? Well, Ada finally made it out of the NICU to be home with her brother! These photos were from our last session together, when she was 3 and a half months old. She just had to show off her Christmas outfit! She is such a sweet babe!
27 Week Preemie Twin Ada Smiling in Christmas Outfit
Here is an update from Ada's mom:
"Ada came home on January 2 (after 110 days in the NICU) weighing 5 pounds 13 oz. She now weighs 6 pounds 8 oz. She came home on a small amount of oxygen. She is becoming a better eater, taking bottles more quickly and efficiently. She is enjoying lots of naps since being home in a calmer environment. She loves being snuggled and talked to and will stare at your face the entire time you are speaking. She can lift her head a little and turn it when you hold her on your chest. She also loves to grasp your finger or objects placed in her hand. She sleeps fairly well through the night between feedings but is an early bird who loves to wake up around 6 am.
James came home November 23 (after 70 days in the NICU) weighing 5 pounds 12 oz. He now weighs 11 pounds 1 oz! He is changing so much every day. He is starting to look at you when you speak to him. He smiles socially, and he can lift his head and turn it during tummy time. He is starting to make "baby sounds" such as cooing when he is talked to. He is fascinated by high contrasts in color which means that our dark colored ceiling fan mesmerizes him. He sleeps extremely well from one feeding to the next during the night."
I am so excited to watch both of these preemies grow strong and develop personalities. These parents are so sweet and I have truly enjoyed getting to know them!
Introducing... Quinn Berkeley! She's a sweetie and Teagan is a very proud big sister! I was so glad to have the opportunity to capture these images of my work friend's baby. Kelley is a NICU nurse and I am glad to call her a friend. She's sweet and fun, and a little silly too! We met on night shift but we're both happy to be working in the sunlight hours now. Enjoy these photos - and this pretty nursery!
“This is my first time experiencing a premature infant. I prayed to have a girl and experience raising a female child and God gave me more than I asked with this entire experience. It built my faith and took me on a journey I’ll never forget! I love her strength!”
This is Dreya! She was born at 27 weeks weighing 2 pounds 12 ounces. She interrupted a family vacation at the beach to come into this world a little early! Mom had to stay on bedrest for a week, and eventually had to deliver Dreya due to placental abruption.
Dreya came out crying despite being only 27 weeks! She didn't require oxygen for too long, and when I visited her, she was eating a bottle on her own. That's right - no feeding tube! She is now at home growing big and strong, alongside her three older brothers.
“My husband and I wanted to be parents more than anything. It was a long journey and it did not happen right away for us. When I got to tell him we were pregnant right before his birthday, we were ecstatic. We couldn’t wait to be parents to our little girl.
Everything was going normal in the pregnancy until April 20th. I was scheduled to fly out that day to go back to Indiana for Lilly’s baby shower. I knew something wasn’t right that morning, went to my OBGYN’s office and got the ok to fly. Later that evening, I started going into labor at the airport and didn’t even realize it. I just had a lot of back pain. So I changed my flight to the next morning and went home to relax and ease the pain. A few minutes after arriving home, my water broke. My husband and I raced to the hospital and within an hour of getting there, Lilly was born via c-section. She was 17 inches long, weighed 3 pounds 7.7 ounces, and was the most beautiful baby we had ever seen.
She is so precious and such a fighter. My husband and I are blessed to have her in our lives. ”
Oh sweet Brooklyn! Have you ever meet a baby who is very well behaved, never fusses, and smiles for the camera?? Well this is one of those! Miss Brooklyn is on the Baby Plan and these are the images from her 6 month session. She never disappoints! She even poses for the camera when asked! It's such a treat to photograph her, and I can't wait for our next session together! Take a look at some of my favorite images from her session.
Happy Memorial Day! Make sure to thank our military men and women for serving our country! These folks spend countless weeks and months away from their families, allowing us to experience freedom in this country. Many of them even leave behind their brand new babies. Say some prayers for those who are away right now, and also for those who are doing life without them.
So I'm very behind on blogging but... Miss Nora made her arrival in August! I couldn't have been more excited to do this session. Nora is such a sweetie and she is the daughter of my good friends Clint and Brooke. I met Brooke in college through a nursing friend of mine and we ended up living together our senior year. She is such a kind and thoughtful person, and always puts others needs before her own. She is the kind of wife and mother that I only hope to be one day! I'm so thankful for her friendship - and that she moved to Charlotte!
This was one of my very favorite sessions yet! Nora's big brother Eli is so excited to have a new sister. He didn't sit still for long, but it was enough to capture his excitement about being a big brother. Oh, make sure you check out Nora's nursery... <3
Hope you all love this session as much as I do! Nora is just beautiful and she is the perfect addition to this special family.
Check out this pretty lady! 3 months looks good on her!
What is everyone doing to stay warm today? This little snow bunny is all bundled up and ready to brave the cold weather :) Happy 3 months to Brooklyn! Brooklyn is taking advantage of the Baby Plans I offer, so I will get to see her all throughout her first year! Her mom doesn't even have to remember to schedule each session. I just send a friendly reminder when it's almost time to schedule her next session, and mom just sits back and enjoys Brooklyn's first year! Ask me about my Baby Plans today! They've changed this year, and I think you'll like the flexibility ;)
This sweet little gal made her entrance into the world on October 23rd, 2015. She comes from very sweet parents. I am so glad to know them! Introducing... Brooklyn!
