Newborn Portrait Sessions by Alicia Birch.

We have been blessed with some of the most beautiful babies and magic moments. I thought I would share a few of our Newborn Portrait sessions with this video. Enjoy!

7 Month Old Baby Boy - Lucian!

Every single new baby is special and has already been on an amazing journey. Most of our babies make it into the world right when they are expected to, with no major problems and are home being loved and cared for by their family within a few days of their arrival.

Some of our babies, for one reason or another need to arrive early and when they do it usually means that the road ahead will have a few little bumps and speedhumps ahead. Babies like Lucian.

Lucian arrived at just 31.5 weeks when his Mum Marie realised that he wasn't moving as much as he had been.  On the morning of her Baby Shower, Marie and Andrew (Dad) went to the hospital as they were worried, Marie just felt that something wasn't right. At the hospital they discovered that Lucian had a low heart rate and as they made preparations, his heart rate started to drop rapidly and they rushed Marie into theatre for an an emergency c-section. The issues with his heart meant that Lucian had to be transferred to Westmead by ambulance. On the way little Lucian had a seizure, a big one. When he arrived at Westmead, this little baby boy then suffered a Grade 3 brain haemorrhage.

Lucian was now a very sick baby boy. His Mum signed herself out of Nepean to go to Westmead and be with her little man. In the testing that took place, they could find no problem with his heart and no reason for his sudden drop. He had to come back to Nepean NICU to have the brain scans that he needed, they showed that his haemorrhage was very severe and that there was a definite possibility that Lucian may have to deal with some learning or physical issues because of the severity of his bleed.

He spent 6 weeks in total in the NICU, as anyone that has had a baby there knows, sometimes it was 1 step forward 2 steps back....and then he started to take 2 steps forward, 1 back, 2 steps forward, none back. Best of all, his scans were looking good. He came home.

At 7 months of age ( about 4 months corrected) I was so lucky to meet this gorgeous family. Nope. Lucky is not the word - it was a blessing. Marie and Andrew are two of the most beautiful people you will ever meet and the love they have for their little boy is the most gorgeous thing to witness, they brought tears to my eyes. The fun and love in their portrait session was amazing - you can feel it just oozing out from their portraits! And Lucian...oh, Lucian! He just sends me all gooey like a teenage girl! He is the biggest flirt, the most ridiculously GOOD ladies man (at only 7 months!!!) and so stinkin' rotten cute...he has me batting my eyelashes at him like you wouldn't believe. He has the most amazing personality, he smiles and laughs ALL the time, his eyes are the most incredible colour, his skin is perfect and he absolutely knows that he is pushing the Cuteness Radar, right. off. the. scale. He KNOWS it!

See that!!! Up there ^^^^! That's what he does - flirts like a wild man and then buries his head in his Mum's neck - just like that! Is it any wonder I am smitten???

He worked so hard on the day, he did fantastic work with his Mum and Dad and then he backed it up with about 4 different sets on his own and a couple of changes of outfit - not once did he cry, he just kept smiling and doing what comes naturally - being gorgeous!

I was chatting with his Mum today and she tells me he is sitting up on his own and very stable, he has even started crawling...Mum said he is more like a little froggy, his arms crawl and he does big jumps with his legs. He is saying Mummum and Dadda, his scans are clear and there is no sign of any brain injury or any effects from the tough time he went through.

I can't wait to see him at our Santa's Workshop sessions, I just know he will have grown and become even more sweet since I saw him last. I can't wait to see his Mum and Dad too, they are wonderful, sweet, lovely people and real troopers. Thank you for coming Marie and Andrew, it was a priviledge to work with you and your gorgeous boy.

Oh and here's a little video from their session, tell me how long it takes to wipe the silly smile off your face when you watch it :)

Til next time,

Alicia xxx

Miss T's Maternity Portrait

Miss T told me before her Maternity Session that she was very open to ideas and would be happy to give anything a go once. Perfect! A lot of girls, myself included are really self concious about being in front of the camera and take a little while to feel comfortable and relax. Right from the start, I knew that Miss T was going to be incredible to work with. Add to that, her partner was hilarious and the fun, chemistry and love between them was almost tangible.

I love having Dad's along for Maternity sessions, the dynamic changes when we have the parents together celebrating their "bump" and I adored the gorgeous interactions between these two, from sizzling to tender, cheeky to emotional - they were wonderful together.

Now as much as I love having our Dad's to be along, our Maternity Portraits are all about our gorgeous Mama's and their precious bumps. I always suggest making an appointment for hair, ,nails and makeup before the session so that Mum can have a bit of a pamper day, capping it off with their portrait session where Mum can look and feel glamorous and spoiled. Not only are Maternity sessions so important for showing off your gorgeous new curves and the changes to your body, making a pamper day out of it gives Mum just a little time out, some "me time" in the lead up to the most important job she will ever do - having her baby.

Miss T was simply divine and absolutely rocked her session. Gorgeous Mama, perfect little bump and her amazing eyes that say so much without a single word.

                       

Thank you both for coming and allowing us to be a part of your family's story. And also for the fantastic, funny moments that we shared on the day - it was a blast! I loved working with you and absolutely adore the moments that we created with you.

Til next time,

Alicia xx

Cooper's Portrait Session at 4 months!

Honestly, this little man is so super happy and smiley but I guess that is only to be expected - his Mum is just as happy as he is. Cooper giggles all the time and has the most infectious big grin, you just can't help but feel good when he comes to play. His Mum wanted to capture this little guy over his first months and is coming to see us at 4 and 8 months, Santa's Workshop at about 11 months and Granddad's Garage when he will be all grown up and about 16 months old.

He came in for his 4 month portraits, well about 4 months ago because he was in again just a couple of weeks ago to have his 8 month old portrait session - time just flies and watching our babies grow sure does make you realise just how quickly it goes.

Isn't that the brightest big smile and gorgeous little face?

Cooper is such a bundle of fun and we adore seeing him and his Mum, they have really become such a part of our little family here!

Til next time,

Alicia xxx

Newborn Portrait Session - 13 Day Old Baby Boy.

We were so excited to meet this little man! I photographed his sister when she was new - I always find it such a thrill to watch a family grow.

Eli is the youngest of 4 kids but he was quite the big boy, born - nearly 11 lbs! He has the most adorable cheeks...you know the sort you just want to smooch? Well he has those and I did my share of smooching I can tell you :)

Is there anything more precious than a newborn smile? Not in my book!

For a big guy, he was able to curl up so tight and snug and he liked the idea of having a nice, warm spot for a sleep.

So very sweet and I loved catching up with his Mum, Dad, brothers and sisters. Thank you for coming, it was fantastic to see you all again!

Cheers

Alicia xxx