Friday, April 29 is the national awareness day for SIDS....Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. This is a topic  that I am very passionate about since I am a NICU nurse. We have a little station in our NICU where the nurses, parents, doctors, thereapists and all other visitors can look at the way an infant's bed should be properly organized AND....the ways in which we fail to follow the recommended guidelines. Even in the NICU, where we are supposed to be the experts on neonates, we make mistakes on how the bed and baby should be properly set up for sleep. Therefore, we all have something to learn about this topic!

On my very first date with my boyfriend, he was very hesitant to tell me why he said his week "wasn't going that great". I probed a little further and come to find out he had just attended the funeral of his roomate's baby girl who had just passed from SIDS. honestly....anyone else who he was on a first date with probably wouldn't appreciate talking about the death of a baby....but what are the chances that I, a NICU nurse, would be there on that specific day on a date with him and talk with him about this heavy topic? It touched me and hurt my heart so much to hear yet another baby passed away due to this devastating infant tragedy. I have had conversations with his ex-roomate about the loss of his daughter. He is my hero for going through what he has and still continuing to press forward. We all have so much to learn about SIDS.

One of the most amazing families that supports our NICU at UCSD lost their baby isabella to SIDS. Please check out their website for more information. I didn't personally know isabella's family when they were in our NICU, but another one of my patients, daisy, brought them into my life : )

While doing a quick SIDS search, i found some really interesting stories about different families that have chosen to blog and share their SIDS stories. Click on these links to learn more about baby maddie and baby macie and how their families have chosen to spread the word, information and their stories.

On the topic of neonatal death and its connection to photography, now i lay me down to sleep is a really inspiring organization that i've been interested in ever since working as a nurse in the NICU. someday, I would love to volunteer my services for them. check out their site and how this free photography service can help families going through such tragedy. Sometimes families think they're not interested in photography of their baby after it has passed, but looking back, those families that do choose to have pictures taken say that there is nothing more valuable than those memories and they're so glad that they had them taken.

My NICU families mean so much to me and i am so grateful for the things they allow me to teach them. In return, the love and lessons they have taught me will stay with me forever.


If you decide not to click on any of the links in my blog please read a few of the important facts regarding SIDS. So many of you have babies, are grandparents, watch the babies of others, or want to be parents soon. This information is so useful!

SIDS overview for infants less than 1 year old.
~ back to sleep!
~ take all of the "stuff" out of the crib. no stuffed animals, pillows, loose or thick blankets.
~one fitted blanket covering a firm mattress only
~no blanket above chest level
~evidence is compelling that pacifier use is shown to decrease SIDS
~don't overheat babies. light sleapwear and comfortable room temperature
~NO bedsharing for risk of suffocation.
~Smoking increases risk of SIDS
~tummy time promotes optimal motor development

(all information from AAP and NICHD)

rex.

happy easter! this photo shoot was an easter surprise for rex's mommy kelly! it required a few white lies because kelly was trying to book me to shoot rex when i was home in baltimore, meanwhile, kelly's mom had already booked me as a surprise to her! rex's grandparents were watching him for the day and snuck out with him so we could take some pictures! rex was so sweet, smiley and photogenic. i fell in love immediately! kelly and her husband will be surprised with these pics on easter morning : ) i hope they love them as much as i do! we shot at clipper mill, a gem of a spot, in north west baltimore city with some interesting restaurants, art galleries, apartments and decor. it poured rain all day and we managed to get the shoot in during a break in the storms : ) thanks to the burrows family for inviting me to capture these amazing moments. today i count your friendship as a blessing in my life!

enzo.

enzo is a sweet little baby who spent a very very long time in the NICU where i work. i wanted to write about this incredibly genuine family who came in to visit their little guy day after day always so kind to everyone with smiles on their faces and frequently bearing gifts for the nurses : ) over time i had the pleasure of getting to know enzo's beautiful mommy and daddy. they are not only very much in love with each other but they quickly fell in love with this sweet angel as well. enzo did everything at his own pace and sometimes that's hard for the nurses and especially the doctors in our NICU. we want babies to progress in a specific manner but little enzo had his own plan and calendar but nonetheless is at home and doing amazing!!!! i've been able to watch enzo at his home while his mommy and daddy spend some time out together and these are a few shots i got while enzo and i were on our dates home alone : )


be sure to check out the link below where the local news station came to the NICU the day enzo went home. it's pretty cool! we also used enzo as our "baby jesus" stand in for our annual NICU nativity and his mommy and daddy were mary and joseph. they were so awesome about wanting to be involved! not every baby gets asked to be our "baby jesus"!!! it's really families like these that make my job so awesome. especially when you have to work on christmas day. it's not the easiest job or the most fun job or the most rewarding job, but over the years people such as these remind me about the importance of choosing a career in which you can truly make a difference. thanks so much to enzo's mommy and daddy for allowing me to be part of your experience in creating a family : )

click here to watch the clip from the news when baby enzo got to go home from the hospital on valentine's day! it's a tear jerker!

dominic

"give a boy a dog and you've furnished him a playmate"

(berton braley)

i've been a patient photographer and waited until this beautiful mommy sent out her birth announcements as not to spoil their beauty like she asked : ) i had the pleasure of photographing these glowing parents for their maternity session on the beach a few months back and than they asked me back to capture some precious moments in their home as a new family. i was also lucky enough to be Dominic's NICU nurse when he had to spend a few short days with us in the unit. and an added bonus....Dom's big sister obi melted my heart as well!

~charlie~

little charlie just turned one last month! his mommy chrissy and i have known each other since we were 9 years old! when discussing where to shoot these pictures chrissy suggested the elementary school that we attended and met at many years ago. spending the afternoon at Carroll Manor Elementary School in Baldwin, Maryland really reminded me of what an ideal childhood we had growing up in such a beautiful area. the school hasn't changed a bit. still as small and quaint as it once was. little charlie will be  following in his mommy's footsteps and growing up in the home she grew up in and attending Carroll Manor as well in a few years! thanks for sharing your beautiful family with me chrissy : ) i am so happy for you!