Zoey is a miracle.  She was delieved at just 25 weeks gestation when her mother was diagnosed with severe preeclampsia and HELLP Sydrome.

Zoey weighed just 1 pound and 4.5 ounces.  She was in the NICU for almost 3.5 months.  This is her actual newborn picture.

By the time I photographed Zoey she was almost 4 months old and at 41 weeks gestation. She had been released from the NICU about 1 week prior to our session.  Greenville SC Preemie Baby Photography does not often occur in the tradition first 3 week period of newborn photography.  These little miracles require their own timetables.

She weighed just 6 pounds and 1 ounces.  She was full of Joy: the experience of good in the midst of suffering.  Zoey Joy smiled at me: a miracle made possible by modern medicine and brave NICU staff.

Photographing preemie’s presents additional challenges to the photographer, the first of which is safety.  These babies have weak immune systems. What a photographer thinks is just a touch of cold could be a dangerous virus called RSV that would produce life threatening consequences for their weak lungs.

I never take preemie’s into the studio unless my whole family is free of sickness and I always wash and then sanitize my hands before touching a preemie.  If I’m sick, I’ll happily refer any newborn clients to an alternate photographer with availability.

Preemie’s are also past the 0-14 day stage we like to refer to as “womb memory.”  Womb memory is the extra flexibility in a baby’s joints from being so recently tucked inside his mother.  Womb memory coupled with a newborn’s propensity for sleep, allows newborn photographers to pose the babies all those curly positions.

Preemie’s don’t have womb memory and are far less flexible.  They also possess more strength than a newborn due to chronologically being older.  Finally, many preemies are sensitive to excessive touch.  So posing a preemie is a delicate matter of trial and error to see which positions are comfortable for them.  Zoey loved only a trio of the traditional newborn poses and we varied those up with different styling, blankets, and props.

Lydia and Micheal, thank you so much for sharing your precious miracle Zoey Joy with me.  It was an honor to serve you during this season of celebration for your family.

If you just delivered a preemie or micropreemie, don’t hesitate to inquire about booking a session.  I’m willing to attempt a newborn type session for any baby up to 45 weeks gestation.  You deserve to celebrate your new little one.

Additionally, I’m happy to come out to the NICU and photograph a complimentary session so you can have professional images of your little ones brave first days.