Christine and Sondra are expecting their first baby. We planned to have a maternity session in my Saratoga Springs studio to celebrate the upcoming arrival of their little one. But, life had other plans. Christine was hospitalized at 33 weeks for HELLP syndrome, which is a very rare complication in pregnancy affecting less than 1% of women. It’s thought to be a type of severe preeclampsia, and it can cause life-threatening conditions in mothers and their babies. This was a very unexpected surprise for this couple, and they called me the week of their maternity session to let me know that they were in the hospital, the baby would be coming any day now (or really, any hour now with how things were going!), and utterly devastated that they would not be able to do their maternity portraits.

My heart broke for them, and I texted them later that night to see if they might want to find a way to make an in-hospital maternity session work before the baby arrived. Christine was ecstatic! With her doctors' permission, lots of breaks, and nurses on standby in case we needed anything for the mama-to-be, I went to the hospital the very next morning and we did their maternity portraits. This was such a special experience for all of us and I’m thrilled that we found a way to document Christine and Sondra’s journey into parenthood.

I brought a simple white backdrop, gowns from my studio, and lighting because I didn’t know what the lighting situation would be at the hospital. We lucked out and didn’t have to cram into the tiny corner of her shared room, but found a huge open space in the hallway that was private and filled with huge windows to let in lots of natural light. It truly couldn’t have worked out any better! We worked with what we had available, using painters tape to hang the fabric on the wall, and trusting Photoshop to extend the backdrop and edit out her “hospital jewelry” (IVs and medical bracelets) in a few of her photos.

The end result? Two happy mamas and a beautifully documented pregnancy. All I could think when I was driving home from the hospital was that THIS is what my job is all about: finding a way to document something important, no matter what is going on for my families.

Oh, and perhaps the very best part? Adorable baby Thomas was safely delivered by c-section only 8 hours after we finished their session. He spent two weeks in the NICU and made amazing progress every day, and then he got to head home early and enjoy bonus time with his mamas.

This hospital maternity session truly filled my heart and I enjoyed getting to capture these portraits in what was otherwise an incredibly stressful situation for this family. I love that we were able to safely spend an hour together, bringing a little levity to their week, and helping them ground themselves and celebrate their relationship and their pregnancy before their son’s arrival. It truly was an unforgettable session.

For more information about HELLP syndrome, visit https://www.preeclampsia.org/hellp-syndrome!