Safety During A Newborn Portrait Session
As a Delaware Newborn Photographer, I feel a deep sense of responsibility in keeping the babies that come see me safe. I want all of my clients to know, that not only do I practice safe newborn posing, I am also up to date on all of my vaccinations, and receive my annual flu shot. Not only that, but if I become sick before you and your precious newborn are scheduled to come in, I will reschedule you. Even if it is just a mild cold, I will not risk the safety of your baby.
“What may be a mild cold for me, could become deadly for a newborn.”
Personal life experiences have a way of changing people, doesn’t it? In January 2011, I learned all too well the horrors of my newborn being sick. Technically, he wasn’t a newborn anymore. Jett had just turned 3 months old. His older brother, Mason had picked up a nasty cold, for which he needed breathing treatments for. Mason was also misdiagnosed with RAD. Children who are suspected of having asthma but are too young to diagnose, may be diagnosed with RAD- Reactive Airway Disease. We were told he was having an asthmatic reaction to a cold.
A few days later, Jett starting coming down with a cold as well. At first I wasn’t too concerned, but a couple day later, he began showing signs of difficulty breathing, and wasn’t eating well, so I took him in to the doctor. My main concern at the time, was dehydration. Upon seeing my child, the doctor told me to take him to the emergency room immediately, as he was retracting when he was breathing. If you’re not sure what retraction is, you can watch this link of another baby presenting with retraction. When I initially took Jett to the doctor, his retraction was not as bad as the baby in the video, however, as his illness progressed, it became very obvious. You usually also can see a “tug” at the throat, and the head may “bob” as well.
At the ER, Jett tested positive for RSV- Respiratory Syncytial Virus. RSV is highly contagious and can be very serious in young infants. Jett ended up being hospitalized and in intensive care for 10 days. He also developed Pneumonia and Bronchiolitis. It was one of the most horrifying experiences of my life, even more so than Jett needing a life-saving surgery at 10 days old for Hirschsprung’s Disease. When Jett was just about better, and the doctor told us we would be discharged that day, I cried. I cried from relief, because there had been days that I was terrified we would be walking out of that hospital empty handed.
The image above is when we were getting ready to be discharged. So HAPPY to be going home! It still took several weeks, however, before Jett would be completely better, and several months for his lungs to heal. Thankfully, today, he is a happy, healthy 6 year old!
This experience changed me, as I have become acutely aware of my own health when I interact with babies and am very cautious with hand washing and staying on top of my own vaccinations. I have carried these life lessons over to all aspects of my life, including my newborn photography services.
A few things that you can be sure will happen when you bring your newborn to me for portraits.
- I will have my vaccinations up to date, and my annual flu shot
- I will not have symptoms of illness
- My hands will always be washed before handling your baby
I know we can’t prevent all germs from coming in contact with our precious little ones. However, you can expect that as your newborn photographer, I will do everything I can to ensure your baby’s safety during their newborn photo session with me! If you have any questions, or have special health concerns with your baby, please contact me! I would be happy to answer any questions, or help you plan a portrait session specific to your needs and the needs of your newborn.
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Ashley Harrison is a Delaware Professional Photographer, specializing in families, children, and babies. I would be honored to speak with you about your next custom portrait session! Please contact me, by phone 302-684-3454, or email: info@ashleyharrisonphotography.com
This post makes my heart break but sometimes it can be difficult to talk about the serious or important things that happen in life. Thank you for bringing up things that might go unnoticed or issues that can be dismissed. We trust our photographers as professionals and we forget that sometimes they have to take days or weeks off for being sick or they may themselves get busy and forget that they should wash their hands before even touching your newborn! Thank you again and I am so glad to hear your family is doing much better!
Thank you Penelope! It can definitely be hard to “call out sick” when you are a photographer, but you are right, we do need sick days sometimes… especially if a newborn is involved! I used to not be as concerned about germs, I suppose I had an attitude of “eh, it’s just a cold… they will be fine! If anything it will build their immune system!” But boy, was I wrong. I no longer feel invincible, and understand more fully the realities of what a sick baby can mean.