It was late that Thursday night when I last spoke to Yogi confirming all the details of tomorrow’s birth session I was to photograph. We knew everything that was supposed to happen because she was having a scheduled c-section and since she had gone through this once before with the birth of her beautiful daughter, we knew it would be a walk in the park. No surprises since we had made it surprise-free to the c-section date, or so we thought. The very next morning I woke up extra early to squeeze in a Starbucks run before heading to the hospital, because births are always long sessions. I was extra peppy since I had just returned from Louisiana after photographing another birth and I knew that I would be just as excited today. I waited outside of the emergency room entrance just as instructed to get that shot of them arriving to the hospital since I was plenty early. I texted Yogi with no response and just waited. A while later, someone which I had not met approaches me and asks me, “Are you Abby the photographer?” “Yes, I am” “I am Yogi’s husband, let me bring you inside, Yogi is already here.” I thought, well that’s a first that the parents would beat me there. I ask, how come she’s there and is everything alright and he comes to tell me the most crushing news to a birth photographer… “She already had the baby!” The rest of the things he said I quite honestly missed because all I could think was… I missed it.
Turns out that little Gabriel was anxious to make his entrance into the world and Yogi had to be rushed to the hospital during the middle of the night. She forgot her phone at home with all of the chaos and hadn’t plugged in my number in her husband’s phone. Emergency c-section and all the while we were all sleeping. Everything was perfectly okay once Gabriel arrived but that news of not being around for it all made me so sad. That was until I got to see the little one. Such a handsome little man. I would then photograph his story from that moment on, meeting his family members, especially someone that wasn’t quite sure what was going on because being a big sister from one moment to the next isn’t very easy to take in for a toddler. But after Dad took the time to place him in her arms, everything changed and she lit the room with that sparkling smile of hers. I also had the opportunity of following them around for a day at home and decided to put it all together as one big story. The itty bitty baby story of Gabriel… the one that got away!
A few days later at home…
During the time I spent with them I also filmed many of the moments, here it is for you all to see:
Thank you Yogi for allowing me to document your lives as is during such a special time. He’s the sweetest addition anyone could ever ask for!
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Beautiful video! Enjoy him. Xoxo