Everything was perfect. The pregnancy progressed without complications, Dad made it back in time to spend some family time before Graham’s arrival, and the delivery went quickly but the birth photographer still made it in time to photograph his entrance to the world. The Gushen family was over the moon with their new baby boy. But after Baby Graham’s arrival their world fell apart. A nurse noticed baby wasn’t pinking up and was slightly blue. They took him in for a quick assessment that ended with the dreaded words “You need to make arrangements to travel by Life Flight within the hour”. Instead of getting the rest and time to bond with their new baby, they were hearing devastating news and making life changing decisions. There was absolutely no indication or warning during the pregnancy of anything being wrong with baby.
It turns out Graham was born with a heart defect which has it essentially “pumping blood backwards” according to his mom. My own daughter was in the NICU with breathing problems so I know the gut wrenching emotions that accompany a child in the hospital. I wanted to reach out and help them. So I piled all my kids in the minivan and traveled from Pinehurst to Charlotte to photograph this little guy. Although these aren’t quite the images she was expecting when she was envisioning her newborn portraits, I hope they bring a bring a bright spot to this difficult time. Graham will still be having his newborn session but it will be a little later, after he heals and is out of the hospital.
He had a procedure done the day before I arrived to allow for bloodflow in his heart and prepare it for surgery. But one of the effects of the surgery was the mixing of unoxygenated and oxygenated blood so his O2 levels were low enough for the sensors to go off every 10 minutes or so. If you’ve ever had a baby in the NICU, you know how unsettling the sensors going off is.
Graham was so sweet and attentive while I was photographing him. He would track me with his eyes and roll his head away from the window light when I tried to adjust him to get a better angle. He even held up his own head when the nurses flipped him on his belly. Such a strong four day old!
It’s said God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, but that’s not true. In His infinite wisdom he does give us larger burdens than we can bear on our own. Graham is blessed to be born into a strong family but they still need help. Prayers, kind words of support, and even an extra hug for your own loved ones would be much appreciated by this family. And if you feel lead to give, a fund has been set up to help deflect the costs of an extended hospital stay. You can donate to that fund HERE.
