Philadelphia Newborn Photographer, breastfeeding journey, house full of love

I got to know Reena and Oren a few months before their baby boy arrived. We ran around Rittenhouse Square in the rain for their maternity session, and ended up in the bookstore across the street chatting about all things babies, birth, and breastfeeding. They are such a sweet couple, and very clearly have so much love and respect for each other. But that's a story for another day. Because it just so happens to be World Breastfeeding Week, and I wanted to share this new family's story this week in particular. We all know birth doesn't always go as we plan or hope. Sometimes (usually) the newborn phase doesn't either, and that goes for breastfeeding, too. Sometimes breastfeeding looks like those idyllic images of a relaxed mom and baby, sometimes it looks like sitting up in the dark trying to stay awake and worrying if your baby is getting enough, and often it's everything in between.When I came over for their newborn session, I got to see firsthand how much incredible work this strong mama was putting in to feed her child. After powering through a particularly challenging labor and delivery, Reena then found that she and her baby boy were struggling with breastfeeding. He was nursing, but the docs were concerned he wasn't gaining enough. Breastfeeding can look totally different for each nursing parent, and in Reena's case it looked like nursing plus pumping plus supplementing, and so much conflicting advice coming from all directions. I can only imagine how exhausting it is to be freshly postpartum and adjusting to a new baby, as well as trying to navigate these extra curveballs. Being tired is a normal part of being a new parent, and these guys were getting more than their fare share.But as I sat there with them, letting Reena and baby take their time, seeing Oren support them both, watching the three of them together, I was struck by the immense amount of love and tenderness between them. I'm sure, when no one was there watching, there were plenty of emotions, frustration, anxiety, all of the things new parents feel when they're trying to figure out how to care for this new little one. But what I saw, beyond any of that struggle, was strength, determination, and so so so much love.So I hope that one day, when their little boy isn't so little anymore, and he looks at this pictures, he sees how much his parents adore him. I hope he sees how fierce his mama is, and how she fought for what was best for him, and what a special connection they share. And I hope that's what his parents see, too.

And on a side note, better than "breast is best" or "fed is best", I love "informed in best". Because we don't live in an idyllic world, but we can fight to get new parents the education and resources they need to make the best decisions for their babies. We're all just doing the best we can <3I would love to hear about your story, and help you document it for your own babies to enjoy one day.