Meet NICU Graduate Newborn Baby Kai | July Spotlight | Boise NICU Newborn Photographer
What was baby Kai’s gestation and size when he was born?
Kai is one of the bravest, strongest, little NICU warriors that I have met so far. Baby Kai was born at 25 weeks 6 days, weighing a mere 2lbs 2oz. He is considered a micro-preemie. Micro-preemies are babies that are born before 26 weeks gestation.
Why was baby Kai in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit?
Kai’s mother, Tawny, started having random cramping one day. She went in on the second day to get checked. She was having contractions, but wasn’t showing that she was dilated. However, within 30 minutes, she went from 0 to 100 and when they checked her, her water was bulging, and then it broke. The first 3 days in the NICU were very tough, trying to cope with the unexpected and gain an understanding of all the medical terminology. Baby Kai had two major brain bleeds (grade 3 and 4) on both right and left side of his brain. He also had lung hemorrhage and had pocket of air in his lung, which was fixed without major intervention. He was on the ventilator for 2 months. He had severe hydrocephalus which needed early intervention around 3 weeks to relieve the pressure. Then he had to get a drain to release excess fluid that was building up in his brain.
What kind of treatment and procedures did baby Kai have to undergo in the NICU?
Baby Kai was transferred from one hospital to the other for the drain procedure. They did not have good experience and believe medical mistakes were made that could have killed him if Mama wasn’t such a good advocate. The first hospital they were at had donor-based milk fortifier while the hospital they were transferred to had cow-based fortifier (Similac). Mama was not happy about that, but didn’t realize she had a choice to use just her breast milk. Poor baby Kai ended up getting NEC (Necrotizing enterocolitis), which is a common complication with preemies. Kai underwent 7 days of antibiotics and IV nutrition. He also had inguinal hernia and had to have surgery for that. When he had medical NEC, his intestines ended up sticking to the internal sac and they had to cauterize.
Kai was on the drain for hydrocephalus for about a week. They were taking about 5ml of fluid out of his brain. He started having Brady’s and dips with ventilation. Mom made call that they should take drain out or lower dose of fluid coming out (had had about 100ml taken out at that point). He then needed to have a subgaleal shunt. They were not able to make the CPAP work, so he was re-intubated for a few weeks until he could breathe better on nasal canula. Doctors put him on albuterol to help with bronchial inflammation. After the albuterol treatment, he was tachychardic for a long time (up to 240bpm). He was puffy from fluid retention and needed a diuretic. They gave him two rounds, which was probably excessive. Then he ended up needing a blood transfusion.
When first transferred to the other hospital, he was out of the incubator with humidity, but they put him back in just because that’s what they typically do until 34 weeks Gestational Age. They said the benefit of the incubator is to help with dry skin. He ended up getting overheated and getting a fever because he was too hot.
Kai was transferred back to the first hospital after the subgaleal shunt was installed, where he stayed for 9 weeks until they went back to the other hospital for a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt. They were there for a few weeks and then hey got discharged.
How is baby Kai doing now?
Kai came home on a feeding tube and he pulled it out just days before his photo shoot. They are currently evaluating how he handles feeding without the tube to see whether he can keep it out. He was technically just over 4 months old when I went to take his photo, but very much still a newborn at only 1 month gestational age.
This family has been through so much during their NICU journey and they are some of the strongest people. It is clear that Kai is incredibly loved and he is lucky to have such fierce parents advocating for him.
In-Home Newborn Photography in Star, Idaho | Boise Newborn Photographer
It was such a privilege to be allowed into this family’s home during the first weeks of their precious baby girls new life to capture newborn photos for them. She was such a great little model and didn’t pee on my blanket until the very end of the photo shoot! Her big brothers were just smitten with her, especially the youngest, who is 8 years old and super excited to be a big brother.
There is something so intimate about an in-home newborn photo session, about being let into someone’s home in the midst of their sleep deprivation and the huge adjustment to having a new member of the household. However, it’s also super convenient not just for new moms, but for families with older kids as well. When the kids are at home, they can run around and play in their natural environment in between being called in for pictures. Mom can relax and even wait to freshen up until I am there and setting up. If the family wants to use any special props, like outfits or blankets that have been gifted to the baby, they don’t have to worry about gathering everything up and bringing it to a studio, or even worse, forgetting something at home! Yes, you can get professional newborn photos in the comfort and convenience of your own home.
Did I mention another benefit for new families to have newborn photography done in the comfort of your own home? You don’t have to worry about bringing snacks for your older kids or for Mom/Dad! Most newborn photo sessions run 2-3 hours long, so if someone gets hungry, it’s pretty quick and easy to run into the kitchen and grab something to eat!
What happens if it’s an overcast day or you don’t have great natural light in your house? You don’t have to worry! I bring external photography lights. These newborn photos were all taken on a very dark and cloudy day. You know, one of those weird summer days where it just rains and rains? Yep! It was one of those days and we still got beautiful portraits.
So, if you’re in the Boise metro area and interested in getting in-home newborn portraits, let’s chat!
Fall Maternity Photos in the Foothills | Boise Maternity Photographer
Fall is a great time for maternity portraits. Heck, Fall is a great time for any kind of portraits! Motherhood portraits, breastfeeding portraits, family portraits, you name it. Why is fall such a great time for a portrait session? Well, here in Boise, Fall is the time of year when you don’t have to worry about the unrelentless summer heat, the unpredictable wind or rain of spring, and the cold of winter. So what? Well, that means you can dress comfortably in that summer dress and not worry about having to bring a bunch of layers to coordinate your outfit or shivering between photos and faking a genuine smile. You don’t have to worry about sweating your makeup off in the summer heat or the dreaded wet armpits!
Here at Keepsake Reflections, we love outdoor maternity portrait sessions, and although we do them year round, we simply love outdoor photo sessions during the fall. Of course, I talked about being comfortable temperature wise, but did I also mention the time of sunset? It’s perfect in the fall! In the summer, sunset in Boise is not until 9:30pm on the Summer Solstice and it’s just after 5pm on the Winter Solstice. Since I always shoot in the 2 hours before sunset, that makes for a late session start during the summer and an early session during the winter.
Oh yes, let’s us not forget about Fall Colors! Who doesn’t love fall colors? I’m not sure about you, but the changing leaves always make me a bit nostalgic. They are like a marker of time, that another year has passed by. They feel like good reminder to get your family pos updated just before the holidays! But don’t wait until you see the leaves changing color to book your portrait session, chances are, your photographer will already be booked out!
Did you know there are lots of flowering plant in the fall in the arid shrublands of the Boise Foothills? Yep! Sunflowers, sagebrush, rabbitbrush, and plenty of other flowers like to make their show in the fall. These flowers make for a great backdrop or add texture and dimension to a photo with an extra pop of color.
Meet NICU Graduate Marley Rae!
Meet NICU Graduate MarleyRae! This little fighter just turned 3 years old, and I had the chance to photograph her right before her birthday. This Boise NICU Project portrait session was so fun and this little girl just sparkled, literally!
Marley was born at 33 weeks weighing in at 3 lbs 10 oz. Mama had a difficult pregnancy from the beginning, starting with a strange rash. Turns out this can happen when pregnant with twins. Sadly, MarleyRae's twin was lost early in the pregnancy 😢 Poor Mama had all the difficulties of a twin pregnancy without the reward of both babies.
Mama spent over a week in the hospital due to high blood pressure and she was being monitored for severe #preeclampsia. She awoke early in the morning to the worst headache she had ever experienced. Shortly thereafter, MarleyRae was born via emergency C-section.
Meet NICU Graduate Baby Baylor
Meet Baby Baylor! This little fighter was born at 27+5, weighed just 2lb 1oz at birth, and spent 85 days in the NICU.
It was Sunday evening and Momma Taylor was over at her mom's house for dinner when she started experiencing a very bad headache. They were headed home and she didn't want to go to the hospital because she had a doctors appointment the next morning. She was already being monitored for pre pre-eclampsia because she had high blood pressure. When the migraine became so severe that Taylor told her husband that she felt like she was going to vomit, he immediately pulled off the highway and took her to the hospital (Good job Dad!!). At the hospital, there was a whole line of people and they were taking everyone's temperature and blood pressure as they were checking in. Taylor said she did not even get to sit down and wait before they came to get her and took her back. Taylor was immediately given two steroid shots to help speed lung development of the baby.
Since Taylor was less than 32 weeks pregnant, and they were at St. Luke's Meridian, they had to stabilize her so that she could be transported the next morning to St. Luke's Boise, which has a Level 4 NICU. Learn about what level of NICU care is provided at the different St. Lukes locations in the Treasure Valley.
What are the different Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) levels?
Level I: Basic newborn care. Level 1 nurseries care for healthy, full-term babies.
Level II: Advanced newborn care. Level 2 can care for babies with a gestational age of 32 weeks or greater.
Level III: Subspecialty newborn care. Level 3 NICU can care for babies born at 27 weeks of gestation or greater.
Level IV: Highest level of neonatal care. Level 4 NICU can care for babies as young as 22 weeks gestation and weighing less than 1 pound 13 ounces.
Taylor was in the hospital for 2 days before baby Baylor was born. Afterwards, Taylor spent 12 hours a day in the NICU with her baby. For the whole first month, she was not even allowed to hold him because he had such a bad gag reflux and would sometimes throw up just from being touched.
One of the hardest parts of their journey was that so many people knew that Baby Baylor had been born and wanted to meet him, but no one was allowed in the NICU because of restricted visitation. One of the great things about this journey was getting to know so many of the nurses on a more personal level. The support of her husband was what helped her get through, especially during the early days after delivery when she was tired and loopy from birth and the magnesium she was being given. Dad actually learned from the lactation consultant how to express milk and pump for her because she couldn't wake up to do it on her own. Then he taught her how to do it 👏
#StLukesBoise #nicumama #preeclampsia #boisenicubabyproject #StLukesNicu #nicubaby #NICUmom #NICUgraduate #NICUstrong #Boisephotographer #BoiseMoms #NICUwarrior #BoiseNICUbaby
Motherhood and Breastfeeding Portraits on the Ranch | Boise Motherhood Photographer
Home on the ranch
No, I did not grow up on this ranch. But Colorado is home. And my sister lives on this ranch. So I was home in Colorado staying with my sister on the ranch. I did not have child care for a few weeks and so, knowing that I would have to take time off of work anyway, I decided to go to Colorado and visit family while I was taking time off to care for my son. This ranch in Sedalia has such stunning views, I had to take advantage of it while I was there. Plus, it was close to Mother’s day and I wanted to do something special for my sisters who are both mothers. My stepsister, who is about 4 months older than me, was also pregnant at the same time I was pregnant with my son and we both had the same exact DUE DATE! What are the odds? We also both did not know the gender of our babies until they were born. Her son was born 3 days before mine was.
Outdoor breastfeeding portraits
I was so excited to take professional motherhood photos of my stepsister and her children, including my nephew who is the same age as my son. When I asked if she would like breastfeeding portraits, I got an enthusiastic YES! She has breastfeed all of her children for at least 3 years. The youngest is only one year old and is the only one still breastfeeding. It was so special to be able to capture some beautiful photographs of the mother-child bond and their breastfeeding journey. These are the tender moments that us mothers want to look back on and hold in our hearts forever. Thanks to photography, we can!
Maternity Portraits in the Boise Foothills | Boise Maternity Photographer
Fall Maternity Portraits in the Boise Foothills
I had such a good time getting out in the Boise Foothills last fall for this maternity photo session. The couple was so endearing and there is just something about the sagebrush at that time of year. Oh yeah, it makes me sneeze! Sagebrush flowers in the fall. So does rabbit brush. Does anybody else get nostalgic in the fall?
Why get maternity photos?
There is nothing quite as beautiful as a pregnant woman! Even if you are self conscious about the pregnancy weight gain, or you just don’t feel as attractive when you look in the mirror, chances are the rest of the world is looking at you and thinking you look amazing! Pregnancy is the beginning of motherhood. Pregnancy is huge and dangerous task - growing another human! There is a reason the world looks upon pregnant women with a sense of awe and wonder! But I digress… anyway, even if you don’t feel like a pretty pregnant woman, chances are your maternity photos will become one of your most valued keepsakes as you fondly look back on this time in your life in the years to come. There is pretty much zero chance that you will regret getting maternity photos taken. There is a much bigger chance that if you don’t have any maternity photos, you will look back to this time years down the road and wish that you did.
Have I told you about my sister who had kids more than 10 years before I did? Unfortunately, at that time in my life I did not specialize in maternity and motherhood photography and I did not boss her into doing a maternity photo shoot. I did, however, show up at her house near the end of her second pregnancy and convince her to take some photos in her living room and in her back yard. She was not very willing, but she went along with it anyway. I guess it’s hard to say no to your little sister? She never had any photos taken during her first pregnancy. Now, all these years later, she has told me how much she appreciates having those photos, because they are the only ones she has of herself when she was pregnant. Those photos marked a special moment in time. Those photos show the amazing power of her body to carry a child and the early days/years of her motherhood journey.
Motherhood Photography in the Boise Foothills | Boise Motherhood Photographer
Breastfeeding and Motherhood Portraits
I had such a wonderful time meeting this gorgeous mother in the Boise Foothills for an outdoor breastfeeding and motherhood photo shoot! Mama was so brave and baby girl was a trooper staying up way past her normal bedtime of 5:30pm so that we could take photos during the golden hour. But more importantly, what 6 month old baby goes to bed at 5:30pm? What I would have given for my son to go to bed at 5:30 when he was that age (or even now)!!! I remember those days… I would spend hours every night trying to get him down. I always hoped he would go down by 7:30-8pm, but he usually wasn’t sleeping until 11pm. I count this mama as lucky in the “sleeping baby” department!
Photo of mother holding baby in a field of grass and flowers at sunset.
More about Outdoor Motherhood Photo Sessions
Outdoor motherhood photography sessions are so much fun! The boise foothills make such a beautiful backdrop for photo shoots. I love the light at Golden Hour and prefer to always photograph during the 2 hours before sunset in order to get the best light. Outdoor photo sessions can be held at a location that is special to you, or I am happy to recommend a location as well.
Photo of a mother breastfeeding her baby in the Boise Foothills
In-Home Studio-style Newborn Portraits | Boise Newborn Photographer
Yes, you can have professional newborn photos taken in the comfort of your home!
In-home studio-style photos are the perfect option if you want clean and timeless newborn photos without the hassle of traveling to a studio or having to clean and organize your house for a lifestyle portrait session.
Photo of a newborn baby lying tummy down on a white blanket, with a white swaddle draped over her back. Baby has her eyes closed and a big smile.
How does it work?
We bring our traveling photography studio to you! We just need a clear floor space approximately 8’x6’ in a room with a window where we can set everything up. You get to sit back and relax in the comfort of your own home. No more worrying about packing a diaper bag, getting everybody ready and out the door in time, driving through traffic and being on time, or forgetting a change of clothes when baby spits up on you or you has a blowout. A what?? It’s ok, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, just keep reading. We make it simple for you. All you have to do is be there and be ready for photos. You don’t even have to worry about outfits for your baby (although if you have a special one picked out, we are happy to incorporate it into some of the photos). So, sit back, relax, and let us come to you!
Photo of a newborn baby wrapped in a white swaddle with toes peeking out.
Worried about your home not being perfectly decorated, clean, or organized?
There is no need to worry! With a studio-style photography session, we set up a backdrop and voila! Your home is not photographed in the background, so you don’t have to worry about it being clean or perfectly decorated like a magazine. Because who really has a house like that anyway? I know I don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I love my house, but it is not picture perfect like a magazine. With studio-style in-home portraits, you would never know if the photos were taken in a small manufactured home or a large mansion (yes, I’ve done both)!
Photo of mother holding and kissing newborn baby
Motherhood Portraits For My Sister | Boise Motherhood Photographer
My sister is one of the best Moms that I know
My sister is only a couple years older than me, but she has been a mother for nearly a decade longer than me. She has always been an inspiration for me when I think about being a mom. She is such an amazing mom, I actually used to joke with her about whether she would raise my kids for me if I ever had them. Kidding aside, if I was not able to raise my child myself, she is the first person I would want to do it for me. So, for her birthday and for a million other reasons, I wanted to gift her this special “Motherhood” portrait session.
Photo of mother and two daughters sitting in a field at sunset
I styled my sister and her daughters for this photo session!
While I love my sister to pieces, the last time I offered to take some family portraits for her, their outfits were anything but coordinating! Blue, red, and yellow could work well together. However, each person’s outfit had a strong pattern and that’s where things got a little too busy. So, this time, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I was walking around Ross one day and I found the dress my sister is wearing in the photo above. I though it would look pretty in a photo shoot. So, I kept browsing around and I was lucky enough to find the two dresses that my nieces are wearing as well - both the only dresses of that style and in the right size. BINGO! Guess how much I spent on outfits for all 3 girls? That’s right, less than $50 total!
This is a wardrobe that had no styling guidance - notice the clashing patterns.
Worried about what to wear for your own family or motherhood portrait session?
Don’t worry! As part of my service when you book with me, I offer styling guidance for coordinating your family’s wardrobe. I am here to help you create and achieve the portraits of your dreams!