Sibling & Newborn Portraits with 12-day-old Rylee

When she received a £50 gift from her aunt with instructions to ‘treat herself’, Kim knew exactly how she wanted to spend the money.

She had just welcomed her fourth son into the household, and as a lifelong lover of the beautiful newborn art of Anne Geddes, she wanted to capture her newest arrival’s tiny-ness in his first few days of life.

Happily, she booked a newborn photoshoot with me, and I was lucky enough to spend time with this big-hearted, good-humoured and very loving family.

Kim and her partner Lee hadn’t been planning any more additions to their family. They already had twins Kai and Kaden (13 years’ old) and 10-year-old Regan when Kim realised she was going to have another baby.

In fact, little Rylee was a hidden surprise right up until Kim was 21 weeks’ pregnant. Accordingly, the family nicknamed the new arrival ‘spud’, because they were in the dark for so long!

Rylee’s name is of Irish and Gaelic origin and means ‘courageous’.

He certainly lived up to the description, fighting off an infection in the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) shortly after being born.

Mum and dad were back and forth to the hospital, while trying to keep everything running back at home: school runs, laundry and dinners for the older boys, as well as all the other responsibilities of looking after a household.

Kai, Kaden and Regan were getting used to the new routine when mum pulled up in the car and asked for their help carrying things inside.

Dad pulled out the baby carrier, which had sat empty in the car while Rylee was staying in the SCBU. The boys were confused – why bother moving it when they’d only need to put it back in when Rylee was healthy and well again?

That’s when Dad turned the carrier around, so they could see it wasn’t empty anymore: little Rylee was finally home.

The boys cheered and rushed over, showering their youngest sibling with love, cuddles and attention.

This is the second part of what Kim wanted to capture during her photoshoot with me: how tiny Rylee looks next to his brothers, and how beautiful their love for him is.

Because yes, Rylee was a complete surprise, but such a wonderful one. And now the family can’t imagine life without him. 🙂

“Well I dont actually know where to start! Sarah is absolutely amazing at what she does, both myself and my 12 day old son were welcomed with open arms at her very homely but professional studio. The whole experience was extremely relaxing (which is hard to imagine with a newborn) but Sarah literally took control and was amazing with my precious baby. Also later on in the day my 3 other sons joined us for more photos which I was dreading due to 2 of them being teenagers and photoshoots weren’t their thing!! But Sarah was brilliant at making them feel relaxed and engaged in fun conversations which they all responded amazingly to and as a result had more fantastic photos taken.
I found the whole experience amazing and Sarah’s work is to an extremely high standard therefore I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her to everyone I know. Thank you so much Sarah!”

Kim, Newborn Photography Client from Bicester, Oxfordshire

I love to see clients’ images on their walls! Kim opted for this gorgeous canvas print over her fireplace:

If you’re interested in newborn portraits or family photography in and around Bicester and/or Oxfordshire, please get in contact:

Sarah Plater LMPA is a qualified, certified professional newborn and family portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.