Newborn photos at 20 days’ old

The arrival of a new baby is always an exciting milestone for a family, but even more so when she’s the first grandchild on one side of the family, and first granddaughter on the other.

With her gorgeous big eyes, adorable cheeks and perfect little lips, this baby arrived with a full head of hair from day one. After a challenging labour and birth, seeing her for the first time made it all worthwhile.

“The staff at the Stoke Mandeville maternity unit were exceptional,” dad told me, “I left there thinking there’s not one thing they could’ve done better.”

Indeed, that trip home from the hospital is still a highlight for dad. He loves cars (and even has a couple of VW Golf racing wins under his belt!), and there was something very special about driving home with baby in the back for the first time. Indeed, her arrival marks the culmination of an international romance.

Dad was representing the family company while meeting with a distributor in China a few years ago, where he first saw his future wife-to-be. The pair got chatting, and from really early on, he had a strong feeling: “she’s the one.”

He booked some holiday so he could spend more time getting to know her, and he felt more sure than ever. He met the parents (and vice versa) and they started planning a life together, starting with a fabulous wedding at The Dairy, Waddesdon. She has now become part of the family business, and so still gets to meet and interact with staff from her previous company.

Baby’s mum will certainly be passing on a huge educational advantage to the little one: not only is she fluent in Mandarin, but she’s a maths whizz, too. Baby will also benefit from the best aspects of the Eastern and Western cultures she has inherited.

Dad loves how Chinese families often go out for food together, in huge groups of 40 or even 50 relatives, and wants to bring this family focus to the fore of baby’s life. He’s certainly walking the walk, spending lots of time with his lovely family and becoming a crucial part of their very successful, family-owned business.

The first 20 days’ have sped by, with lots of feeds, nappy changes and a few sleepless nights, too. Nevertheless, the couple have adjusted well, and take it in turns to take care of all the new tasks that are now part of their daily life.

The maternal grandparents are staying over for a few months to help the new parents settle into family life. Meanwhile, the paternal grandparents are just down the road and equally as eager to help out (especially by providing lots of cuddles for baby!). They very kindly bought this newborn photoshoot as a Christmas gift for the mum- and dad-to-be, and so it was especially lovely to meet them and photograph them with their very first granddaughter. 🙂

*Names have been withheld on request.

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

Sarah Plater LMPA is an award-winning qualified, certified professional newborn and family portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire. She is the Master Photographers Association Newborn Photographer of the Year 2019 for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).