Newborn photos with 11-day-old Evelyn

Rob had been sent home, and Micah was waiting in the hospital alone, as per new Covid guidelines. Micah was relaxing on a hospital bed, eating a meal, when suddenly the staff around her started to grow concerned.

Micah felt fine and didn’t understand what was happening, but unbeknown to her, the baby’s heart rate was reaching dangerous highs and the doctors and nurses were concerned about a potential heart attack. It was time for baby to arrive.

With very little warning, Micah was told to call Rob and tell him to drive over as she was wheeled into surgery. Increasingly concerned, he arrived as soon as he could.

Micah had an emergency C-section and little Evelyn was born. The couple weren’t sure whether they were expecting a boy or a girl, and Rob was the one to announce: ‘We’ve got a little girl!’. The tears of relief and delight were shared by all, and the midwives who had been looking after Micah earlier all visited as soon as they could to greet the new arrival.

Choosing the name your baby will have for the rest of their life is a big responsibility, and one which Micah and Rob took seriously. After five days of pondering and testing out different names from their shortlist, they felt ready to opt for their favourite, Evelyn, which they shorten to Evie.

The couple have already been overwhelmed with gifts, including vouchers for COOK ready meals by their neighbours, biscuits from friends and even a bank account in Evelyn’s name from her uncle. One of the most sentimental gifts, though, was this extra-special teddy:

This brown bear was given to them by Evelyn’s granny, who in turn was given it by her husband. Sadly, little Evelyn won’t get to meet her grandpa, George, but she can feel a little closer to him when she gives this bear a big cuddle.

Granny felt a little nervous holding Evelyn at first, but I’m sure she’ll soon feel more confident, especially as she was so excited to become a grandparent (find out the clever method by which Micah and Rob announced their pregnancy to Rob’s mum, on their maternity photoshoot blog, here).

Micah loves Evelyn’s blue eyes while Rob loves her feet, which take after his. She has long, strong legs, which explains why Micah felt so much kicking during her pregnancy!

While there have already been lots of windy smiles, Evelyn’s favourite expression is her sweet frown, so the couple can’t wait for more real smiles to come (hopefully soon!).

It’s only been 11 days but during their newborn photoshoot with me Rob revealed that the time is passing in a strange way. Sometimes it flies past, and sometimes – such as when they can’t work out what a cry means – time seems to go on forever.  They are already doing fantastic, however, and have worked out what several of her cries mean, which means they can respond to and anticipate her needs more quickly.

Rob loves talking to little Evelyn. She’ll stare at him as thought every word is profound, even though he’s just explaining what he’ll use in a spaghetti bolognese recipe, or telling her about something he saw.

Micah praised how well Rob had looked after her, and mentioned how helpful the support and community of their NCT friends has helped them through the experience.

The pair love Christmas and can’t wait to put up lots of lights for Evelyn to look at this year. I’m sure she’ll love them and stare at them as long as she can, based on how much she adored my studio lights!

But in the meantime, try not to grow up too quickly, perfect little Evelyn! 🙂

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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).