Newborn photos with 12-day-old Dorothy

Rhys was abroad on a work trip when Sarah-Jane felt a weird sensation in her stomach. She decided to do a pregnancy test and, to her delight, the result was positive. She knew Rhys would be ecstatic and wanted to tell him face-to-face. However, Rhys wouldn’t be home until Sunday. It was Wednesday.

Somehow, she successfully kept the huge secret, managing to not even drop a hint during her regular phone calls with Rhys or any of her friends and family, who knew they were trying for a baby.

When Rhys finally got home, she suggested they do a pregnancy test together and secretly filmed the result on her phone. In the video, Rhys sits on the stairs near the bathroom, watching the timer on his mobile. He impatiently counts down the last five seconds then jumps up to go and see the result. He looks at the result and then turns to Sarah-Jane, wide-eyed. He turns to check it again and then his voice cracks and he moves towards Sarah-Jane, enveloping her in a big hug.

The video ends just as the couple’s dog, Whisky, jumps up to join in with all the cuddling, and it’s impossible to watch it without getting emotional.

Shorty after, Rhys’s mum bought them a cuddly lamb toy (pictured below) because she knew they were hoping for a baby. They went to see her in person to accept the gift and tell her their good news, again subtly filming the encounter.

“A lamb!” Rhys exclaimed, “very appropriate. A spring baby.”

After a few more hints, Rhys’ mum turns to the couple, confused. “Are you trying to tell me something?” She asks.

They reveal their news and the joy is palpable, with big grins and happy reactions all round. Eight quick months later, and the family have embraced Dorothy’s arrival with the warmest welcome. Her cousin Artie is happy to sit holding her for any length of time while cousin Rose (you can see Rose’s newborn photoshoot here), now two years’ old, has already learned to say Dorothy’s nickname: Dotty.

The highlight so far has been heading home from hospital, after complications meant a six-night stay for Dorothy and her mum. Thankfully, hospital restrictions were eased very recently, to allow new dads to visit their partners throughout the day. Sarah-Jane says she couldn’t have coped without Rhys there to help. And, after regularly being woken for tests and checks during her hospital stay, getting a half-decent sleep at home has helped make everything feel much normal again.

Rhys tells me that Sarah-Jane will be the disciplinarian. It seems she’ll be needed in that role, as Dorothy has already got her dad wrapped around her little finger. 🙂

One of their lovely new-dad moments so far was when Rhys went to do the supermarket shop and decided to wander around the baby clothes section, eventually picking out a yellow dress for his new daughter. After all, a beautiful girl needs a beautiful dress in her wardrobe. 🙂

Midway through the couple’s newborn photoshoot with me, I swaddled little Dorothy. Sarah-Jane and Rhys agreed she looked like a little burrito and we got to talking about our favourite burrito fillings.

Of course, all this talk of burritos was making everyone hungry. So as we wrapped up the last few images, Sarah-Jane and Rhys put in their order with Boho Burrito in Bicester, before heading off to enjoy what I heard later was a massive feast. If you fancy supporting a local business and getting some delicious food, make Sarah-Jane advises being careful not to over-order as the portion sizes are HUGE.

Nevertheless, after six days of hospital food, I’m sure these fab new parents deserved and enjoyed every bite 🙂

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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).