Newborn photoshoot with 3-week-old Giovana

From a young age, Edi knew she wanted to live in England.

And so, a few months after she turned 18, she moved here from Brazil. She didn’t speak English and didn’t have a job, so began work as a cleaner while she got to grips with the language.

Over time, she became fluent, and now works in corporate finance and law, supporting international companies with their accounts.

She met Candy at an Oxford nightclub called Plush just over a decade ago, and they fell in love, getting married six years ago at a beautiful country manor.

They made a life together with their beloved dog Fifi, but one thing they wanted more than anything else was a baby to love.

Finally, little Giovana has arrived in their lives, breaking hearts everywhere with her sweet features and amazingly full head of hair.

After initially working together to meet Giovana’s needs, they’ve found taking shifts to care for her has been more effective, especially as Edi doesn’t function well without her sleep!

Candy has a hospitality background, as her family run the incredible Grand Village Imperial Chinese restaurant here in Bicester as well as the Village Super Asian Supermarket.*

This means Candy is well-used to eating dinner as late as 11pm, and heading for bed at 3am or 4am. All of which means her body is well-equipped to adapt to newborn life!

A trickier job was choosing Giovana’s name. Candy had also worked as a water babies instructor, teaching littles one to swim, and wanted their baby to have a name she didn’t already associate with a child she’d taught!

This narrowed down the options somewhat, but the couple loved Giovana as it honours Edi’s Italian heritage.

Talking of which, little Giovana is likely to grow up a polyglot, as her parents know Italian, Portuguese and Chinese between them.

Candy is also hoping Giovana enjoys Lego as much as she does, and can’t wait to put together all the Lego sets she’s been saving for when she finally gets the chance to sit down and build!

Candy is also a big sports fan, so will no doubt be cheering on the sidelines at Giovana’s first netball or hockey match.

For Edi, a highlight is likely to be taking Giovana shopping, or perhaps teaching Giovana to sing and knit.

Whatever Giovana loves doing most as she grows up, one thing is for sure: from the very moment her mum and Mamma first saw her as a tiny embryo, she was already loved more than any child could dream of. ?

*Top tip: while the Grand Village Imperial serves all the much-loved favourites you would expect from a Chinese restaurant, they also offer an authentic menu with food that is more akin to what people in China actually eat. The prawn-stuffed pepper is a particular recommendation!

“We cannot recommend Sarah enough after our recent newborn photoshoot. She made us feel very relaxed and we knew our baby was in very good hands too. She was both professional and friendly, and made the whole experience very enjoyable, and now we have these special photos to cherish forever, so thank you!”

Edi, newborn photography client from Bicester, Oxfordshire

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

Sarah Plater AMPA is an award-winning qualified, certified professional newborn and family portrait photographer based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

She is the Master Photographers Association Young Families Portrait Photographer of the Year 2022 and Newborn Photographer of the Year 2019 for the Central Region (covering Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire).