There is something so incredibly sweet about a newborn baby photo session. We love to look at these darling cherubs in precious poses. For many of us, those sweet babies remind us of when our own children were brand new and leave some of us wishing for one more baby ourselves.
Newborn photographers are a special breed who make lasting memories for their clients. Stacy Gillard is one such artist. She recently shared a video on TikTok of an exceptional newborn client. Baby Noah was born with spina bifida, and when his parents approached her to be their photographer, she was thrilled.
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Noah’s parents wanted to be sure Gillard could accommodate their special baby.
His mom and dad contacted her before Noah’s birth. They said that he would be born with spina bifida and wanted to know if she could accommodate him, text on the TikTok reads.
Her response? “It would be an honour.”
Gillard wanted to familiarize herself with spina bifida before the shoot.
Text on the video shares that she did an “insane amount of research” to make the photo shoot both comfortable and meaningful for Noah and his family. As seen in the TikTok, she and the baby worked so naturally together during the shoot. He slept peacefully, and she was able to capture beautiful memories.
She highlighted his differences.
The Spina Bifida Association explains that spina bifida affects 166,000 people in the United States and is the most common permanent congenital birth defect.
“It’s a type of neural tube defect (NTD) that occurs when a baby’s neural tube fails to develop or close properly – the literal meaning for Spina Bifida is 'split spine.' Typically occurring within the first 28 days of pregnancy while the neural tube is forming, Spina Bifida often occurs before a woman knows she is pregnant,” according to the organization.
Noah has a purple mark on his back that Gillard was sure to show in the photographs.
The representation of his physical differences made a lot of people happy.
Other spina bifida parents praised Gillard for making Noah’s session memorable.
“As the momma of 2 babies with Spina Bifida, this melts my heart! I wish I had been brave enough to have their newborn pictures done,” a fellow spina bifida mom wrote.
Other parents felt the same. “Fellow Spina Bifida mommy here, thank you for making accommodations for our special babies❤️,” another comment reads.
There were many cheerleaders for Noah and his family.
“I love that the scars are showing honestly. Such a little fighter and him being able to look back and see it can make him proud of who he is,” someone commented.
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The special photo shoot is one that Gillard will remember for a long time.
Her viral video has 1.2 million views. Her caption reads, “The most unique newborn session that we’ll never forget. To be trusted with creating Noah’s first portraits was an absolute honour. We can’t wait to see his finished images back in the studio, and to watch him grow (he’s already booked in for his cake smash). ”
Noah, we can’t wait to see those first birthday photos and hear all about life. We know you are destined to do amazing things.
