Beautiful Isabella and her IUI story on how she came into the wordSo it’s been a while since I last posted a blog, we’ve been so busy with lots of gorgeous newborns we’ve just not had time to catch up after the Christmas period. A few weeks back we welcomed baby Isabella into the studio with her mummy and momar. Isabella had been long awaited by Cloey and her partner Nicole after their first round of IUI sadly wasn’t successful. Their story started when they got referred via their doctor to the Leicester Fertility clinic. They had as many tests, examinations and procedures done via the NHS as possible, before having to go private to try and convince for Isabella. It took them nearly 2 years to get to the cycle part. We wanted to show everyone a little insight into the whole process as usually this is such a private journey but both Cloey and Nicole are very open and passionate about how they got her here. When we spoke with Cloey she said people don’t realise just quite how much you have to go through and explained it to us so here is a little bit from her. ‘You have to take medication before the IUI and months before, your whole lifestyle has to be changed before your allowed to start. Most appointments included lot of tests, forms, painful examinations, counselling appointments. Sometimes not knowing if it’s all going to work was emotionally draining, as sometimes the sperm donors’ numbers and motility etc can vary. Which gives you a less success rate. We were told IUI itself only had the highest success rate of 15%. We would have only been offered it free via NHS if we had 5 failed IUIs then the 6th would be IVF funded by NHS which is already thousands and thousands to get there. But obviously we would have carried on paying and paying for our miracle. It’s a long hard emotional roller coaster of a journey. A right mix of different emotions. But when your there it’s like you never even went through what you did just to get pregnant and once you’re holding your baby in your arms every last painful examination, blood tests, medication, money and emotional stress seems like it was a life time ago. For anyone who has had IVF treatment you will know the long and hard process this is and to get those two lines pop up on that stick is such a long awaited overwhelming feeling.’ It was lovely to follow Cloey and Nicole’s pregnancy journey on Instagram, and I remember seeing their gender reveal video; both of their reactions had me close to tears and knowing that they both had longed for their little made it so much more special to watch. We also saw a part of their journey through window to the womb at Leicester when they had a private scan with them and shared a part of their story with their followers too. Not only were they becoming mummy’s but Isabella also has a fur brother, skip. We also welcomed him into the studio, so we could capture some images of them both together and some family images too. If you’re a follower of my work you will know I’ve captured a few families with fur siblings, so it was lovely to be able to do this again for Cloey and her family. For their family images we captured them first all in matching outfits which was tartan print. It stood out lovely on the photos and was such a nice touch to add to the images. Here are a few images from skip and Isabella together and their favourite family of mine. For this session we were asked to do some skin on skin images which I love doing; there is nothing more precious than holing your baby tightly and just taking that moment in! This moment is raw, pure, emotion and shows the bond between child and parent(s). After all they do say skin to skin contact has so many benefits. Studies show that skin to skin contact after birth and in the coming weeks help calm and soothe babies, stimulates digestion and an interest in feeding and simulates the release of hormones which helps with the bonding process. 
 I’m super excited that Cloey and Nicole have allowed me to share these beautiful images. With this being such a private and intimate process for them both I am truly honoured they chose me to capture such an important part of their lives. Here are some of my most favourite images from this part of their session. Usually at this point we’d stop and give little ones a feed but Isabella absolutely rocked it for us and was still being amazing so we carried on straight through the session. Keeping in mind with the colours schemes around the family home we stuck to greys and white beanbag fabrics.    We also did various props which included one of my favourite images of baby in parent’s hands. We ether do this with one of each parent’s hands or just with the hands of one parent. In this case we used both Cloey and Nicole’s hands for this. From this pose we also capture our new digital image of baby appearing inside what looks like the sac of when they are in the womb. 
 I could spend hours going on and on about this session and showing you all the images as it was truly an honour to capture and be a part of their journey. Plus, Isabella was such a star and made doing her session such a joy.
For more information on IUI/IVF treatment visit http://www.leicesterfertilitycentre.org.uk For more information on the sessions I have to offer please visit the our website.
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Newborn Photography Session, LeicesterI’d like to introduce the Pateman’s back into the studio, this time with a new addition to the family, Evelyn. For this newborn session I got to capture adorable Evelyn and her big sister Isabella too. We first met the family over a year ago when they came to us for a newborn session when Isabella was born. It was so lovely to be able to see how grown up Isabella was along with meeting their new addition too. So of course the first thing we started with for their session was the sibling images. Isabella made it so simple for us and was amazing for her photos. We always ask parents to bring a few of their favourite toys so that we can hide them in the props which helps them to look in the right direction. If you’re a follower of my blogs, you’ll know sibling images are done as a composite. This is where we take the image of sibling and empty prop and then take one of baby in the prop one their own and add the images together. This is the safest way to get these images. 
 Mum and Dad had requested we did the session in a different style for Evelyn so when their images are on their legacy wall they would clearly be able to see a difference between the two girls, so we ensured we used different props and backdrops so the photos weren’t the same. We captured some beautiful images of Evelyn on some of our floral backdrops. As you can see from these two images here we captured two images differently just by showing little elbows and shoulders in one but not in the other.   On top of this I always ensure I captured a few images at certain angles so that I Create different images by not disturbing baby too much. 
Family Session- LeicesterHere at bumps Baby Beyond as much as I specialise in newborn photography I offer a wide range of other sessions too. Our sessions include Maternity, Newborn, Sitter’s Cake Smash and Family sessions. I also offer various mini sessions throughout the year and family sessions. A few weeks back I got to meet Zain along with his mummy and daddy. Mum wanted to buy her husband a present he could remember for his birthday, and what’s better than a present that last’s a life time! I am so honored to capture families, we are so often the ones behind the camera taking the images of our children, but it is so important to exist. Exist in those photos with your children so one day, they have something to look back on, look back on and remember you being at their side. After all these photos last a life time, so as much as you remember that moment in time you may forget the little details. The way they smiled, the way they laughed, the way their hair fell…all the little details that time has a way of forgetting. I always discuss what to wear for sessions prior to them happening so that each client knows what to expect and so that all the colours work together in a beautiful contrast. As you can see from some of these images here I also like to capture a range of images from standing up to laying down. This helps to ensure that each image captures at different positions and angles. It’s also captures each moment as it happens and all the giggles and love that they have for each other. We create some gorgeous long lasting images for this family and hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I did capturing them. A good friend of mine, in Preston Lancashire also offers family images, Emily Frances is a family photographer.   Baby Photoshoot Leicester, East MidlandsWe welcomed Brooke into the studio here at Bumps Baby Beyond, Whetstone for a newborn session along with her Mummy, Daddy and proud big brother. Firstly, to say it was an absolute pleasure to have them in the studio! She was amazing. We captured so many images as she slept through them all without even waking once. This of course is thanks to his mummy Louise for preparing him for the session. Ahh, I hear you ask, how can you prepare a newborn for a photo session? Well there is various tips and tricks we have that helps. firstly, we always ask that you try to keep your little one awake at least an hour before the session preferably two. We understand that this may be hard and throws routine out sometimes but it really does help. As much as you think oh they always sleep when they come to us, we have to undress them, move them from prop to prop and move little fingers into place so they are being handle way more than at home when they fall sleep and get put down. Ways to keep your newborn awake are simple things like giving them a bath, placing them on their play matt, singing to them. Secondly, we always advice to feed just before you head out of home to come here. This way they usually drift off into a deep sleep (due to being kept awake) and once you arrive we can get straight on with the session and get as many images as possible. These two are the main key factors to help prepare your little one but it also helps to enable us to get the images that you want. Of course babies are human, and can be unpredictable so I always say to come with an open mind and to priorities the images you want. Of course, with little Brookes session this wasn’t an issue and we captured so many images it was hard to narrow them down to show you. As you can see we kept majority of the images simple but with colour. We still used a few plain coloured backdrops to that we had the variety and the option to input images into our digital backdrops too. As you can see from this white backdrop and the grey. This also ensured that the images would match any décor and make lovely gifts to family members. We also captured Brooke in a few of our nature props, the bowl and the bed with these both we tied in blue and pink to add that extra pop of colour which mum had chosen. And of course we had to capture the proud big brother moment. It’s always so nice to see when a sibling is so happy and excited with having a younger sibling. After all they do have to grow up together for many years to come even if that time does fly by for us.
 Another amazing photographer is, NC Hopes Photogrpahy, she specialises in Family, Maternity, Cake Smash and Baby Photographer in Stockport around Cheshire.
Maternity & Newborn Photogrpahy Session, LeicestershireBeautiful baby James... I had the honour of capturing him inside his mummy’s tummy before he made his appearance on the 18th of January 2018. James’s mummy and daddy opted for an indoor session here at Bumps Baby Beyond with the weather outside being far too cold to have images taken. With maternity sessions we aim for sessions to take place between 32-36 weeks. This is so that bump is big enough at 32 weeks but not too close to their due date at 36 weeks. After all the guidelines do say that babies can come from 37 weeks +. Not always the case, especially for all you mummies who end up being overdue and eagerly waiting to meet your little one. During his mummy’s maternity session, we captured a variety of images, some on dark backdrops some on light and some seminude images. We even captured daddy giving James a cuddle and a kiss. These images really capture mums bump and the close bond between them all. We managed to capture so many different shots. I found it really hard to dwindle them down to show you all. 
  After Sue’s maternity she decided she wished to book in for a newborn session too. I love when this happens, it is so nice to be able to capture a little tiny person growing inside their mum’s tummy and then get to meet them once there born. For James shoot we kept majority of the set ups neutral but adding the odd colour set up and also included a set up with a neutral backdrop but mint as the focus colour. By doing this means you can have an image that would go with any decor in the house but could also tie in with a colour that may be around. It's something most people don't think of but after all these images will be placed upon your wall forever and you don't want it to clash.
  As a Leicester newborn photographer, I’m always on a hunt for a new prop to use with my newborn as this month was our dark wooden bed! This was perfect to keep in with the neutral colours his mummy and daddy had chosen. We ensured we also captured close ups of James little features too, these are the little things that you notice changes from day to day as they grow bigger and bigger. I love to capture the images that can be look upon in years to come to help treasure life’s moments that go by too quickly.
For more information on our sessions please contact us
Happy Birthday ScarlettTime... Now this is something we all seem to have very little of or are too busy to find. But its those little details that make everything worth while. My daughter turned 4 today, something that seemed to have happened in the blink of an eye. Suddenly my cuddly little girl shot up and looked older. Her little puppy face almost seemed longer, her words seamed clearer and she just had this 'big girl' look about her. She will be off to school soon, and once again she will look so grown up. Its at the night time, when you sit down and think, where has my little baby gone?!? We missed out on the opportunity to have a Newborn Photography Session in Leicester when Scarlett was born, so I made sure we had a Cake Smash session in Leicester for her 1st birthday. 
I make sure to constantly take photos of my little one, and I encourage you all to do so too. The little details change so quickly and before you know it your little baby who snuggled up so tightly in your arms, is walking, talking and not so little. To celebrate my daughters 4th birthday I am offering these sessions HALF PRICE. I have never had an offer like this, so it can only remain live until the 31st March, and we have limited this to 15 codes so once they have gone, there gone! These sessions are all about celebrating!! And what better reason then a special birthday, we would love to capture this amazing moment and capture memories for you to look back on for years to come. These sessions are different from our full sessions and include the below. There is no pre cake smash section and no bath included with these. Cake Smash Mini Session | 9-26 Months Old | 40 Minutes *A pre-session consultation with me to plan your bespoke session *'What To Expect Guide' *Personalised deluxe Giant Cupcake *Approx 25 lovingly edited images for you to review and order *Viewing and ordering appointment 2 weeks after your session on our 52" screen *5 digital images, in colour and matching black & white *5 matching 6x4" luxuary prints For more information on these or to book your session please click here.  |
