On the day of Steph's in-home family session, I arrived and was greeted with the biggest smile and hello. I quickly noticed the beautiful light spilling into their home, art projects, and family photos lining the wall. This was their first in-home family session, and it was the first time I was meeting them face-to-face.
There ease and excitement to get up-close and cozy with one-another made the session feel effortless. The session was great, but for me, photography is about so much more than just the final product. It's about helping mamas, like Steph, preserve these times while also serving as a reminder that they are doing a good job at being a mom.
I would like to share some of Steph's journey in motherhood. In this blog, you'll read how childbirth was one of her biggest challenges, what she wants other moms to know about PPD & self-care, and her advice regarding the little choices.
My biggest challenge-
In the age of the #metoo movement, we know that sexual assault is all too common for women. We hear their stories of resilience and strength, but we don't often understand the long term effects of this trauma. Stephanie is a sexual assault victim and one of her biggest challenges thus far as a mother was the experience of childbirth and pregnancy.
She says "Pregnancy and birth were challenging for me. I'm a sexual assault victim, and the whole process of birth was incredibly challenging to cope with. I'm so thankful that the team of midwives at Magee hospital was trained and educated on how to make the process less triggering for me. With their assistance, I was able to get through it as best as possible."
