“The day that the boys met Benjamin was fantastic. They were totally in love and so excited to meet him. They examined all of him: feet, hands, mouth, eyes, nose. William especially loved hugging him. Thomas was very interested in everything about our hospital room and how it all worked. Pure joy!”

After photographing Benjamin’s birth the day before, I came back the next morning to document their older children meeting the new baby. I scheduled my arrival for about thirty minutes before the boys came up with their grandparents, so that we could get a few images of Lauren, Tom, and Benjamin together before the excitement began.

The two of them had worked as such a beautiful team the day before. Even though Lauren had prepared for a VBA2C (vaginal birth after two Cesareans), she unexpectedly developed preeclampsia at 38 weeks. After it was determined that her cervix was still high and closed, she talked with her husband, doula, and doctors and made the decision to have a gentle, family-centered Cesarean to bring Benjamin safely into the world. You can read her beautiful birth story (in her own words!) here.

I love seeing how tiny newborns are in their dad’s hands. They are only little like this for a few weeks!

Lauren absolutely glowed. She has so much overwhelming love for her boys, and it shows through in everything she does. And she looked so lovely! I told her that I wanted to pass along her styling tips to other moms prepping for their Just Born session: she wore a simple black nightgown that was stretchy and comfortable, and then used a beautiful blue scarf (a gift from Tom) to wrap around her shoulders for a pop of color. So simple but so pretty!

The boys burst into the room and the fun began! They ran right over to mom and immediately wanted to love on Benjamin.

Lauren’s mom and dad brought the boys, and they were just glowing with pride. I took this image and then realized that we were missing somebody…

…but Thomas was off being his curious self! He was very interested in the hospital room and wanted to know how everything worked.

Lauren and Tom had a few activities prepared for the boys, and they started with reading a very special book, “Little Angel’s Journey.” Lauren got a little teary, finally holding this baby in her arms and living out the moments she had planned over the last nine months. Thomas loved the book but William couldn’t take his eyes off of Benjamin!

Then the part that everyone was excited for…birthday cake! Thankfully, Lauren had ordered and picked up her cake in time for baby to be born, and had kept it at home in the freezer. Tom brought it to the hospital with them along with their hospital bag. Everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to Benjamin and then dove into the cake!

Then it was finally time for the boys to hold Benjamin! William was so excited and went first.

You could say that he’s a little bit in love with his brother!

Benjamin was perfectly content to be snuggled by his big brother and William was completely in love.

Then Thomas’ turn! He carefully touched Benjamin’s tiny features and rubbed his sweet head.

And then some silliness! Get ready, Benjamin, you’ve got two big brothers that like to party!

Such a beautiful family. Thank you for welcoming me into these precious first moments as a family, and congratulations!

WANT TO SEE MORE OF THIS BEAUTIFUL FAMILY? READ BENJAMIN’S BIRTH STORY HERE!

Pregnant and thinking about newborn photography?

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