Capturing Those First Moments!!

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The day has come after 40 or so weeks your beautiful miracle is here. For some it was an easy birth. Maybe all natural, maybe not…. for some, a C-section. That’s me. The C-section mama who first laboured for a very long time then suddenly rushed in to surgery many hours later. So coming home is not what I envisioned because well I envisioned this beautiful natural spiritual birth (or so it was my plan). A long story to be shared at a later time. This is about pictures of those first moments. I had this idea that I would have all these pictures with my midwives, my family, the baby, and the team that helped bring this beautiful miracle into our lives. Well there was a couple pictures taken at the very beginning of the journey. After surgery though, it is pretty blurry. 3 days apparently went by and then they sent me home (I personally do not think I was ready). So my adoring husband wheeled our daughter and me downstairs. He went to get the car and we drove home (ouch). That ride that usually takes ten minutes was thirty minutes and not very comfortable. So no pictures leaving the hospital. Then we arrive home, here we are, home as a family. Now it’s not just me you and the dog. We are a family four (yes I include Gus). I thought we would have captured all these pictures, arriving home, mom and dad, coming in the door yada yada ya.

Ummmmm NO. Get me into bed put my daughter on my chest. I am in too much pain. I must say, having her on me though is the most comforting feeling in the world and made my heart spill with joy even through all the trauma. Fast-forward 11 days. I was dying to have newborn pictures of her. After all she is only this tiny once. I did not pre-book a newborn shoot with a "new born " photographer. Luckily my talented sister in law is a photojournalist. So of course she said yes to do her photos. We picked a day and did them. They are beautiful. I am so happy to have these photos. I thought to myself, we never had one of the three of us. Except for one selfie I took while lying in bed…. So here I am swollen like Fred Flintstone. I decided to throw on some cover up and mascara and just had to have a few quick pictures with her and my husband. So the story behind the picture.

*11 days post baby

*Swollen

*Someone had to hand her to me I could not pick her up, so holding her standing was a little uncomfortable and hard.

* I have no pants on ……that’s right waist down is one of the many pairs of hospital undies that the nurse gave me to take home.

* She peed all over me right before this shot and it was hilarious.

*The day was a little blurry to me.

Despite feeling crappy, how could I have ever passed up a chance to have a picture captured of us in her newest moments? Like I said they are never this tiny again and I missed a lot of those very first moment pictures that most people capture. But I have these and when I show her I can laugh with her and tell her I was in granny hospital undies and you peed all over me. So I guess I could not have a more perfect picture of her and I and of the three of three of us.

We often see so many pictures via social media and a lot of times certain things look glamorous and “ Picture Perfect “ But that is not always the case, there is most likely a story behind the picture and often perhaps a funny one. Regardless it is your moments your beautiful first moments with your new family and that in it self is absolutely perfect.

Fast forward a few months, Gemma-Love is now eight months old. Her very essence is inspiring to me. There are almost no words to describe the amount of pure love and joy that she is. I am sure all you parents can relate. There is a simple quote by Jim Elliot that says “Wherever you are, Be all there”. One of the many things I have learned so far from Gemma-Love on this amazing gift called motherhood is being present. Fully being there in the moment. Before she was born I was always thinking ahead, the next hour, the next day, the next week. We tend to always be planning and miss out on the beauty that is the present moment. We pass through life, go through life rather grow through life. I am so grateful to her for teaching me this. Being in the moment wholeheartedly, because NOW is what we have. So indulge in the gift that is NOW and notice all the beautiful blessings of each moment. She has allowed me to slow down in a way that I can hear my soul speak, so loud and clear. It is a beautiful thing. I pray I can be an example of love and compassion for her and allow her to bloom into the beautiful divine being that she is. A spirit of Love. Children open our hearts and our minds to so many things we never knew existed. And although she is only eight months old and she does not understand I whisper Thank you in her ear numerous times a day.

Tania Joy Antonio xo