Ava and Lauren, Pensacola New Born Photographer

This week is quite a turning point in Ava’s very young life and in her mama’s, Lauren. At just 8 weeks, Ava is now now discovering daycare as Lauren has to go back to work, missing the love of her life and anxious nobody (much less a total stranger) could ever care for her daughter as much and as well as she does. I have a personal connection with Ava’s grand mother, Renee. Back in 1994, when I came to the US as a french medical student doing a summer rotation at Baptist hospital, Renee worked in the heart center with Henry. Our friendship started then, 27 years ago, she later was one of the very few people I would trust to leave my children with when I left town, and will always hold a very special place in my heart. I was trilled to photograph Ava to give back some of the kindness she has shown my family for so long.
Keeping a Facebook presence has become a big part of my daily life. On a personal level, it’s a wonderful tool to stay in touch with my faraway family, and for my business such a powerful way to connect to new clients and to follow my previous ones (I love to see all my newborns grow up and my graduating seniors’ college life & accomplishments). Tho it can be flooded with delirious venting, as often the case lately, in our political tense climate, it is also a source of very interesting and inspirational articles. I’ve come across recently 2 outstanding ones:
the first was a “letter” written from a delivery nurse. In a nutshell, she explains her life commitment to her patients and you are quick to understand, it is way more than just doing her job, it is a total gift of love and caring, which comes for her at the high price of many personal sacrifices. This letter is relevant here, because Lauren is an OR nurse and just like a delivery nurse, her life is devoted to her patients, and for this dedication she will forgo many personal moments with her family. As a doctor’s wife, and a nurse’s daughter, I have experienced first hand the time constrain the medical personnel unselfishly donate to their patients. Henry typically leaves the house daily before 5am to start rounds in the hospital and never returns before 6pm. He is very frequently on call. He has missed countless of our children’s games, hardly ever attended any practices, was never been able to offer assistance in any coaching, never had the pride to sit at a parent-teacher conference. Let’s not even talk about the emotional tolls it takes on all the medical staff, to live in an environment where you encounter daily death, and live the pain of your patient and all their relatives’.
The other “article”, I came across just yesterday, Henry sent me the link without reading it, so sure the title would tickle my huge french ego: the New York Magazine shared “The Real reason you’ll never be able to parent like a french mom”… very catchy!
While I bask in all praise of us french women: “best cook” “why french women never get fat” (Please! the struggle is real!), so many more and now “best parenting”, let’s also be realistic: it isn’t all pink and roses in France. As political climate and economics go, we are no role models, and as this article points out, you get a far better shot at being a great parent with all the benefits given to french parents. I have no desire to start a debate on how things should be done, I only wish to bow in respect to all the american working moms. I know it’s hard, I know you will be exhausted, I know nothing prepares you to it all, I know it’s overwhelming at times. Parenting is overwhelming on its own! I am impressed with you, you are amazing, and as hard as it will be, I know you will do your very best, even if it doesn’t always seem enough, be content you did your best.
To all the moms in the medical profession, I hold you in the highest regards. I had chosen for myself what I believed (and still do) to be the most noble of all professions, to be a doctor, more specifically an OBGYN. When I married Henry, I did not think we could manage to provide the parenting I aspired to give to my children if I also worked as a doctor, especially since I had my heart set on a very large family (my initial desire was to have 7 children). I wanted to be a dedicated doctor and the best mom in the world, I knew my limits and did not want to fail at either. It seemed safer to renounce this dream. I was very fortunate to be in a position to be able to make that choice. I don’t have regrets, even if at times, I’m a bit envious of all my medical friends, but mostly I am so grateful for the time spent with my children. As for dreams, I am in no shortage and was lucky to accomplish many! Getting to bottle up these precious moments in a family celebrating their new baby, discovering the joy of parenthood, that is quite an honor and a most satisfying job! Thank you for trusting me, I am so happy that while your head will be spinning watching your baby growing and changing daily, you will have these images for ever reminding you of this very extraordinary slice of your life, when your parenting experience all begun.