Rita submitted her story during my Little Love Stories Campaign and I just knew that I needed to photograph her. This blog post is dedicated to Rita, her family, and her baby girl Cynnayah.
This baby girl who was due in October, is Rita's 3rd (and she says final) child. Rita had turned 40 earlier this year and got a surprise that she sure was not expecting. "This is my second marriage and we tried for years. I have PCOS and was told my chances were slim to none. After 10 years of trying we gave up. I went on the Keto diet and after 2 months and the loss of 35 pounds I got pregnant. I never expected this but my husband and I are very excited! I wish nothing but the very best for all my children. This one will be my very last one. I hope to give her more than I ever could when I was younger. I want her to see how special she is and know she can be anything she wants to be with hard work and support from her loved ones." said Rita.
Her pregnancy had been a little hard with severe morning sickness and her employer not wanting to let her have time off. She had lost her insurance and became a cash patient so taking time off was not an option for her. Rita finally had her last day of work at the end of August (just shortly after her maternity session) and she was thankful to be off of her feet. Rita was considered high risk because of her age and she had to see many doctors throughout her pregnancy-but that didn't get her down. Both Rita and the baby had a healthy and happy pregnancy and Rita gave birth to her beautiful baby girl on September 10th-both are home now and doing well.
Rita goes on to tell a bit more of her story... "Life has also been hard raising teenagers. I never thought I would be starting over again this late in age. My husband and I are calling this our miracle baby or golden child to keep our spirits up in hopes the baby will never go through the terrible teen stage!" When I asked Rita what she would like to tell her unborn child she said... "I've had a hard life but I never gave up. If anything it's made me try harder to reach my goals. I raised your Brother and Sister on my own for years, I went to school and work the entire time. I met your Dad and he showed me what real love and support of a partner is capable of. He has been the best Dad to your siblings and he is ready to be yours! I'm a go-getter and third in charge at my company. Your dad is a Boss too! It was a lot of hard work and struggles but we made it. Life has never been easy but being able to have you and raise you is the best gift I could ask for."
And when she asked Cynnayah's siblings what message they would like to send their baby sister, this is what they had to say:
"Don't grow up too fast, Being an Adult is a trick"Love your Brother, Courtney.
“No matter how old you get don’t loose your oneness. It’s nice to have the company of others but don’t forget the importance of being able to be true to oneself. Keep your duality. You are both light and dark. Keep that in memory. Bask in it” Love your Sister, Aaliyah
It was a blessing for me to be able to photograph this special maternity session and share in Rita's little love story and I'm excited to see what her baby girl will do in the future.
In closing, Rita would like to share these words with other expectant mothers:
"Enjoy every moment of this beautiful experience. Don't let anyone discourage you with their negative outlook. You are going to be the light of your child's life."
2 Comments
Sep 27, 2019, 6:09:44 PM
Chris Holt - Such a beautiful way to highlight Rita's story! I can tell how much these photos mean to her family!
Sep 27, 2019, 5:29:07 PM
Sam - So beautiful! Great photos!