Noah - Quarantine Babies - Shreveport Newborn Photographer - Leslie Whitaker Photography

Covid-19 has changed many of the ways we live our life. I'd love to hear from you how it has directly affected your pregnancy. Do you feel like you've missed out on anything during your pregnancy with Noah that you'd hoped for? Do you recall any emotional differences related to the changes you faced towards the end of your pregnancy?

Covid-19 took away so much planned during my pregnancy. With so much changing with the hospital guidelines I was pushed to give in and be induced with my son to not risk having my husband missing out on his birth. I wasn’t allowed to have any family visit me during my stay and my photographer couldn’t be there as well. It was really emotional not having my mother with me as well to meet my son. She honestly didn’t get to meet him until he was 9 weeks old.

How was your hospital stay? Do you recall any differences in processes, how you were treated, etc. compared to your birth plan? How did those differences make you feel?

I honestly loved my hospital stay. I was treated so good by the staff. They helped me understand everything that was going on and I lucked out and got a family friend as my nurse. I couldn’t have done it without Brandi or my husband Michael.

Where was Noah born and at how many weeks gestation? How old was your baby on the date of his session?

Noah was born at Willis Knighton Bossier at 39 weeks. We did his newborns at 6-7 weeks!

What were you nervous about going into your session?

I was nervous about Noah not cooperating and taking him out the house.

What was your favorite part of your session experience?

Being pampered with hair and makeup while Leslie took care of Noah for his session.

How do you feel now that you have completed your session and received your images?

I am so happy! I have been so excited to have these to share with my family 💙

Would you recommend Leslie to other parents looking to document their newborn? Why would you recommend Leslie?

Of course! Leslie is the best. She’s the baby whisper and she knows what she is doing. She is very professional with her work and she is so kind.

There are so many beautiful styles of newborn photos. A simple white background with baby as the focus of the image, that speaks to me. I add color when the parents want me to, but no matter how hard I try.. I always go back to a clean image. Noah, he looks beautiful in a sweet cotton onesie, and all babies do too. Scroll down to check out my favorites from his newborn session. -Leslie

Declan - Quarantine Babies - Shreveport Newborn Photographer, Leslie Whitaker Photography-

Morgan, Dakota and Declan are such a beautiful family! Declan is a perfect little boy with an olive tone complexion and what look to be blue eyes. On the day of his session he was a complete gentleman and went right to sleep once I swaddled him! He was six weeks old the day of our session, and chunky already. I love working with older newborns, I find that they actually do better than most younger babies and settle into positions with less fuss. I’ve already gotten to see Declan and his parents again, at the sunflower fields - but read below to hear more about Morgan’s final weeks of pregnancy, their session from her perspective and how Covid-19 affected her and her family during Declan’s birth, before and after.

Covid-19 has changed many of the ways we live our life. I'd love to hear from you how it has directly affected your pregnancy. Do you feel like you've missed out on anything during your pregnancy with Declan that you looking forward to? Do you recall any emotional differences related to the changes you faced towards the end of your pregnancy or postpartum experience?

Luckily, I was well into my 3rd trimester before Covid-19 related restrictions set in, but my husband wasn't able to attend my last few doctor's appointments. We even ended up going to a different hospital for Declan's birth because my original hospital was only going to allow my husband to stay for the "Golden Hour" before being asked to leave while I stayed another 48 hours. It was very stressful to think that my husband wouldn't be with me or be able to spend the first couple days with his first newborn. I definitely cried in the doctor's office when I found that out, but thankfully it all worked out.

How was your hospital stay? Do you recall any differences in what you had imagined your birth experience to be like? How did those differences make you feel?

So, we solved the problem of my husband not being able to be with me, but there was no getting past the 1 visitor rule! Our family had to wait until we were all home. It was definitely much different than I imagined. Part of me is very thankful that it was quiet and my husband could spend that time meeting our new little one, but it also would have been great to have family there for extra support and to meet their first grand baby.

Where was Declan born and at how many weeks gestation? How old was your baby on the date of his newborn session?

Declan was born at Willis Knighton in Bossier and was 40 weeks (born 1 day before his due date)! He was 6 weeks during our session.

What were you nervous about going into your session?

I wasn't worried about much. I had heard great things about Leslie, but with Covid-19 still lingering in our community, I did feel a little anxious about the possibility of exposing him to anything.

What was your favorite part of your newborn session experience?

It was very relaxed! Leslie was great & coached us non-models into family positions that made for such sweet photos.

How do you feel now that you have completed your newborn session and received your images?

Great! Wouldn't change it for the world. The pictures are beautiful and are a wonderful presentation of us as a new family.

Would you recommend Leslie to other parents looking to document their newborn with a professional newborn photographer? Why would you recommend Leslie as a photographer in Shreveport, Louisiana?

Of course, Leslie has a fantastic selection of props to use. She's very personable and easy-going. Plus her editing skills are A++. Can't wait to get more pictures made with her in the future!

Charli - Quarantine Babies - Shreveport Newborn Photographer - Leslie Whitaker Photography

Covid-19 has changed many of the ways we live our life. I'd love to hear from you how it has directly affected your pregnancy. Do you feel like you've missed out on anything during your pregnancy with Charli that you got to do during your previous pregnancies? Do you recall any emotional differences related to the changes you faced towards the end of your pregnancy?

The Covid shut down started during a very important time in my pregnancy. I had just entered my third trimester and was looking forward to all the things I got to do with my two boys. I was going to do a 4d ultrasound, make a heart beat bear, have my baby shower, and take maternity pictures. Covid unfortunately ruined all of those plans. Because of the shutdown my husband's casino closed and we went from one income to no income. At that point we had to prioritize where our money went and had to follow a strict budget. The 4d ultrasound, heart beat bear, and maternity session did not fit into our budget anymore. I lost out on having my husband at my last ultrasound before the baby was born. I lost out on a regular baby shower. I will say what everyone came up with was wonderful though. In my third trimester I was an emotional wreck. I was anxious about going into labor. Since my children were out of school I was taking care of three rowdy boys and my daughter. I was a full time student as well. Teaching three school age children, cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and tons of snacks in between lol), going to school myself, and trying to keep up with my duties around the house was draining. Emotionally and physically. It also unknown how Covid affected pregnant women. If it could be transferred to the baby invitro or not. All of the what ifs made it impossible to not to constantly worry. Sleep was out of the question. All in all my quarantine pregnancy was more stressful and caused more anxiety and possible depression. I started to doubt if I could handle having a newborn and continue doing all I was for my other children. I started to doubt my ability as a mother and a wife. It was difficult not having a support system and knowing I was stuck in quarantine.

How was your hospital stay? Do you recall any differences in processes, how you were treated, etc. compared to your previous birth experiences? How did those differences make you feel?

When we arrived at the hospital we had to answer questions like had we been out of the state, have we been in contact with anyone sick, and do we feel sick. They then took our temperatures and called the labor and delivery nurses. When the nurses came down and escorted us upstairs there was no leaving after that. My husband was not allowed to leave for snacks, drinks, or anything of any sort. If he did he was not allowed back in. The nurses that tended to me all wore masks and didn't come in the room very often. If I needed something I had to call for them which was much different than what I was used to. With both of my boys I was surrounded by nurses constantly. Waking me up in the middle of the night, a lactation assistant coming in, the nursery nurses checking on the baby, etc. When i had Charli, she never left the room. They didn't take her to the nursery to bath her. She stayed with me 24/7.

Where was Charli born and at how many weeks gestation? How old was your baby on the date of her session?

Charli was born at Willis Knighton Bossier at 39 weeks. I was induced. On the date of her session she was a month old!

What were you nervous about going into your session?

Going in to the session I was just glad to be out of the house. It was the first time (other than going to the hospital) that I had been out of the house since quarantine began. Other than dr appointments.

What was your favorite part of your session experience?

My favorite part was getting to see Charli dressed up. Also getting to talk and connect with another adult and awesome photographer. You were so wonderful with Charli!!

How do you feel now that you have completed your session and received your images?

I feel good knowing that our experience was documented. That I can show her when she is older. I am also excited that I can tell my story to hopefully help out other moms who are going through what we did and give them some peace in knowing that everything will be okay!

Would you recommend Leslie to other parents looking to document their newborn? Why would you recommend Leslie?

Of course I would recommend Leslie to everyone! I love her work and she was so gentle and wonderful with Charli. She has definitely found her calling in photography!

Newborn Model Call - Shreveport Newborn Photographer

We are in need of one newborn on February 6 to model. Model will be compensated with your five favorite digital files, delivered via digital download through our gallery site. Additional files will available for purchase during your gallery viewing one week later. Model release must be signed in order to participate. You will be contacted via email if you are chosen.

Session will consist of Mardi Gras and neutral themed props and poses.