This newborn session was packed full of smiles, sleepy babes, and unique poses. Mom and Dad are both big football fans, and have some seriously sweet pets, all of which we managed to incorporate into their in-home newborn session, in Montville, Connecticut. Scroll on for an overload of adorable baby photos, and some honest answers from first-time parents, Alexx and Zack.
1) Can you share with us a little about your family? Where you and Zachary are from originally, and how the two of you met? What made you decide to live in Montville, CT?
We are both originally from Cape Cod, MA, where we were born and raised. We grew up in the same town and went to the same high school which is where we met. We had a mutual friend who introduced us, and we’ve been together ever since! We made the move to CT shortly after graduating from college because Zack had a job offer at Electric Boat, in Groton, Connecticut. We spent a few years there, in Groton, and ended up in Montville after house hunting and falling in love with our home and neighborhood. (Alexx is formerly an interior designer, which became overwhelmingly obvious the moment I stepped inside her house, every room was beautifully decorated!)
2) What was your pregnancy like? Did you have any strange cravings? Which part did you enjoy the most? And the least?
My pregnancy was overall very easy. Although it was considered high risk, due to placenta previa, I luckily didn’t have any major complications from it. I also never had any of the weird cravings, or mood swings you typically hear about, so I guess I was lucky with this one! What I enjoyed the most was watching my belly grow and feeling Cameron kick a lot. What I liked the least was not being able to eat sushi, and the terrible heartburn I experienced the last two weeks of my pregnancy.
3) What was your birth experience like with Cameron? Because of the condition I had, we knew early on that Cameron would have to be a scheduled c-section as early as 36 weeks. Just as my doctors had anticipated, Cameron was scheduled right at 36 weeks. I had never been so nervous for anything in my life, but the doctors and nurses were so wonderful and made me feel as comfortable as possible. He was born about 15 minutes after I had entered the OR and everything went smoothly!
4) What’s been the grossest thing you’ve experienced since becoming parents?
We both agree that Cameron’s first poop at the hospital was pretty gross. That black tar-like stuff is nothing like we had ever seen before.
5) What was your first thought when you found out the sex of your baby?
I had a gut feeling that he was a boy all along, so my first thought was, “I knew it!”. We also both knew that we were probably going to name him Cameron. We both just really liked the name.
6) What was the last non-baby-related book you read?
I recently completed my Masters in teaching, so the last book I read that wasn’t baby related was a book on classroom management.
7) How are you feeling about returning to work once your maternity leave is up? Zachary, were you able to take any time off for Cameron’s birth? How are you feeling about returning to work?
I’m lucky enough to be able to take the next 6 months off until the next school year starts. I’m thrilled to be able to have this amount of time with Cameron and I know it’s something I’ll always cherish. Zack was able to take a whole month off when Cameron was born and he is actually due to return to work tomorrow. He’s not very excited to go back. We’ve been having so much fun bonding as a family!
8) What tips or advice would you give other first-time moms and dads as they experience these first few weeks of parenthood?
Zack’s advice is to not let your nerves get to you before becoming a parent. He feels that the second he held Cameron, he felt at ease being a Dad and everything else just seemed to fall into place for him. For me, I think it’s important for parents to work as a team. I never once took over a diaper change or anything else Zack was doing, thinking I could do a better job. This is a new experience for the both of us and we are both on the same level when it comes to parenting our son.
Welcome to the world, sweet baby Cameron!
Thank you for sharing some of your story with us, Alexx and Zack!
Pregnant? Want to invest in capturing your own newborn memories on camera? Get in touch to plan and schedule your own newborn session in your home, or at the studio!
