This session was so fun for me! I did not meet Linae until the session itself, and I was so excited because she is a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse, just like me. She works at a different hospital, but still shares a love for the preemies and babies.
Here is a little background story about how Linae got her start in the NICU. She started out as a nurse assistant. She had never been in a NICU and didn't even know that such a place existed. She ended up spending a significant amount of time in the NICU because during her first semester of nursing school, her daughter was born at just 28 weeks. She weighed only 1 pound and 12 ounces.
Today Jaelyn is a thriving senior in high school and she is on her way to college. You'll be able to tell from these images that she is full of energy and joy, and she's the reason her mom ended up in the NICU in the first place. Bryden took a little longer to warm up but he did a great job looking nice and natural in his photos.
Since this session, I was able to spend some time with Linae and a baby that she is very close to in the NICU where she works. I had the opportunity to photograph her with the baby and his family on his discharge day! Linae formed a special bond with his family during the 7 months that he was in the NICU. The most magical part of this story is... Linae will be caring for him while he is at home! When she is able, she commits to working with the baby through a home health agency so that she can stay in touch and keep the relationship with her families. If that's not commitment, I don't know what is!
Linae has such a big heart and will continue being a blessing to so many families! She says she plans to stay in the NICU forever - even when she's in a Hoveround :)
