The Keenan Birth & Fresh 48 | Evanston Hospital Birth Session | Chicago Family Photographer

Michelle and PJ have been with me since they got married 8 years ago. They’ve always been one of my biggest fans, probably next to my parents to be honest. Words just cannot express the love I have for them and their family. Michelle allowed me to photograph the birth of her second child. This was my first birth I ever photographed, and it will always be so special to me. Her birth was in no way easy, and yet it didn’t scare me away from birth photography, but rather pushed me closer to it. There is nothing more incredible than witnessing any being birth their baby. Whether it be a human or animal, it truly is indescribable, which is why it’s the most captivating thing that I can photograph. Since this birth almost 4 years ago, I knew this was what I was most passionate about.

Enough about me, PJ and Michelle have been living for weeks now separated from their girls due to the Pandemic. PJ is an ER Nurse who is now working exclusively in the COVID unit of a local hospital. I have face-timed with them twice over a 2 week period, the second being last night. PJ shared a little bit of his experience at the hospital, dubbing yesterday as “his worst day at work ever in his decade long career as a nurse”. The hazmat suits are extremely hot, he’s in direct contact with COVID patients who are very sick and dying from this, and the doctors and nurses are scared. He goes in and sees it every day with his own eyes. They made the tough decision to have their girls stay with their grandparents, in a whole other state for the time being, and it just breaks my heart. The sacrifice that they are going through is truly heroic. They’ve already spent their oldest’s birthday apart, and coming up on June 1st, they may have to do the same with their youngest.

I cannot justify complaining about anything right now, because it doesn’t hold a candle to what the families of healthcare workers are going through. I’d love to highlight and share stories like this of families that I’ve worked with in this time. Please send me an e-mail (sophie@sophiebaron.com), text, or DM to share your story, positive OR negative! Share stories of struggles, gratitude, humor and more!