Changing the Face of Beauty

Meet Henry. A four year old little boy who is changing the face of beauty.

Down Syndrome Awareness

Words from Henry’s Mom:

On November 5th, 2013 at 4:30 AM the contractions woke me up from a deep sleep, I had never felt such a intense consistent feeling before, despite this was my second pregnancy! With not knowing what was about to happen I thought it would be a good idea to do some laundry and start packing my hospital bag, as this seemed like an important thing to do at 35 weeks pregnant.

By 6:30 AM my husband, Joe was awake and frantic phone calls to my mom were made…. contractions were now every 3 minutes apart and my mom insisted that the hospital was the place we needed to get to immediately! Luckily, my mother in law made it to the house in record time to look after our sweet 17 month old daughter! Contractions were getting harder to breathe through and walking was a near impossible…contractions were about every one minute apart now! My husband had always wished to have a good reason to speed through town and drive through every red light and on this day…. he had all the reasons! As I was wheeled past the waiting room into triage, I saw my mom through my teary eyes looking back at me. She arrived even before I did! As my husband had turned the corner from running from the parking garage… the provider shouted… there is a head coming we are going to have a baby! Let’s go…let’s go..let’s go!!!

9:04 AM IT’S A BOY! The pure excitement, the unexplainable feeling of pure perfection!! 7lbs and 5oz of perfection! Our hearts had literally exploded! Henry Jackson was going to be his name! A strong name, a name that holds history, a name that sounded presidential!

Then… we heard… your baby has a few characteristics of Down Syndrome and we need to send additional blood work….just to rule it out…

 

 

Down Syndrome Awareness

Without skipping a beat… Henry was perfect and he was ours! A beautiful blue eyed baby boy! We held him tight, kissed his button nose a hundred times over and called our family and friends…. we were over the moon!

The next day…. we met the term Down Syndrome and my husband and I learned that our bundle of pure perfection had Down syndrome. We cried… deep and hard…

The how’s and the whys and the what ifs, the possible complications and fears were all discussed. The Nurse Pracititioner was so gentle and genuine in her approach, she was patient and kind, she did not judge, she listened, she hugged and she cried along with us. Honestly, I don’t really remember all the details of the conversation but I will always remember her presence and approach.

I held Henry the entire night and cried….I loved this little sweet bundle of pure perfection so deeply and so fiercely but the fear of the unknown had taken me to a place I never want to go back to again. I did not think I was a strong enough to survive a medical complication that could potential take his life. I held him so tight and prayed so hard.

 

Down Syndrome Awareness

“People make bad choices if they are mad, scared or stressed…throw a little love their way and you’ll bring out their best”. Henry was my love and he had made me the best person I could be! It’s one day at a time, the future is too overwhelming but today is here so let’s enjoy the moments we have.

The next year was truly a blur. Sharing the news with our families and friends, keeping track of all the needed doctors appointments, Breastfed and pump around the clock, and setting up Early Interventions. And soon our front door had become revolving with different therapists. They taught us the ins and outs of how to assist Henry with physical needs, occupational needs, feedings needs and speech needs. They all had become a part of our family and were amazing individuals whom I have saved a piece of my heart for. Not only did these individuals assist Henry to help him become the best he could, these therapists were real people who assisted me to be a the best mama I could be! They pushed me, they encouraged me and they helped me discover that life is as perfect as you make it!

Once Henry had turned one year old, I knew everything was going to be ok. I am still torn to believe that all potential medical complications are necessary to tell to new parents on day one to prepare them or if that only leads them to a dark and fearful path. I was done with feeling so scaried of the what if’s… I was ready to start living a happy and bright life! As my husband still tells me to this day, “ don’t worry about it until you have a reason to worry about it!”

I was so proud and honored to be Henry’s Mom! Henry is so sweet, so happy, so gentle, so lovey, and mighty handsome! He has taught me to slow down and enjoy the scenery and smell a flower or two. Each day there will be things in life that will be a struggle for Henry, this will never go away, but with admiration and support Henry will continue to receive all the assistance he needs to help him become the best he can! Henry has a big sister to push him along and a younger sister to grow with and an incredible fan club!

Henry is now 4 years old and is in preschool and continues to work hard everyday. He wakes up with a smile on his face and ends the days with tight genuine hugs for all. Henry makes the world a much better place! We love you more than you can ever imagine!

Down Syndrome Awareness Down Syndrome Awareness

Oh the places you will go, Henry!

It was a pleasure to do a special photo session with some local kids who have Down syndrome. I am hoping to spread awareness locally in addition to adding my own flair to the campaign, Changing the Face of Beauty

Our local news station aired the story on Thursday, April 26th to shine a beautiful light on these adorable kiddos and our photo shoot. You can watch the story here.

BETHANY CHASE PHOTOGRAPHY IS A TRUSTED AND EXPERIENCED PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER IN ROCHESTER NY THAT CREATES CUSTOM NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY, MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHY, BABY PHOTOGRAPHY, CHILD PHOTOGRAPHY AND FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY EXPERIENCES FOR CLIENTS ALL ACROSS THE AREA. BETHANY CHASE PHOTOGRAPHY CURRENTLY SERVES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING NEW YORK AREAS: ROCHESTER, WEBSTER, PENFIELD, PITTSFORD, BRIGHTON, PERINTON, FAIRPORT, HENRIETTA, SPENCERPORT, GATES, CHILI, IRONDEQUOIT, GREECE, CHURCHVILLE, MENDON.

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newborn, child and family photographer

rochester new york