Meet Lucie. A three year old little girl who is changing the face of beauty.

A few words from Lucie’s Mom:

Our journey began when I found out I was pregnant with my third child. We had two girls at the time and were excited to become a family of five. We used a midwife like we did with my other girls, and planned on our second home birth. We didn’t do genetic testing, ultra sounds or other tests, because we didn’t think it was necessary. My pregnancy with Lucie was very different from my other girls. My husband and I always had this feeling of disconnect with this pregnancy. We were so happy but it didn’t feel like it was really happening. There were times that I thought about doing an ultrasound, but against my intuition, I never followed through on it. Lucie’s birth was so beautiful. I had her at home with friends and family around. When she came out, the only thing I said was is the baby healthy?! The first time my husband held her, he said to me, “Do you think she has down syndrome?” I said, “No, of course not!” She didn’t nurse that night or even overnight. The midwife that checked her that night must not have known the signs of down syndrome because it wasn’t until the next day when the head midwife came to check on myself and Lucie. She told us to pack our bags, call the pediatrician, and head to the hospital because she is showing signs of down syndrome and her oxygen was very low. We cried more than we had ever cried before. It felt like it was a nightmare. During our three week stay at the hospital, we also learned that Lucie had a big hole in her heart and would require open heart surgery at five months. At the end of the 3 week hospital stay, we were sent home with Lucie and an nasogastric tube (NG tube). I pumped every three hours every day for five months and fed her breastmilk through the NG tube. Those first five months were the hardest time of my entire life. I cried so much, it was so difficult, but I never gave up, because I had to do it for Lucie. Her open heart surgery was a huge success, and Lucie began to thrive.

Lucie has touched the hearts of so many people that she meets. She inspires me to me a better person. She has brought the most wonderful people in my life and allowed me to love so much more deeply. She teaches me about life and whats really important. She makes me stronger and pushes me to never give up. She is such a blessing and is loved by so many people. We are truly blessed.

Oh the places you will go, Lucie!

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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