Nashville Fresh 48 Hospital Photography

Meet Sofia and her Nashville fresh 48 hospital photography pictures.  She just turned 1, but I can’t think of a better time to share her birth story!  Well, Sofia’s story is more than a birth story.  It’s a story of love, determination, and strength.  Her mommy and daddy traveled the world, literally, to get her here.  What an honor it is to be invited into the hospital room after baby is born! 

Sofia’s Story

“In two weeks, it will be a year since my miracle baby was born. Where did that year go? They say time flies once you have children, but the nine and a half years prior to her arrival did not fly. See, I welcomed her sister, Ayana into the world on November 5, 2007, after getting pregnant on the first try at 37.

Little did we know that the next eight years, instead of another child, would bring doctors, drugs, acupuncture, herbs, chiropractic care, doctors visits and several surgeries, just to attempt to get pregnant again.

The years did not go so fast at that time. Every month was a waiting game. Every few months I knew friends or family who easily conceived and had multiple children while there I sat and could not even get pregnant. By the time Ayana was two, she was pretending to be pregnant and begging for a little sister. At several times through the years, her teachers would say to me, “Is there something you have to tell us?” .  Ayana would tell them I was pregnant, but I never was. I had to endure all things baby and kid-related, because I had a child. Those were the longest, hardest and darkest years of my life. I had a child, a healthy beautiful child, so why couldn’t I be happy? That just was not how I saw my life. I wanted to be a mama more than I wanted anything and that was the thing that eluded me the most, while other people I knew just kept the kids coming.

Fast forward through three states , 5 specialists and one country and, I finally got pregnant again.

Over the years I came to terms with not having a child biologically related to me, I just wanted a baby to love and to give Ayana a sister.  So, we took a leap of faith after learning about donor egg IVF abroad. In November 2016, our little family of three took a journey to Athens, Greece and underwent donor egg IVF.  8 eggs were retrieved, 5 fertilized and only 2 made it to Day 5. We implanted both eggs the morning of November 5, 2016, Ayana’s 9th birthday. We did not plan it that way, that is how the timing worked out.  That is now a special day for two very important reasons. While in Greece, Elias wrote in the black sand, Michele will get pregnant and Sofia Athene Tamene.  The waves washed the words away, but I knew in my heart this was true. Nine days later, we found out we were pregnant with one baby and a few weeks later we learned that baby was a girl…”

Sofia’s Birth

“So, to make a very long, emotionally and financially taxing story short, I will fast forward to the happy day. The day I got to experience becoming a mama again.

June 27, 2017.

Sofia Athena Tamene was delivered via a planned pre-term medically necessary delivery at 36 weeks 0 days. After 9 months and a loss of fifty one pounds because I was so sick, my perfect, beautiful second daughter was born weighing in at 5lbs 12oz.  This donor egg Greek-Ethiopian baby looks just like her daddy and her sister and brings such joy and happiness to our lives. Shannon came to the hospital for her Fresh 48 photo shoot and I will forever treasure the moments of pure joy we experienced together and that were captured on film.”

~Michele T.

Sofia, you are so very loved.

One of my favorite moments after her birth was when her daddy gave her mommy this card.  There were 7 in all, and I got to witness number 2.  I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room!  These notes were so thoughtful and so sweet.  You could feel the love filling the room.

Nashville Fresh 48 Hospital Photography

Would you like for us to tell your birth story?  Shannon Payne Photography offers Nashville Fresh 48 Hospital Photography after baby is born.  We only take a limited number of sessions each month, so booking early is very important.  Contact us to get scheduled today.  Visit our Facebook and Instagram pages to see more of our recent work.