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What You Don't See Here
'I was so afraid to try for a second baby': Nicole shares the reality behind this photo of her daughters
‘The worry and stress of a premature baby really takes its toll on you.’
EACH WEEK, A different Irish parent chats us through a family photo from Instagram and explains what was really going on outside the frame – from tantrums to toilet disasters.
Fancy taking part? Email amy@thejournal.ie with a few lines about yourself and your kids for a chance to feature.
This week, Nicole O’Neill (@girls_purchases) chatted us through an adorable photo of her two daughters, Ellie and Abbie.
Tell us a bit about this photo. What inspired you to take it?
This photo was taken to show off their beautiful handmade matching dresses. Ellie is obsessed with wearing the same clothes as her little sister Abbie, so these dresses are perfect.
What’s one thing that’s going on in this photo that you wouldn’t know from looking at it?
We are slowly adjusting to life with two children under three years of age. After a late diagnosis of endometriosis, my partner and I were advised to try for children straight away. After surgery and a course of ovulation treatment, I fell pregnant with Ellie. She arrived eight weeks early. After this I was so afraid to ever try again as the worry and stress of a premature baby really takes its toll on you.
We were advised, however, not to leave it long to try again if we did have another baby. Again after ovulation treatment, we were lucky enough to fall pregnant again. The fear of having another premature baby really meant I struggled to enjoy this pregnancy, but thankfully we got to 38 weeks.
Something you don’t see from this photo is that fear of having an early baby, that never leaves you – even with Abbie being full term. Another element to this photo is the fact that the girls are beautifully dressed and I’m hidden behind the camera in ripped jeans and a jumper with spit up on it and, most importantly, a mom bun.
Did it take many attempts to get the right shot?
I took at least 15 photos to get this one. As you can imagine, it’s very hard to get a toddler and newborn both looking at the camera or at least in a similar direction, but I was happy with the outcome. I’m biased though, they are my daughters and I truly feel blessed to have been able to have them. Even after two pregnancies filled with endless amounts of vomiting, I wouldn’t change one second of it because look at the outcome. These are my tiny humans and no amount of vomiting, stress, fear or anxiety could ever change the amount I love them unconditionally.
Do you have a family photo from Instagram with a great behind-the-scenes story?
The day at the beach when the little one ingested a mouthful of sand – or the smiley photo taken just minutes after a tantrum? If so, we want to hear from you! Email amy@thejournal.ie with a few lines about yourself and your kids for a chance to feature in What You Don’t See Here.
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